[Melissaandcrew]

I have a dobie with a very sensitive stomach, and it came to a point of thinking grain free would never work for her. I finally found Victor grain free ultra pro. For her, LESS fiber was the solution. So, if you try a food with more fiber and it doesn’t work, think about going lower. Every dog is different. Boxers are notorious for allergies and stomach issues, so perhaps a boxer forum can help.

[traceearsena]

Hello. After many months of various attempts to help our rescue boxer with his allergy issues, we finally have some control with grain free food/treats and daily allergy drops. However, I have noticed that he has much more loose stools which is now to the the point of huge diarrhea. He’s even had accidents in the house which is not him unless he can’t help it. When he was off the food for awhile and on a prescription food for urinary crystals, his stools seemed better.
Vet had him on a course of antibiotics and imodium a couple weeks back. His stool was negative for anything but she said there has been something going around causing diarrhea. Didn’t do much good. The brand he has been on for most of the last year since we adopted him is Earthborne Holistics-Coastal Catch. Our trainer highly recommended the brand. We have also tried adding the pumpkin but didn’t help much. Our other dog, without allergies, is fine on the same food.
Would like a recommendation for a grain free that has helped others who might have had this issue. With this quality of food, I would expect his stools to be smaller and formed. The lovely side issue with this is he is having anal gland issues (or as we call it-fishies!) Thanks for any suggestions.

[myfriend]

I have just in the few day last began to read raw food for dogs on facebook on forums and books, I have a male dog that has severe allergies….. I am attempting to get all if not most of his processed foods buying his food from a butcher… my vitamix has actually ground chicken and bone up… but he did eat a raw chicken leg and the ground up chicken no problem… today was the first day of this but I am hoping he will never eat processed dog food again

Good Luck

[Akari_32]

I didn’t see anything that popped out at me at Pet Supermarket (that was a good 8 months ago, though). I’ll probably have to go to PetSmart or PetCo for anything good. I also do a lot of online shopping for fish and reptile stuff, so I’ll look next time to need something. What sort of ingredients would you recommend?

It’s only that one Bayer’s shampoo that makes him oily. It’s pretty weird. I’ve used it on Haley with no issues (other than it doesn’t clean worth a crap). He doesn’t have any confirmed food allergies, but we think chicken and grains are a no go, as are fleas, and grass. So, basically everything a dog comes in contact with, he’s allergic to.

[Dori]

My Maltese, Hannah, weights 8 lbs. She’s not the one with the allergies. My allergy dog is Katie, 7 lb. champagne color Maltipoo. Poor thing is or I should say was a real mess. More problems than any one dog should have. Have you looked on line to see what you can get? Also the Pet Supermarket probably has better stuff also. It’s time consuming because you’ll need to read the ingredients listed. Just try to find something that has the least amount of ingredients in it and that you can actually recognize what they are. Also try to find one that says it’s soap less. Not sure why Bentley would have the oily problem after shampooing and not the others. But maybe you can get a shampoo that works for Bentley and not use it on the other two that don’t have the skin issues. Does he have food issues? If so, what is he allergic or intolerant to? It’s exhausting and time consuming trying to find things that dogs with intolerances to food and environment can deal with. Took me 4 years to get Katie to a level where she’s happy, healthy. No more scratching, sores, bad breath, bad gas. There were times I thought it would never happen but I just kept lists of everything I fed her so that every time I had a problem with something I would try to figure out the offending ingredients whether it was food or shampoo. The shampoo issue was the last thing that I finally figured out. I was even trying prescription shampoos which were ridiculously expensive and did not help at all. I also found that she was having issues with the laundry detergents so I switched everything to dye free fragrance free. I no longer burn candles in the house. Nothing that can possibly bother her. Like I said. It’s been like a full time job and exhausting. But when I see her now I know it was worth all the work.

[Dori]

Hi Akari 32. I don’t know that shampoo. Is it for dogs? What shampoo were you using? The shampoo that I have found most effective for my food intolerant/allergy dog that also has environmental allergies is a dog shampoo that I recently found at a dog store near me. I was told that a lot of people that have dogs with skin issues were stating that they are getting great results with this shampoo. It’s the best dog shampoo that I’ve used on her. Before this I had been trying all sorts of shampoos for allergic sensitive skin, typically some sort of Oatmeal shampoo. I don’t know if it has any correlation but Katie is very allergic to all grains so possibly the oatmeal shampoos were not a good choice for her. Could be just coincidental that this shampoo has no oatmeal and she’s doing great on this. Hair is really soft, shiny and incredibly easy to rinse off. Here is the name and ingredients.

VET’S + BEST
Natural Health Care
Soap free Shampoo
Hypo-Allergenic Shampoo
Aloe Vera and Vitamin E

Ingredients are: Aloe Vera, Allantoin, Panthenol, Vitamin E

[Akari_32]

After trying all kinds of products to help Bentleys skin with these seasonal allergies, we were at the grocery store and saw this stuff on the clearance rack. The poor guy is always bright red and itchy and getting new welts every day, so we are really grasping at straws trying to do what we can with these allergies that can’t helped with food. I bathed him last night with it, and today he looks great. His skin looks much better, and he’s not itching so much (hardly at all, actually). Not to mention his fur is really soft :p Is it ok to use this on a regular basis? Here’s the back of the box:

http://i765.photobucket.com/albums/xx294/Akari53/F6F17D8E-1326-44FF-8A3A-B2EA6B5DD9A1_zpsy2ahxzof.jpg

I figure it’s just like the Beyers dog stuff we’ve been using on him. It’s not a soap really, it’s lipids and moisturizers. But the Beyers doesn’t do much for him, while this has helped loads after just one bath. What do you guys think?

[Mom2Cavs]

I have a FB friend with an all white English Bulldog and he has allergies. She has kept them at bay with Natural Balance LID foods. I’m not sure if she’s still feeding that brand, but there are few that he can eat. I’ve seen pics of him lately and he still looks great.

[Naturella]

Fatcakes,

Hope we helped! I second everything Shasta said, from the pumpkin addition, to testing for food allergies, to the raw egg – Bruno will be getting one/week starting next Thursday! Also, I swear by coconut oil (make sure it is UNREFINED too though – extra virgin, cold-pressed, UNREFINED – it is the REAL deal) – miracle worker. 🙂 But the food you got sounds great, hope your boy likes it! And yay for fish, just hope he’s not allergic to it or something. Orijen is a great brand from what I read though! 🙂

I rotate Bruno’s food once his mix ends, which is about every 4 months or so. And I go through a few flavors/proteins of the same brand before I switch brands. Now he has enough food to last throughout March for sure, maybe even April. Next batch is Earthborn Holistic GF Coastal Catch (fish) mixed with Vets Choice HHE Original (chicken mostly, but other meals in there. Some grains too. Meh, I got it for free and it is 4-stars, so I’m good with it.), then Earthborn Holistic GF Great Plains Feast (bison and some lamb) mixed with Vets Choice HHE Lamb and Rice (I know. Rice. Not grain free. Oh well. There’s lamb in it too.), and then Earthborn Holistic GF Primitive Natural (chicken) mixed with Vets Choice HHE GF (chicken). THEN I have Victor Ultra Professional GF mixed with Back to Basics lined up, and then the Victor Yukon Salmon GF mixed with probably Back to Basics again. THEN I want to try Wellness Core. I think I have Bruno’s meal plan set for like 2 years to come, lol.

As for THK Beams – if you have any local boutiques that sell all-natural dehydrated chews (which is what the fish skins are), see if they have them in bulk – my closest pet boutique store sells them in a jar by the skin, and the big ones are just $1, and I can cut them in like 8 Bruno-sized skins! Bruno is a Jack Russel – (miniature?) Rat Terrier mix, @ around 1 year. I will claim April 1st as his Birthday. We are not 100% sure, he was found in some bushes… But was changing puppy teeth throughout August-September of last year… Any guesses on approximate Birthday? Anyone?

[Shasta220]

Sounds like you’ve already got some ideas for foods to try – I don’t know that many brands personally, so I usually say it’s safe to go with 4-5 star brands.

As for the skin. I wouldn’t expect a bath to help much, as soaps tend to strip the coat even more, unless they’re medicated and designed for dry skin (when my dog is super dry, I use an oil-based organic shampoo. Sometimes it’s almost too much though, and my dog doesn’t feel clean at all).

Some things to look into: possibly tests for food allergies? As almost all skin problems have something to do with food, sadly. It could be chicken, grains, tomatoes, fish, the list goes on. I’d try getting him on coconut oil – organic extra virgin cold pressed, about 1tbsp per 30lbs. That stuff has been known as a miracle worker around these parts! Salmon oil is very good, too. Keep that up, 🙂

Fiber additions – most people add a big spoonful of pumpkin (canned is fine) to their dogs food. If there’s no improvement in his morning routine, then possibly try some probiotic supplements as well.

[Mom2Cavs]

Although people have said that having chicken fat in a food should not bother a dog with chicken allergies, just be sure to note that Victor Ocean does have that ingredient in it. I’m hoping it’ll work for Laverne. The Annamaet Option doesn’t have any poultry and it’s working great, so we’ll see when I rotate what happens. Keeping notes does help! Keep us updated. 🙂

[SpanielMom]

I have a super hardy aussie/lab named Abby who lived on the street until she was about a year old, and she has always been able to eat anything, strongest stomach of any dog I’ve ever had. I rotated proteins regularly and she has never had any issues before. Fast forward, I got a bag of evanger’s gf chicken and sweet potato free from a rep and after I got through about 2/3 of the bag, Abby and my two cockers started getting scabs and bumps and were always chewing at themselves and scratching constantly. I immediately switched them off the food and went to Acana duck and pear, which they had done well on before. My two cockers got better almost immediately, but Abby seems to have gotten worse. I then tried Acana lamb and apple, and switched her raw food (she gets half kibble and half raw) to primal lamb. She has been getting that for about 5 days and I still don’t notice a change. I just don’t know what to do. This is so out of the blue and unlike her. Could it be something besides the food? Please help.

Only other info I can imagine would possibly have to do with this is:
-she recently moved with me from Missouri to Arizona (about a year ago), and it is springtime but I can’t imagine it’s seasonal allergies.
-she also gets pure salmon oil & plaqueoff daily.

[Sharon Buchanan]

I just posted this on another thread as part of a larger response. Thought I’d add it to the discussion here.

I’ve been giving Mystery garlic (pest control), and a vitamin C complex (gum health, immune support, antioxidant), from Springtime from the day I brought him home, that hasn’t changed now that he’s on raw. He’s also getting two 825mg capsules of curcumen (variety of cancers, inflammation, among many others), sprinkled on his food and about a tablespoon of coconut oil which I started him on for a skin condition that cleared up in a matter of weeks and continue to give him for a myriad of benefits. I may be adding krill oil to his list of supplements as well.

Patty ~ what’s a supergreen? 3? Is it important to find a bee pollen that is local the way one could get relief from seasonal allergies by eating local honey, or is any bee pollen good for the immune system? Since Mystery is on a full raw diet now, would whole herring, anchovies and sardines be better than the oils (note, I am considering krill oil but only if I can’t find a good source of raw fish)?

[Evonne]

I have a three year old cockapoo, Charlie. He has been eating Blue Buffalo Grain Free Turkey and Potato for awhile now. He loves it, and that is saying a lot because he is super picky. This is the first food that he would scarf as soon as we put it in front of him. He has been having issues with yeast and dermatitis. We decided to have him allergy tested. I got the results back a few days ago. He is allergic to fish mix, potato, wheat, and green beans. He is borderline on lamb, venison, oats, beets, apple, banana, and tomato. I fed him a trial of lamb at one point and he reacted by turning bright red on his underbelly. So, I think that is more of an allergy than something that is borderline. I want to avoid feeding him anything that is on his borderline list. I am having a hard time finding him a commercial dog food. For the last few days, I have cooked for for him. I just used things that I had in the house. I used eggs, brown rice, carrots, and pumpkin. He loved it. I am not opposed to cooking for him, but I want to make sure that he is getting the right vitamins, proper carbs and protein. I am just a little nervous about all of this. I am not even sure what amount to feed him if I am cooking for him. I have been giving him a half of a cup of the stuff I made up twice a day. He is a little over twenty pounds. I have two other cockapoos with no allergy issues or health problems. They are also on the Blue Buffalo Grain Free Turkey and Potato. Since they are doing well, I will keep them on it. I just really need advice on what to do with Charlie! Any tips would really be appreciated.
Thank you!

[Evonne]

I have a three year old cockapoo, Charlie. He has been eating Blue Buffalo Grain Free Turkey and Potato for awhile now. He loves it, and that is saying a lot because he is super picky. This is the first food that he would scarf as soon as we put it in front of him. He has been having issues with yeast and dermatitis. We decided to have him allergy tested. I got the results back a few days ago. He is allergic to fish mix, potato, wheat, and green beans. He is borderline on lamb, venison, oats, beets, apple, banana, and tomato. I had fed him a trial of lamb at one point and he reacted by turning bright red on his underbelly. So, I think that is more of an allergy than something that is borderline. I want to avoid feeding him anything that is on his borderline list. I am having a hard time finding him a commercial dog food. For the last few days, I have cooked for for him. I just used things that I had in the house. I used eggs, brown rice, carrots, and pumpkin. He loved it. I am not opposed to cooking for him, but I want to make sure that he is getting the right vitamins. I am not even sure what amount to feed him if I am cooking for him. I have two other cockapoos with no allergy issues or health problems. They are also on the Blue Buffalo Grain Free Turkey and Potato. Since they are doing well, I will keep them on it. I just really need advice on what to do with Charlie! Any tips would really be appreciated.
Thank you!

[LoDoVilla]

I’m absolutely terrified of anything sourced from China. I know that we are allowing them free reign to corner the markets on certain foods and ingredients and that I have little choice in that matter, but I have read so many things about so many different foods…I lost a beloved Shar-Pei to cancer at only age 5 in 2005. She was mostly fed Eukanuba. My Frenchie was diagnosed with cancer at age 6, given two months, and miraculously made it another 2 and a half years on low-dose prednisone and Royal Canin Gastrointestinal. Now, we are adopting a 3-month-old mixed breed from a shelter. We think he’s hound/terrier. My issue is good food, and I do not care how much it costs. I prefer dry. Been looking hard at grain free, although our new pup does not appear to have any food issues or allergies. I will find out what he’s being fed when we pick him up this coming week. Any and all recommendations are welcomed. Thank you.

[theBCnut]

Some(me included) believe your dogs are less likely to develop allergies and food reactions if you vary the protein sources. Each different meat has different ratios of amino acids and varying meats may also mean that your dog is getting a better supply of aminos.

[Akari_32]

I’ve tried all the other flavors of Wellness CORE for the other dogs, and the mix he’s currently on right now has CORE Puppy and Ocean Fish (and Purina One Beyond Lamb), and as far as the dogs doing good on, I’m happy with them, and it is my go-to brand. I’d love to see a red meat based CORE that has the protein profile that the other formulas do, with no plant protein boosters, which is my reservation about the Wild Game one. However, it still does look like its got a good protein level when you factor those out. I don’t think chicken flavors and fats are supposed to bother allergies, because theres none of the protein that causes the problems. Thats the way I understand it, anyways. I could be wrong.

I took mom in Pet Supermarket today to look at the foods, and the she was having a heart attack about the prices. She wants to put him back on the Innova Prime, despite it being more expensive than the Wellness, because she knows he does good on it. Has anyone used it (or EVO) since the recall last year? I have her leaning more toward the Wellness, though, because with coupons, I can get $9 off any size bag ($5 off any bag, and $4 off $20 purchase). If she wants to put him on Innova Prime, I’d rather her spend the extra $3 and put him on the EVO, though. They’re pretty much the same, just EVO is better.

She liked the price of Nature’s Recipe (thats the orange bag, right?) Grain Free Salmon ($14 for a 4 pound bag), but potato is the second ingredient, and its only like 25% protein. I’m wondering since he gets soooo bad on grains, if I should avoid anything that is so starchy? And if she wants that, she’d have to go all the way out to PetSmart for the larger bag, as 4 pounds wouldn’t last long.

On the Diamond note, I was looking at the Canidae PURE or whatever their new grain free line is called, and he could have two of three formulas. Again, they are low in protein (25ish %), but the price isn’t bad, about the same as the Nature’s Recipe, and it looks better than the NR does. Has anyone quite figured out which of Canidae’s foods are made by Diamond? I know they don’t like to let that information out. She also asked about TOTW.

Mom was asking about what she could get at WalMart that would work for him. I’m sure we all know that only grain and chicken free food at WalMart is the Pure Balance Salmon and Pea. It is a good price, and its not too bad, but given his food issues, I wonder if it’d be ok. I guess we wouldn’t really know if never tried. Thoughts on that?

[Susan]

When I asked my vet how long will it take for my boy to ajust to his new food, she said anything from 1week to 3months when trying new foods, but I disagree with that, I notice within 3 days for poos & skin allergies…I’d do what Patty said try a probiotic a good one, there’s alot of crap ones out there, the one I use is kept in fridge {Protexin}..also whats the fibre in this new feed maybe its too high, her old food might have been a bit lower…

[theBCnut]

I started adding just a small amount for one meal a day for the first 3 days, so if there was a strong reaction then I had time to notice and discontinue before feeding much of it. It took 3 days of a food with very little tomato pomace to find out that Micah can’t have that. It took almost a month to get him cleared up again

I also added a protein and a starch at the same time, knowing that if he did have a reaction to one, I would have to go back and test each thing individually. After testing a protein and a starch I stopped feeding them and moved on the the next protein and starch that I wanted to try or I continued that protein and changed starches after I had gone through the proteins that I wanted to go ahead and try. It’s up to you, but I wanted to try to keep his protein level up and carb level down due to past yeast issues.

You don’t need to make any of those 20% of the diet to tell if your dog will react to them, for that 5-10% is more than plenty, but after I saw no signs of a reaction for a week or so, I would really push it to test and feed even more than 20% for a couple days, kind of like an acid test for allergies.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 10 months ago by theBCnut.

[Walk Like the Wolf]

Good day!

I am hoping to get some suggestions about my dog. He is a seven year old super-mutt and I’m wondering if anyone has some suggestions with a recurring loose stool/diarrhea problem or has had success in this area.

My boy has pretty much always had some less-than-firm stools. Some days it looks better than others but pretty consistently for the longest time, he hasn’t had firm stools for the whole day. Usually his first poop is good and then it kinda gets smaller and looser. This is something I have brought up with my vet in the past and he has been given probiotics before and not much else. I will address this again next time I bring him in but am not open to trying prescription food in the event my vet tries to push that. I am wondering if any other tests should be run also, which I will ask.

He doesn’t have any accidents in the house, never has. He gets itchy skin occasionally but it doesn’t seem to correlate with diet, more changes in the weather and he reacts strongly to flea bites the couple of times we were unfortunate enough to get fleas (yuck). He is not itching currently. He is active and loves to go on walks, a bit slower in the wetter/crappier weather (has some arthritis in hips). He has hypothyroid as well which is being managed (soloxine once daily plus a half dose 3x week) as well as his weight (he was overweight when diagnosed and now has a non-tootsie-roll figure! 😉 ).

I recently switched my dogs from Earthborn to Orijen adult. He didn’t seem to mind the switch initially. I am feeding him two 1/2 cup servings a day usually with a small spoonful of wet; he was at 62 pounds when last weighed. Based on his steady weight loss I think we’re at a good place for quantity right now. NOW that all that’s out of the way…recently he’s gotten some liquid diarrhea and though loose stools are typical for him, this amount of liquid diarrhea is odd. I’m wondering if maybe he has intolerance to the first ingredient in Orijen adult which is chicken. I have read a lot about dogs who just don’t handle chicken very well. But I’m puzzled because the loose stool thing has been fairly consistent regardless of the food he eats (I have cycled many foods with my dogs in their lives; my girl has no problems with anything, ever…and my boy is always kind of consistent in not-as-lovely stools). I’m thinking maybe trying a different Orijen recipe (red meat or fish) to see if that stops the liquid diarrhea. If it at least gets things back to “normal” that would help, but then there’s also the issue of solving this chronic loose stool issue. As I mentioned, he is getting some probiotics with his meals. In the past I’ve tried pumpkin as well (he loves it) but I didn’t notice a marked difference; maybe it wasn’t enough? And if so, recommendations on amount to give based on his size?

I am doing a parasite check on Monday to make sure nothing’s weird there (he picked up some worms over the fall). But like I said, worms or not, regardless of food, his loose stools haven’t been solved long-term. Does this sound familiar? Any luck? Opinions on any possible condition I should bring up to the vet?

This is kind of a two-part question: 1) does it sound like allergies/intolerance to chicken, or some other ingredient (even though there’s no itching/vomiting…nothing weird going on except diarrhea)? And long-term loose stool advice?

(you know you MIGHT be a dog person when you talk this much about poop…) 😀

Sorry about the novel; just trying to be thorough! Thanks for reading!

[quafferj]

Oh my goodness, I stumbled across this thread but reading it was like a lightbulb coming on! My pitbulls mix has always been a VERY gassy dog with lots of allergies, food and environmental. I finally found Natures Variety instinct, and the first month or two was brutal. She could make guys who try to impress each other with the nastiest gas leave the room gagging. Since then she cleared but to virtually no gas at all, for her. Her food allergies include potatoes, barley, and peas, the minute she eats something she shouldn’t her ears smell yeasty and get infected, before her allergy shots her paws would be red, irritated, and yeasty smelling, and one of her environmental allergies is malessezia, a yeast found on the body of all humans and animals. Yet I never even thought of a yeast allergy! Duh!

[Akari_32]

I’ve used TOTW a few times in the last with no troubles. Bought the small bags for Bentley for the longest time while we were trying to figure out his allergies, and then bought two large bags of the orange puppy one back to back not too long ago. The first bag Bentley liked, but the second he hated. The other dogs were fine on it , so I think it was the fish one in the wrong bag (he hates fish LOL). So, we’ve had like 6-7 bags with no real problems.

Wow, good job Aleksandria! I don’t think you’ll ever have to buy dog food again XD

BB isn’t made by Diamond? I thought they were….

[Molzy]

Wow! Thanks for all the responses. Sorry I haven’t been responding, my internet at home was down, and I am not talented enough with my smartphone to respond on it, but I have been following all the wonderful information. But a quick overview of where we are at today – attacks are down to about once every two weeks, and I am able to keep them from escalating to vomiting by massaging his belly to push out any gas build up (meaning I am up every hour or so all night those nights). I am feeding him Honest Kitchen Keen, and he gets 2/3 of cup at 7am, 5-6pm, and 10-11pm. He doesn’t get any other treats or human food. I will try to reply to each post below:

Cbgmom – So far we have been using the harness (and even taking that off when inside, since our home has double entries with a front porch and back mudroom so no risk of escaping). I think it *is* helping some, since he does still occasionally start an attack when he rests his head funny (so that something pushes on his throat).

Billy – the boarding definitely was stressful for him, and I wish we hadn’t been forced to do that. However, I don’t think he is confused anymore, and certain other events (such as staying with my mom for almost a week) were not related with any sort of attack. They will often start at night while we’re watching TV and he is basically sleeping/resting, though once they start there is definitely a stress component. I don’t think it is a habitual thing, as he clearly gets freaked out when it happens and wants it to stop (not to anthropomorphize). We have tried boiled rice and chicken – did NOT go over well with him (he did not digest the rice at all, it came out the other end looking the same). Our best luck so far has been a wet diet (honest kitchen or canned dog food). I will definitely work in increasing his physical activity, been a hard winter here with wind chill advisories most weeks it seems, and he is not tolerant of the cold at all. Thanks for the advice!

Bunny – the first time this happened, I definitely thought it was bloat!! I don’t think I slept at ALL that night, I gave him some gas-x and just laid next to him. I called the vet as soon as they opened the next morning, but since he was still eating and defecating they weren’t concerned. He has never had one of his episodes AT the clinic, and my vet is very unconcerned about whatever is wrong since he is otherwise healthy. We haven’t even done an endoscopy at this point.

I have been considering post-nasal drip recently (Pepcid doesn’t seem to really help, so I don’t *think* it is completely related to reflux). However, he can also be triggered if his throat gets touched oddly, so I am leaning towards trachea damage. We adopted Quincy at the end of July – I know they used a choke chain at the shelter with him. However, he had NO issues for the first 10 days we had him, then I had to board him for 4 days due to a family wedding and it started after that. I will always wonder if something happened to him while he was boarding, as he is TERRIFIED of the guy we boarded him with (I took a training course there a few months later, and Quincy would hide under my chair from the guy, so we stopped going because he would force Quincy to let him pet him).

I will try the walking, as I could see that helping. The best thing I have found so far is lying next to him and massaging his belly to push the gas out. I’ve been doing that for the past 6 weeks or so and have managed to avoid the escalated attacks (vomiting and what appears to me to be severe discomfort).

AnotherEmily – SO sorry to hear what you’re going through! As relieved I am that my dog isn’t the only one, I wish I was the only one, because I hate hearing that other dogs are suffering as well. It sounds like you’ve really tried everything, so please keep us posted. How is he doing without chicken? I have considered food allergies, but what I don’t get is that he can be FINE for two weeks, and then have an episode. I try to be VERY careful about not giving him anything “extra”, not even any dog treats recently. I really can’t see a pattern to why and when it happens, even with keeping a calendar.

WParsons – Again, I am sorry to hear that you’re going through this too. It is so heartbreaking to watch. I have also started feeding more frequently (Quincy gets 2/3 cup, 3x a day now), but there seems to be *some* sort of link to bedtime, because he gets the attack around 9pm (which is only 3-4 hours after he ate dinner, so it shouldn’t be an empty stomach?). I’ll try the Pepcid again as well, I have some on hand just wasn’t sure it was really making a difference (GasX seems to maybe help more?).

Slappppy – Interesting that there is another cattledog with this condition (Quincy is a cattledog as well)! What type of bowl do you use that works well with wet food? I have been considering investing in something like that for Quincy, because it is hard to slow him down. I know what you mean about the differences – we call Quincy’s attacks either the “gulpies” or the “swallows” depending on their severity. The swallows can also escalate into the gulpies at times.

Steve Johnson – glad you found something that works! I will check that out, I have seen it in my web searches but thought that it might be a little gimmicky…I am basically willing to try anything though, it is terrible watching him when he doesn’t feel good!

Khouston – sorry to hear that your dog has this as well, but I am glad you found something that works! I understand about the landscaping – I was lucky and I’m still renting, so all I had to do was sacrifice my houseplants.

Mmt – I will ask my vet about Sulcrcate. I have tried using slippery elm in the past, I think it is supposed to be similar (you make up a paste for them to eat before food, it is supposed to coat the intestine).

Again, thank you ALL for your contributions to this!! It is wonderful to hear that some people have found some relief for this, so I will keep watching this thread. Give all your puppies a big hug, they are so lucky to have people who care this much for them!

[Sully’sMom]

Thank you both, Shasta220 and Pattyvaughn!

You know what? Yes, I definitely knew about grain-free dog food, Sully’s been on it for months, even before we knew the cause of his allergies, but I didn’t put together until I read the way you worded it (avoiding all grain) – I need to be buying grain-free treats. Duh!

The dusting suggestion was helpful too…many household changes coming up here!

So thankful for DFA 🙂

[Sharon Buchanan]

Sully’sMom ~

My Mystery started life with a dandruff problem. At 10 weeks, when we got him, he was flaking all over the place. A trip to the vet to find out if he had bug problems turned up negative but the vet gave me an Omega supplement. A month later the condition was worse. I emailed the breeder and asked if any litter mates were having problems. They weren’t, and he suggested adding Canola oil to Mystery’s food. Nope – we don’t add anything that has been linked to cancer.

Finally, I came across an article in Dogs Naturally Magazine that said coconut oil was good for any number of issues, including skin problems. Further research indicated I should start with 1/4 teaspoon per 10 pounds to Mystery’s food. It was mentioned that adding coconut oil might cause a bit of diarrhea initially so I only added it to his morning food.

A month later and I stopped finding dead skin in and around his crate every morning and the only difference in his stools was that they were consistently normal – neither hard nor too soft. He’s been getting about a tablespoon (since the oil is solid I just eyeball it using a regular spoon), every morning for three months now. He’s still clear and his coat is sooooo soft.

I can’t speak to allergies but from everything I’ve read, it can’t hurt to add coconut oil to Sully’s diet.

The best oil is going to be organic, extra-virgin, cold-pressed. I found mine at Sam’s. Hope it helps!

[Shasta220]

I’ve honestly never dealt with an allergy-prone dog (except food allergies), so I honestly have no idea if it would help or not. I’d go ahead and give it a shot though, coconut oil is great for dogs, mine all get a scoop of it! I’ve heard someone say they have dogs with awful skin problems, not seeming to be food-related. He got the dogs on a good multi-vitamin and a tablespoon of local RAW honey twice daily. They cleared up in a few weeks.

I’m sure other people on here will have better suggestions, as they’re much more experienced I’m sure.
I hope you can find something that works for your guy! 🙂

[Giles123]

Just found out yesterday after their allergy tests came back that our dogs are allergic to corn, soy and potato. The vet initially had them on hills ID because they were having many stomach issues. I guess now we know why. That food contains the components they are allergic to. We need to find them a food without these ingredients but I am so worried because there seems to be constants recalls on brands. Does anyone know of a good quality food that doesn’t contain these items and isn’t a feared recalled brand? Along with their probiotics they have to take Benadryl right now to keep the symptoms down. I need to find them a good food fast- please help

[A.Sandy]

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[Lori J.]

Hi,

I’m seeking out some new ideas….Currently feeding my Aussie mix Zeal (Honest Kitchen)…while we’re figuring out possible food allergies…and realized there’s egg in there…I’m looking for “simple”…not a gazillion ingredients.

Also, she’s got a yeast infection on her paws we are treating, so trying to avoid carbs now….

Ideas out there?

Thanks!

[Badboris27]

:o) To be honest, when we heard about giving honey to the dogs, it made complete sense if you believe that allergies are the root cause. We were so desperate that we would have tried almost anything!

The impact of “something in this combination or the entire combination”, whether it be the honey, yogurt, non-poultry grain-free food and-or the vitamin, did have a very dramatic effect on our dogs. The sores that were so bad that they used to BLEED went away completely and their coats started “regenerating” for lack of a better word. The hair got thicker and a LOT softer. Prior to that, the ONLY progress we ever saw was when they were on antibiotics and steroids. When those medications were done, the problem always came back. Not anymore.

I’ve scoured the internet for information about giving honey & bee pollen to dogs since then and everything I’ve found has been very positive.

To your question – Yes, we will absolutely keep giving the honey because of the “micro-climate” area we live in (So Cal wine country, 25 miles inland of the coast and just at the edge of the desert – lot’s of variety in that). On top of that, a drought or a wet season can cause certain plant species to flourish while others don’t do as well. The local beekeepers must have a Co-Op of some sort because all of the raw, local wildflower honey in our stores is all packaged the same but some weeks it is darker, lighter, thicker or thinner. I suppose that depends on where that batch came from. My wife gets the honey at the smaller, natural stores and not the big name chains. Farmer’s market’s also have the local honey around here – and again, all packaged the same.

Lastly, the more I read the more that I keyed on the allergens getting into the feet. We walk our dogs 2x a day no matter what. Often, we’re out in nature on grass, in the weeds, in the dirt, in shrubs, bushes, whatever. Our vet taught me how to scrub their feet using 1 gallon Ziploc bags and I do that a few times a weeks (the theory here being that dogs walk and “spin” in all of that flora which puts everything deep in those pads…then, they lick them and lick their fur, etc.). Take two Ziplocs, fill each one about 1/4th of the way up w/ warm water. Squirt some shampoo in one of the bags for the “wash” cycle and leave the other one as-is for the rinse. Stick your dog’s foot in the wash bag and from the outside of the bag, use your fingers to work the shampoo in between the toes and up inside the pads. Rinse the same way and dry with a towel. My “dog kids” are used to it now and they actually LIKE it, I think!

I’m not a vet and I’m no expert at any of this. All I can attest to is that this worked for us. Like anyone else going through a canine allergy problem, I was ready to be fitted for a straight-jacket!

If ANYONE has any other questions or observations, I’d love to hear them or help if I can.

One other note, our dogs also used to be on Soloxine for a thyroid condition and we’ve been able to get off of that, too.

Best to you,

Jeff

[Shasta220]

Jeff, I’ve never heard using honey could work, but that does make sense, as honey truly is a wonder food! Do you give your dogs the honey/yogurt even when their skin is fine, or only when you know allergies are coming?

We have two beehives (funny story, really…we got the hive, then a friend gave us one of his swarms. That swarm left within a few weeks, but some wild honeybees moved in and STUFFED it w honey in just a couple months! We won’t harvest it until summer though, of course. Have to make sure they’re settled in), so I’d imagine giving her a piece of the honeycomb daily would work, doesn’t get much more organic and raw than that!
Now I’m craving a spoonful of honey…:P

[Badboris27]

Hi – While looking through dog food reviews at this wonderful site, I looked at the Forums section and stumbled across your email. I felt that I had to reply. For the past 2+ years, my wife and I have been dealing with dramatic skin issues with our 8+ year old Huskies. We’ve had severe loss of fur from round skin sores that become very aggravated and sometimes bloody. Yellow flaky material was found around the edges of the sores. Both of our dogs would lick these sores and make them even worse.

We tried EVERYTHING including sprays, Neosporin, special shampoos, bathing the dogs every week or two, changing foods, you name it.

Everything we read and everything we learned indicated that this entire issue was allergy-based. We had (and still have) no idea if it was airborne allergens or food allergies.

At this time, our oldest Husky, who’s condition was the worst, is completely free of ANY sort of skin issues and his coat has completely replenished itself. Our slightly younger female is making excellent progress on the same program. Here’s how things got better for our dogs, in a hurry:

A life long friend in Texas was fostering a dog in their home and it had significant skin issues, sores and hair loss. They called the shelter for whom they were fostering the dog and here’s the advice they were given:

1. “Allergy” dogs do REALLY well on grain-free food, GOOD quality dog food and especially one that is of a fish & sweet potato variety. “Alternate” protein sources like venison or bison are good, too. Stay away from chicken / poultry based food.
2. Give the dog a tablespoon of raw, LOCAL honey every morning and every evening. this helps their immune system adapt to allergenic pollens that get on their coat and in their feet. It MUST be LOCAL to get the pollens that are in your area.
3. Give the dog a tablespoon of unsweetened, plain yogurt every morning and every evening. The pro-biotics help their digestive system. We use “FAGE Total 0%”.
4. Help the dog’s immune system with a good quality multi-vitamin given per the manufacturers’ directions.
5. Shampoo as follows: Use a Benzoyl Peroxide Shampoo (“Vet Solutions” BPO-3 Shampoo for about $10 on Amazon) and next with a Hexadine shampoo (large bottle of Virbac brand is about $14 on Amazon).
6. Spot treatment is a good idea until the food-honey-yogurt-vitamin formula “kicks in”. We used “Virbac Chlorhexadine Gluconate Flush” from a local horse veterinary store. 12 oz was about $16.

After about 8-10 weeks, we have NO signs of any skin problems. This was such a relief after 2+ years of extreme frustration, anguish and expense.

The Texas shelter advised that extreme conditions could take up to four months as some dogs respond more slowly to the honey pollens.

Hope that this may be of help to you!

Jeff

[Shasta220]

He’s a classic Heinz 57 (he has, without a doubt, at least 6 breeds, b/c I knew the dad, mom, AND grandma…all were 2+ mixes)… I’ve never bought a purebred dog, and I doubt I ever will… Too many great rescue pups out there…

I don’t think Diamond naturals is the culprit, honestly… His smell came on fairly gradually, when he was still on Nutra Nuggets lamb n rice (he’s been on it all his life and never had a problem until several months ago). DN is a 4-star dog food, and honestly we can’t afford anything over $1 per lb (3 dogs, chickens, ducks, cats, pony, and cow…food bill is pretty high as is).

I’m starting to think his problem might be combination between possible food allergies (I still just don’t understand why an allergy would gradually start…especially when he was fine just a while ago), and a couple other things.

[theBCnut]

The price of the food doesn’t matter if it is a food intolerance, the particular ingredient does. It is definitely not a case of overwashing, you could even wash weekly. It’s called seborrhea, and is often associated with allergies and other skin irritations. It is an overproduction of body oils. Try comparing ingredient lists of the foods that you know he did well on with those that you know made him stink. My dog reacts to chicken and many grains, those were easy to figure out, but he’s also reactive to tomato, that was a bit harder to figure out. Others have had dogs thay react to chick peas, peas, fish, potatoes, you name it. Some of the ingredients are found in better foods, but rare in the cheap ones, go figure.

[theBCnut]

“Why would a company be listed there that has continuous issues with recalls and salmonella contamination (such as Innova, Merrick, etc…to name a couple). I am just bringing up a valid argument.”

Since this statement is utterly false, how can this be a valid argument? Neither Innova or Merrick has had continuous issues with recalls of any kind. If you go up to the red bar at the top, you will find the library. There is an article titled “How We Rate Dog Food.” You should read it. And you should also keep in mind that there is no method by which a future recall can be predicted. Past recalls are not a reliable indicator. Many companies have had a single recall and never had another.

As far as renal failure goes, do a little more research. Excess protein does not cause renal failure.

As for the rise in allergies, I have seen allergies increasing over a much longer period of time than that. Whether it’s from poor breeding practices, environmental pollutants affecting the immune system(my personal favorite theory), or sourcing of dog food ingredients, I don’t think anyone really knows yet.

As far as dog food companies go, they are businesses. They are in it to make money. There are a few that seem to actually want to do their best for dogs, but most are definitely only in it for the money, nothing else.

Statistically speaking, 20% of all dog foods will get a 1 star rating, 20% will get a 2 star rating, etc. If 20% are going to get a 5 star rating and there are very few truly great foods, it stands to reason that some of the foods on the 5 star list(a great deal of them) will not be top notch. Of course, my standards definitely aren’t yours. In fact I would go so far as to say this is not the site for you, because our feeding philosophy is definitely not yours.

[katana]

Hello,

Just making observation here. I notice that listed under the “best dog foods” tab that many are or have been recalled. Why would a company be listed there that has continuous issues with recalls and salmonella contamination (such as Innova, Merrick, etc…to name a couple). I am just bringing up a valid argument. Why would we invest into these foods if there are continuous mention of food recalls and salmonella contamination but yet they made the “best foods list” on this site. Also, some of these foods have extremely high protein that is over the scientific veterinary research according to VetMD where an adult is a maximum of 30% protein but some of these foods boast a minimum of 36-40% protein thus increasing the nitrogenous waste in the kidneys post catabolism of the excess amino acids. I have seen more dogs having renal failure that have been fed say Wilderness and Merrick as pets today do not forage for their food and burn the proteins they once use to over 90 years ago before modern dog food.

However, on a side note I am not happy with one single pet food company. They either take quality control too lightly and are always on the recall list; don’t fall within veterinary research nutrition guidelines as far as min-max nutrients per day (percent protein, fat, calcium, etc…); or they don’t specify exactly where their ingredients come from. Some will boast “organic” and as a scientist I laugh at this because many of the organic farming sectors it is legal and within regulation to use pesticides such as methane which is actually worse than say ethene in “inorganic” farming. Sometimes I actually wonder what this world’s logic has come to. Many know that dog formulas have changed in almost every company this past year. A correlation to this (not necessarily a causation) from speaking to many pet owners I have seen an increase in so called “allergies” rather it be environmental or food based. Without getting too detailed into immunology and immune responses with different allergens the point here is that: have any of you noticed an increase in pets itching and having reactions to food since all these companies changed formulas? Science backs that it is more due to environmental issues but as mass media is abundant and communication is easily obtained I have found many pet owners having issues across the USA and they all feed different foods but yet the environmental allergens are variable within regions. Could this be due to a common “farm” where say potatoes, rice, vegetables, or meat sources are mass produced and sent to companies individually? Many boast “made in USA” but which specific farm, etc? Any information out there on this?

Many of my friends have tried varied foods, etc…all the common treatments and running bacterial tests on tryptic soy agar plates and running antibiotic resistant tests all prove negative for bacterial issues where the common diagnosis when vets (without PhD and backed research) don’t know what it is-is “oh it is bacterial or fungal.” Tests on sabouraud dextrose agar plates post autoclave was negative as well for fungal concerns so the common diagnosis we see is invalid. I find it odd that there is such an increase nationwide in pet allergies when 2 years ago it was far less common and timing just so has it after all these companies change their formulas. The growth has been exponential I noticed from research. So this is why I might ask…is there a common farm these food companies get their products from that may be causing this?

Again, just observation and thought it would make an interesting thread here.

[Shasta220]

I completely understand your need for economical nutrition! We have about the same problem… 3 years ago we had just two dogs and 5 cats. Now? 2 Betta fish, 3 cats, 3 dogs (aka PIGS with how much they eat…), 8 chickens, 2 ducks, a miniature horse, and a 600lb puppy dog (aka Iggy the Holstein steer…he doesn’t know he’s a cow)

We obviously cannot splurge that much on buying ultra quality food (our lab has allergies though, so she can’t have foods full of wheat/corn).

The most economical and quality foods I’ve found so far are Nutra Nuggets (I ONLY get the lamb n rice formula, since lamb meal is the first ingredient instead of corona or byproduct), Diamond naturals, and Kirkland signature. Kirkland is 4star food, about 25$ for 40lb, and can be found at Costo (possibly you could find it online?). Diamond naturals is very similar to Kirkland, but it’s 40$ (I get the Large Breed 60+ since it has glucosamine and chondroitin to help their joints). Nutra nuggets is the same price as Kirkland, but only 3-star.

To make the food last a bit longer, possibly try adding your own nutritious “fillers” such as sweet potatoes (baked), carrots, apples, and meat (cooked or raw). Possibly try to find a local butcher and see if you can buy meat-scraps, or meat that’s slightly expired (just past human-consumption, but 100% safe for dogs). I know a girl who was able to buy virtually unlimited amounts of expired meat for her 5 dogs and 8 cats… It was, I think, $.50 per lb, which is a serious steal! Yep, she gives her lucky pups 100% raw, lol!

I hope you’ve found something that’s good for the dogs and your wallet. Also, try not to get “lite” foods (I don’t ever get the lite ones…not even if it’s a quality brand), you may find yourself feeding more. Switching to a food that’s even a little better than Beneful might actually be cheaper, since you may feed less.

When I owned my 90lb APBT mix, he ate 9c of Dog Chow daily (and he was super thin, too!). We switched him over to Nutra Nuggets, and he went down to about 2c daily without gaining/losing ANY weight. My biggest tip is this: even if you can’t afford much, at least make sure meat is the #1 ingredient (meal is fine, avoid by product if you can…).

[Mom2Cavs]

Like you and Patty said, if you can trust a dog food company and the food is rated a good one, then their cat food should be pretty good, too. Most people feel that cats should never eat a dry food. They are also obligate carnivores and need high protein, i.e. meat. Now…I will say I do leave dry out all the time for my cat to nibble on and she does like to do that occasionally. She gets fed a wet/canned food morning and evening. I add in missing link well blend to her food. She has some allergy responses and this seems to help. She loves Instinct kibble (not all flavors/kinds, though) but hates their canned food. She also likes Orijen/Acana. Currently, she’s eating Fromm Gamebird kibble and loves it. It also is doing well with her allergies. She eats Mulligan Stew canned, Fromm Gold canned, Wellness canned and pouches. She likes Weruva ok. I’ve tried premade raw with her a few times but she eventually won’t eat it. I keep trying, though, lol. She’s in perfect weight, as well.

[Shihtzumom20]

Hi ScottsMomma! Thanks for rescuing a dog, he will be thanking you to! Seeing as you mentioned raw I would say that would be a great way to go! Raw should really help with any allergies and you can really customize the meal plan, anything that doesnt seem to sit well with him, you can simply move on to another protein. My shih tzu loves raw, its amazing how he took to it, and I am sure your terrier will love it too. While you are researching how to balance, Hound Dog Mom is the best for explaining that!, you can start with a pre-made raw or do a pre-mix in which you add your own meat to it. There is a great section for pre-made raw dog food here to help you choose the best, but I think a lot of people use Primal and Stella & Chewys I would to if I could get it! I have used Nature`s Variety and think its ok, Dawson loves it and he does well on it, but I like making my own then you know exactly what you put into it. But when I get busy I still use it.
For pre-mixes I know of a few, Urban Wolf, Honest Kitchen The Preference, Grandma Lucys makes one, Sojos I believe makes one, and one I think its called Steves Real Food, or something like that. I havent used them as Dawson doesnt really do so well on high potatoes, and urban wolf is the only one I can find here.
Check out the raw dog food forum, lots and lots of great help and questions that have already been answered. Here is a link /forums/forum/raw-dog-food-forum/
Oh and for the skin and dandruff, You can use coconut oil and a fish oil, I like to use krill oil, Here is an article from the whole dog journal on dosage:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_9/features/Fish-Oil-Supplements-For-Dogs_20600-1.html
But now I five Dawson sardines instead of the krill oil, its cheaper and a whole food source he loves sardines!
And then coconut oil is half a teaspoon per ten pounds. I give Dawson his sardine requirements once weekly, so thursday, and then coconut oil every day, but you can do it however works best. I believe some people do every other day.
I hope this helps some! It is overwhelming when you first start, but its so much better for your dog than any kibble or canned food. I know more people with more knowledge than me will chime in!

[theBCnut]

Did your vet do anything to help you figure out what your dog is actually reacting to? If you had some idea, you wouldn’t be stuck with such an inferior food. You could at least find a few foods and rotate between them.

[Cocker_mom]

Hi, InkedMarie! Since about April I’ve been feeding both my dogs the Iams Healthy Naturals Adult Lamb Meal and Rice dog food. They’ve both responded well to it, and it was included on the list of (literally, hundreds–at least one thousand) dog foods the allergy testing company gave me. Basically, it’s an average kibble, but it’s easily accessible in my area. Prior to that, I had my allergy prone cocker on Nature’s Recipe Grain-Free Easy to Digest Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Pumpkin dog food and my older cocker on Blue Buffalo Senior Turkey (both are considered limited ingredient foods). (I’d highly recommend both those foods; it was just a 20+ mile drive one-way every time I needed dog food.)

To put things in context, I got my allergy prone cocker in September, 2012. I was visiting the vet pretty much every two weeks and he was constantly on keto, benadryl, special shampoo for the elephant hide, and various ear medications. The shampoo improved the elephant hide somewhat, but he was still having problems with ears and itching/licking in general. Once I got him on the Nature’s Recipe, he slowly started improving (I was beginning to think we had a definite winner!), but then spring hit and his skin, eyes, ears just drove him crazy with itching, so he really didn’t enjoy a substantial change in his condition. I did the food allergy test first just because I wanted to eliminate as many of the most likely causes as possible before considering something like an allergy panel/allergy shots. After getting the results, I rid the house of any foods, treats, etc. he was allergic to and made the decision to put both dogs on the same food with my vet’s approval. There was a little adjusting of portions for my older cocker, and she definitely liked the Blue Buffalo much better (it has oats, and I didn’t want to risk my allergy prone dog getting a morsel of it), but she’s doing really well on it.

The warm months were a nightmare for the little guy. The exposed skin and the yeast and the elephant hide cleared up completely with the food adjustment but the ears were the worst I’d seen yet–literally Velveeta cheese at the worst, and medicines weren’t providing much relief. More bi-weekly vet visits, and I even participated in some trial drugs when everything else failed. Thank goodness for the first hard frost. It’s winter now, and his ears have cleared up, so I am pretty confident now the food issues have been ruled out. We’ve both gotten a much needed break from the ear agony. He looks far and away better than ever and the constant itching/licking isn’t going on now that it’s winter. That’s what convinced me to do the outdoor panel before his 2nd spring with me. The tests aren’t terribly invasive or expensive–they use only a small blood sample. I couldn’t imagine having a chronic yeast infection! I’m hoping the allergy shots will prep him for the spring allergens.

I could probably start a whole new thread about cockers and their ears, but I can tell you that having owned two cockers now, my experience with the younger dog has been COMPLETELY different than the older one. Basically, I’ve always exercised preventative care with my older cocker just because cockers are naturally prone to infections with their big floppy ears–cleaning and drying the ears once a week or so, keeping the insides or the ear shaved close, and letting them air out. She’s had maybe 3 or 4 ear infections in her 13 years, and her ears are very clean and healthy. My younger cocker’s ears are a mess–gnarly and misshapen on the inside with a lot of scar tissue particularly on the left ear and there is an ugly polyp on the left ear too. He is truly a special needs dog, and I’m thinking the product of overbreeding (resulting in a very cute but very issue-prone pup).

I know a lot of dogs do well on a food elimination diet, and I believe I truly gave that method a fair shake (the food he was on when he took the food allergy test was actually on the testing company’s approved list–although none of the prior foods I tried were), but my dog’s issues are caused by a variety of allergens that aren’t limited to just food. I spent literally thousands of dollars in vet bills for various treatments that treated only symptoms but not the true problem, and I have no regrets with the allergy tests. I truly believe we’ve reached a turning point. They might not be necessary for every dog, but if your dog is experiencing chronic allergies and a food adjustment isn’t completely alleviating the symptoms, the test is worth it.

[InkedMarie]

CockerMom: as someone who has a dog with ear infections, can you please tell me what food you’re using?

[theBCnut]

It could be a food intolerance to any ingredient that has protein in it. Mine can’t have chicken, many grains, or tomatoes.

[theBCnut]

No, they should have been very early on your list. The expensive foods are grain free and soy free and almost all of the limited ingredient foods shouldn’t have had those either, since they should have one meat protein and one starch and only the vitamins and minerals needed to balance that. Allergy tests are still known to give false positives as well as false negatives. A proper elimination diet would have served you better.

[Cocker_mom]

I am new to this forum and mom to two cocker spaniels (ages 13 and 6), so I’ve seen my share of ear infections and whatnot. I adopted my youngest cocker a little over a year ago (September, 2012), and he had terrible elephant skin on his groin and chest and he stunk of yeast–it was all through his ears and on his little nose and paws. Just pitiful. He was a stray and his owner didn’t claim him although he was housebroken and sat on command when I got him. My vet initially suggested a “lifestyle” change–just being consistently cared for–might improve the skin. Unfortunately, it didn’t improve the near constant itching/licking, and we tried all kinds of medications on top of daily benedryl which just knocked the poor guy out. Much like spotcdb’s case, it would clear up only to come back. I tried the fancy, super expensive all natural dog foods for allergy prone dogs. We rotated foods to eliminate potential allergens. No substantial changes. It took about 5 months for me to make the decision to just test for the food allergies (about $200), and I’m so glad I did. He was VERY allergic to–surprise–OATS and SOY! Those would have been the last ingredients to be eliminated rotating the foods out. Today he is on a dog food (the company that does the testing gave me a HUGE list of foods/treats he could eat that wouldn’t trigger a reaction) that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg but is still good for him. I just had an outdoor/indoor allergy panel done for him this week. Again, so glad I did because he was still having problems with his ears in the warm months, and it looks like he’ll need to go on allergy shots, which I’ll start before the spring to hopefully give him a head start. Never experienced anything like this with my older cocker, who I’ve had since she was 12 weeks old. Long story short, I really wish I’d done these allergy tests from the get-go, or at least in the first few months. I could have saved my little guy a lot of irritation and myself a lot of money. Incidentally, the elephant skin was completely eliminated shortly after getting him on the right food. He is SO much better, prettier, and happier than when I brought him home.

[brewer]

I have a 90 lb 10 month old German Shepherd who has some allergies. I took him to the vet and was advised it is food allergies, most likely turkey that is in his food. I am eliminating the turkey and switching to a salmon diet. It is nature’s domain salmon dog food which is grain free. Could there be a dye in this brand of dog food that is causing the problem?
I searched the internet and also found that air fresheners could be causing the problem. I am wondering if I should get rid of the plug in air fresheners as it seems the rash began when we plugged them in shortly before Christmas, also around the same time we gave him the turkey dog food and some new treats (stopping treats as well).
I am just trying to get this under control as quickly as possible and would appreciate any thoughts or recommendations.

[ScottsMomma]

We recently adopted a terrier mix from our local Humane Society. He is my first dog-knew nothing about food so we just picked up the standard Kibbles & Bits for him which he ate just fine. Noticed on his second day with us, how much he was scratching; neck area, face, biting along his legs & paws. Took him in for a visit, was told he had dry skin, to try fish oil, also started reading up on dog food and picked up Earth’s Pride Grain free Duck & Vegetable. He is eating that just fine, no issues with messy stool (does have some gas) not bringing anything up. Took him back today since he has also been shaking his head along with the scratching, doc looked in his ears, said they were clear-just looked irritated. Said it is most likely allergies-which is what I suspect-but allergies to what? We live in Maryland so pollen is not an issue right now-possibly dust? Or food-how do you tell? His fur is nice & soft, but skin is dry and he has some dandruff. No major sneezing or coughing. I’m at a loss as to what to do. Doc gave me a med. called Prednistabs and a drop for his ears. I don’t know weather to try a different food with less ingredients, try Raw (does a raw diet help with both food & inhalant allergies)

[Becky]

This may be too simple, but have you tried probiotics? It wouldn’t hurt, even along with new food.

[theBCnut]

It could also be an intolerance to the type of meat protein she is getting. The intolerance irritates the lining of the gut which eventually makes it permeable and the yeast that should be in the intestinal tract gets in the bloodstream. The way to get the yeast out of the blood stream is to starve it back for 8 or 9 months. That means really low carbs, preferably low glycemic carbs. Dinovite’s yeast starvation diet can be fed long term, but you might want to use locally hunted meats for it, instead of ground beef or chicken.