[DogFoodie]

Hi spotcdb,

It sounds like your dog is still having what may very well be a food intolerance. And, it’s definitely not a good idea to have your dog on Ketoconazole three days per week indefinitely. If I were you, I’d take a look at a grain free food that is lower in carbs than what you’re feeding now and that doesn’t contain any white potato – which Annamaet does. I’d even consider feeding a raw diet.

It takes time, but the body can heal and recover from systemic yeast.

[spotcdb]

We live in remote Alaska and we have a traveling vet that comes through once a year! Our Lab, every since age 4 month old, fought with scratching her ears all the time. The traveling vet would just give her ear cream. And then later about age 2 she started chewing on her paws and butt. At age 5 I felt so sorry for I started searching the web (very slow internet) and found out about grain allergy’s ( I was feeding her Iams for 5 years) and yeast infections. We tried Dinovite and it did not work for her. So we contacted another vet in Anchorage (600 miles and $1000 plane ticket). She advised us to send in swabs of her ears, paws, and butt. Sure nuff she was eat up with yeast. She gave us 3 rounds of Ketoconazole 200mg. After each round she would clear up. And then with in 2 weeks start it all again. So I changed her diet to NO GRAINS (we like Annamaet grain free). Still after each round she would start back with all symptoms. We asked the vet for more drugs but she said no she wanted to see the dog. We were going on a vacation for a month so we took her in and boarded her for a month ($36 a day) and told the vet to make her better! So after some antibiotics and a daily dose of Ketoconazole the vet said she will need to have Ketoconazole probably the rest of her life. She is all cleared up. She is eating Annamaet and is now taking Ketoconazole 3 days a week. WE are so happy and so is she. The only thing we need help with now is her shedding hoping the Annamaet fish will help. Good luck and have the dog checked for yeast. The vet said it starts out with a little yeast in the ears and keeps going till it is coming out of skin everywhere!

[gerriwilk]

I have a 16 month boxer that has been having food issues since we brought him home. He poops several times a day with his morning poop being solid but then goes down hill from there. His vet seems to think he has allergies and I did find out he is allergic or has no tolerance for chicken. He was recently diagnosed with pancreatitis and responded very well to his medicine, and his diet of rice and cottage cheese. However, since we incorporated his food (Nature’s Balance L.I.D. fish and sweet potato) his diarrhea is back. We have tried several different foods but I can’t find any that works well with his digestion. Before his pancreatitis diagnosis, his vet suggested hypoallergentic food but with all the different foods out there it is so confusing and overwhelming. So, I don’t know if he has allergies or he always had a mild case of pancreatitis that, until recently, has become inflamed. Any advice would be so welcomed! Thank you.

[Mom2Cavs]

Betsy Greer….thanks so much for your kind words. Lucy is actually doing quite well, except for the lesions she has on her skin and the baldness that comes with them :(. Lucy has never had skin problems, at all, so this was a shock to see these places on her. I first noticed places by her mouth and under her chin. Then the groomer noticed one on her back when he was blow drying her. Looked like nothing I had ever seen before. My first thought was an allergic reaction to something!? It all started about 2 weeks after I began feeding TOTW Pacific Stream so I actually considered it might be the food, but she had never had allergies in the past…though I know they can come on anytime. It just seemed so odd. I took her to my holistic vets and they really weren’t sure what it could be, either. We took a blood test and it showed slightly elevated kidney levels and slightly low thyroid levels. So….we kinda expected the kidney values with her bladder tumor (she’s had for a year now) and we thought she might be having a skin issue due to thyroid. But the vets had never seen skin problems like hers with thyroid before which is why we opted for biopsies to be sure. They took from 3 lesions, which had worsened and multiplied since the groomer found the one on her back. It came back as canine epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma or CETL. Very rare cancer, happens to mostly older dogs. Can happen out of the blue, no known cause. Prognosis is poor usually and generally no treatments help. Dogs can live a few months to up to 2 years with it. It all depends on their comfort level and the seriousness of the lesions. She wears a T-Shirt around the house so she won’t bother them. Thankfully, she’s accommodating with that. She still eats great, plays more than the Cavs and is her usual self right now. In fact, Lucy’s is the first case in all the years my vets have been practicing that they’ve seen! So….we are taking it one day at a time. My vet gave me a supplement from Vetri Science called Maitake DMG Pro. They’re chews, which she readily takes (and this is a dog that’s very picky with her treats lol). It is an immune supplement. They’re very new, I can’t even order them yet. I can get it in liquid form right now, though, so I ordered that and I’m hoping she likes it mixed with something. Safflower oil has been known to help some dogs, so I have started with that, too. I’ll keep everyone posted on how she does. Again, thanks for the kind thoughts!

[Mom2Cavs]

As far as I know, there has been no recall of any Rachel Ray’s food. If your dogs were doing well on the Just 6 and not so well on the grain free it could be because they have an intolerance to something in the grain free that is not included in the Just 6. I don’t know the protein used in the Just 6, but the grain free uses Turkey, I believe. It could be a protein intolerance….or one of the other ingredients, too. I would just put the dogs back on the Just 6 flavor you were using and see how they do. I have a dog with intolerances/allergies and I can tell within a few days if a food is going to work, or not. I really can’t change her up, like I would like, so she eats pretty much the same kibble for a long period of time. To give variety, I give different brands of canned food (without her intolerant protein/ingredients) and cottage cheese, yogurt, sardines, etc.

[IMillerman]

My little 13 year old Lhas Apso has always had allergies. I had him on raw and he improved to not having and reverse sneezing episodes and good coat. Due to a few things like dental surgery and travel I put him on Steve’s powder mix and lightly cooked chicken and turkey. Did not do as well over time on this. A pet sitter over fed him and gave him way too much goat milk and he had a major episode. Stress is also an issue for this dog and IBS. It’s been hard to get him back to normal since.
Vet put him on a cooked 1/3 chicken, 1/3 rice, 1/3 cottage cheese. He liked it but had bad stools and upset tummy – likely dairy maybe? Now he has him on RC Vet Rabbit and Potato. He seems to just go through this food with lots of poop and bad stools. It’s been over 2 weeks now. We just added 1 TSP pysillium for fiber, a probiotic as well as Standard Process Okra Pepsin 2 x’s daily. Vet wants to scope in a week if no improvement. My dog has never had Rabbit so Vet wanted a novel protein but I’m not so sure his condition is just diet related – maybe his system does not agree with this food.
Any thouights or suggestion greatly appreciated.

[mellowmutt]

Well, the food’s already mixed… I’ve read this advice a lot, but the only links I’ve come across are to those marketing rotational feeding. Maybe one in ten dogs I’ve ever known had food allergies (mostly to “bad” grains); most of the rest lived long, happy lives on the same food day in and day out, mostly dry kibble of dubious quality by today’s standards. I have two very good, related reasons for mixing rather than rotating.

First, the different kibble sizes, and one kibble being “preferred” really slows down Amiga’s feeding rate. I don’t want her “inhaling” her food, which she does when all the kibbles are the same size/smell. Mixed, she’ll try picking out the Orijen kibbles! Of course she winds up eating most of the other kibbles along with, at which point I guess she figures she may as well finish the meal. But it does take her twice as long to eat, this way, and gives me control of what she’s eating with no fuss because…

Second, she’s one of those picky mals who drive their owners to despair with hunger strikes, this being a well-known feature-bug of many individuals of most arctic breeds — which evolved to be headstrong, independent, and require less food than other dogs of similar size. If I rotate the food, which I did try, she’ll just ignore the food dish until what she wants gets put in it — which turns into a battle of wills the human usually loses (I know I’m a sucker for those sad puppy-dog eyes with whimpering), best not let it start if I want her growth rate to be steady not spurty, though.

http://wildpaw.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=8333
http://wildpaw.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=4462
(list goes on)

I also think Amiga’s spoiled enough without letting her choose her own menu, but it’s a real challenge to get her to eat what I want her to eat, regardless of when she eats it. For instance, when she was protesting NVI Rabbit she got away from me, into a neighbor’s house, and chowed down a whole bowl of Kibbles ‘n’ Bits. Came when called, after a short delay, licking her chops and grinning while the neighbor shooed her out of her house… pinned her ears back and rolled over on her back at my feet in a typical-malamute show of faux-submissiveness (neither hind leg straight), then ignored her own food for two more days. Which turned into four when she figured out how to raid the cat food for a few seconds before I caught her at it, then ate the rest of my sandwich off the countertop while I relocated the cat dish. 🙂

This can also be an issue when using toppers, but I’ve figured out how to train around this. I’m redirecting Amiga’s prey drive into SAR training (informally, can’t train with other dog/handler teams until she’s more mature about working when other dogs are present, there’s a reason so many SAR dogs are Goldens). Aside from disliking all forms of transport (no rhyme or reason for it I can figure, which I also hope she matures out of), all the aptitude for SAR work is there, her kibble OCD really shines through in “re-find” work. Her name is well-chosen, especially where kids are concerned; if the scent she’s on is animal she pricks her ears forward, but pins ’em back submissively for any and all humans… excellent potential despite being a malamute, even on tracking work.

She knows the difference between “food” and “umm-umms” and has figured out what I mean when I say “umm-umms on your dinner-food” — a big reward delayed until dinnertime instead of little treats over the course of a long, physically-demanding training session (which she sees as playing hide-and-seek in the forest for a few hours, at this stage). She’s very treat-motivated. Oh, she’ll still skip a meal here and there, but that just lets me know she isn’t getting enough exercise — that and the zoomie circles around the yard. Both of which I’m currently chalking up to being in season, total psycho malamute puppy on my hands atm.

Some Amiga videos here, the one running next to the bike was taken a month ago while the ones playing with the neighbor Husky are from last week, and aren’t mally pups just adorable before they become terrors?

http://www.veoh.com/list/u/bikefat

What worries me is topping kibble with raw/freeze-dried due to the different rates of digestion. If I just feed the toppers as a meal, I’m worried she’ll lose the correlation with it as a treat, and hold out for it as a regular meal by again spurning her kibble — perhaps even the Orijen. With the mix, when she’s hungry she’s really quite excited about being fed, with none of the malamute games we played when I tried rotating five foods and she’d only eat one of ’em.

YMalMV. 😉

[theBCnut]

It can take up to 6 or 8 weeks for all the histamine to clear out of his system from the last reaction, but you can usually tell within days that he is starting to get better. It depends on how strongly he reacts to a food how long it will take to see a reaction. It looks like he reacts strongly to rice and showed a reaction pretty quickly, other things could take days.

NVI LID is a good starting point to try to work this out. Has he ever had a lamb food before? You usually want to start with a protein and starch source that he has never had before and feed it for 6 to 8 weeks to clear all the histamines out of the body. Then start adding back one single ingredient for a few days to see if he reacts to it. If he has a reaction, then go back to what you know worked until the histamine clears again and then start again. Keep records of what you tried. Keep ingredient lists of foods that worked for him and foods that don’t, so you can try to figure out what ingredients in those foods were the trigger.

I’ve been going through this with my dog for a year and a half now and finally have 3 different kibbles he does well on. Now that I have a handle on his triggers, he lives a pretty normal life.

[Susan]

Sure glad I’m not dealing with any mast cell tumors!
Learning about dog food ingredients and how they effect animals is very interesting and frustrating. I want my dogs to want to eat, stay out of the vet’s office, and act, look and smell healthy and clean. The almighty $ seems to be the only issue for some dog food companies.
Thanks

[KaiRyssdog]

Hello,

I signed up last night after finding this forum on a search for dog food allergies. Here’s what’s going on with my dog.

Adopted a miniature schnauzer 8 weeks ago. He had had a UTI right before we got him and so was on Royal Canin’s Urinary SO formula – we got his bag of food when we got him. Then we took him to the vet for a general checkup and bought another small bag there. Everything was fine and he had a lovely silky soft coat. Then took him back to the vet for his 2nd lepto vaccination and bought another bag of the RC, but this time a bigger bag. Didn’t open it right away, as we still had some of the small bag left over (this was about two weeks ago). A couple days after opening and starting the new bag, I noticed the following symptoms (so this was maybe a week ago), increasing in severity:

– when he’d fart (which he hadn’t really done too much of beforehand), it seemed like it hurt him as he’d turn around and look at his butt and then run away
– he got a couple small bumps on his back
– I could smell his anal glands
– small bumps increased in numbers
– licking forearms
– scratching like crazy
– small bumps turned into open, bleeding sores mostly down his back but now on his nose, in his ears, top of his butt, and I just saw one on the tip of his tail – it seems every time I look at him he has a new one!
– didn’t want to eat his food

The first sore appeared Xmas eve, then more on Xmas day. Today I took him to the vet who got a sample of the oozing on his nose and said he had an infection and so put him on prednisone and an antibiotic that is supposed to be geared toward skin infections (don’t have the bottle in front of me).

When he went off his food Xmas eve/Xmas morning, we fed him turkey (plain) and brown rice. Right after that meal he was itchy right away, so the next meal (Xmas dinner) we gave him turkey only and again gave him turkey only for today’s meals.

The top of his nose was a matted mess with his whiskers so we cut some off thinking that he was rubbing his nose because the matted hair was bothering him. We’ve given him two oatmeal baths and I’ve put lavender oil on the scabs, both actions seem to soothe him and give him some peace.

So now some questions:

1) does this sound like a food allergy
2) how long is it going to take before he stops feeling so itchy
3) if he is allergic to an ingredient, how long after he eats will he have a case of the itchies (meaning, do I have to wait days before deciding that something doesn’t work or do the itchies tell me right away)
4) how often can I give him oatmeal baths
5) do I need to be feeding him anything else (something to boost his immune system or help with digestion) supplement-wise
6) how do you decide what to add and when (like potato or pumpkin or yogurt or ??)

I went out and bought him some Nature’s Variety Instinct LID in Lamb formula – does anyone have feedback on this food? I want to be considerate of his recent UTI issue, but I feel like this acute allergy reaction needs to be addressed first – is there something I should specifically stay away from?

I’m sure I have more questions that I forgot to ask but will come up later. He’s my sixth schnauzer in my lifetime and most recent dog (other two are rottiexGSD sisters) in my current family of dogs, and I’ve never dealt with anything like this before.

It breaks my heart to see him in such distress – help!

Thank you,

Susan

[theBCnut]

Someone whose dog had a mast cell tumor listed a few high histamine foods and because I was having a problem at that time with my dog, the tomato pomace stuck in my head, the others didn’t, but I don’t know where I saw it. It wasn in an unrelated topic, because of someones random comment. I haven’t started researching it myself yet.

I googled “foods to avoid with mast cell tumors” and got this
http://www.mastocytosis.ca/symptoms.htm
which led to this
http://www.mastocytosis.ca/MSC%20HT%20Restricted%20Diet%20Nov2012.pdf
I definitely know my dog does not have problems with many of the foods on their list, but they even say that some foods will trigger for some individuals and some won’t, so it still all comes down to doing the detective work to figure out what your own dog’s triggers are.

Then I found this
http://chronichives.com/useful-information/histamine-restricted-diet/#allowedrestricted

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

[Susan]

Pattyvaughn-
I am staying away from tomato pomace also. What are other histamine foods in dog food?

[theBCnut]

No, but unbalanced probiotics in the gut and/or insufficient digestive enzymes could certainly cause the gas. Poor digestion of protein allows anarobic bacteria to feed off of it, causing an abundance of smelly gas. Adding probiotics and digestive enzymes helps.

[nunyanunya]

Would anal gland issues cause chronic flatulence? My 10mo. old puppy farts all the time! UGH!!! Stinky and gross. He’s done this since I adopted him at 2mo. old. I don’t feed him treats just Solid Gold Wolf Cub puppy food.

[theBCnut]

BTW, anal gland emptying can be a fiber level problem, however the amount of fluid produced can be affected by food allergies. So if your dog has food allergy issues, keep an eye out for anal gland issues too.

[theBCnut]

I’ve discovered with Micah that tomato pomace is a problem and since then read about it being a high histamine food, so that has me wondering if he will have problems with other high histamine foods just because he is prone to histamine reactions.

[Susan]

I have cleared up the ear problems with my dauchshund mix with grain free food and ALWAYS rinse her ears out when she gets a bath every 3 weeks or so. Moisture in her ear will cause problems. The rinse I use is from Dr Foster’s and Smith, but you can get same from the vet or PetMeds. Haven’t had an ear flare up in two years now!
For her anal glands it is about the fiber in kibble. When she starts having a problem, dragging her butt on the ground etc, I add pumpkin or yougart and it works for her.
She doesn’t eat grains or potatoes. I tried Nutrisca brand and they didn’t like-too much peas. Nutrisource GF lamb was a good food, but started not agreeing after second bag. Currently using Earthborn Meadow and they love it and both my dogs are doing very well. Sample of Earthborn Great Plains for their treat and the love the bison too. I use the tub for a spoon of topper, but remove the whole garbanzo bean, creates gas, whoa,. I might need to add some pumpkin, fiber count is a little low for them.
Hope this helps!

[BlackandBlue]

Update on my certain ingredient intolerant dog. After a 2 month veterinary diet food trial that ended badly with a UTI and skin infection, I really was fed up. I’m a stay at home mom and all my kids are in school. It’s just me and my pets during the day so I’ve been REALLY observing my dog for the last month. You know what sets her off besides chicken, lamb, fish, white & brown rice, soy? GREEN STUFF! Sea meal, seaweed meal, kelp, alfalfa meal, green tea -all bad for my dog. I’ve learned Natural Balance LID’s are excellent for dogs that can’t have green stuff (among other things). If you suspect your dog has the same issue, buy a bunch of different NB LID cans and bags and try them out one at a time and really observe your dog. With my dog I can tell within an hour of feeding her something if it causes excessive licking and scratching and it’s not going to work out.

Unfortunately so many of the better (4 & 5 star) dog foods have too many “extra” ingredients for my dog. Right now I switch my dog daily on the NB LID duck & legumes dry and bison & sweet potatoes dry and she’s just fine. I’m worried though that she’ll start developing intolerances to these current proteins so I’m always on the lookout for something else to add to her rotation.

[Harpers Mom]

After finding out my Bull terrier mix, Harper is highly allergic to grains and chicken it is time to start looking for new foods. She is currently on Simply Nourish High Protein- Grain Free adult food, but we will soon be switching her to something different. I have read that rotating foods help limit allergies to certain foods, but i have no clue where to start when it comes to starting a rotational diet. How many food should be included, how often should they be switched? What are good food to use? I prefer sticking to about $45- $50 for a 30lb bag of food. HELP!

[InkedMarie]

Why can’t you feed him separately? Feed him in another room or a crate. It’s not always feasible to feed three dogs the same food. By the way, a dog with allergies should probably be on a grain free food; rice isn’t the best ingredient for him.

[DogFoodie]

I know Cyndi already bumped up your post, but I am too.

Bless your heart, you’ve really got your hands full! Just curious, has your vet checked his thyroid? Also, do you see a vet who practices traditional veterinary medicine or do you use an integrative / holistic vet? I’d visit a holistic vet; here’s a link to help you find one (it’s not all inclusive, but a good start): http://www.ahvma.org/Widgets/FindVet.html

It sounds as though, in addition to the environmental and food allergies, your little guy might have a systemic yeast infection which has evolved into a leaky gut. Someone has probably been feeding your poor little guy garbage for his entire life. I would start right away supplementing his diet with coconut oil and probiotics (you need to begin repopulating the healthy bacteria in his gut). It looks like your food allergies are: salmon, poultry mix, eggs, milk, wheat, and white potato. I’d look for something minimally processed ~ raw if possible; but if you’re choosing to feed kibble, I’d go for a grain and white potato (probably sweet potato, too) free food to switch him to as soon as possible. The first food that comes to mind is Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Diets.

[pfegan77]

I just learned that my 3 year old Sheltie is highly allergic to Brewer’s yeast. I’ve been checking all the labels on the Halo food, various nutritional supplements and treats. There are a lot of different yeast products. Do I need to be wary of any type of yeast, not just Brewer’s Yeast? Does Brewer’s Yeast go by any other name(s) which would be listed on the ingredients?

Thanks so much for your help!

[Samoan81]

only help on food I could suggest is that A lot times its suggested to switch from land to sea then to air. SO if you pet is allergic to lamb or chicken which many are, switch to a food blend that contains fish formulas . If that doesn’t work go to air like turkey duck etc

That’s a big list of allergies. Poor baby needs a portable doggie bubble

I would wash all his new bedding clothes with dreft baby detergent

Im sure you can find plenty of items that are hypoallergenic

[A.Sandy]

Hello Rhonda,
There are plenty of good choices like spring naturals, merrick, taste of the wild, petcurean, Fromm and many more. Try fish flavors to soothe skin, and transition slowly. All made these mentioned are made in the USA. The good thing about your size dog is it’s less expensive to feed even very high quality foods. Don’t be afraid to rotate flavors frequently so she doesn’t get bored, and stay away from science diet and grocery brand pet foods to prevent illness and upset tummies. good luck!!
-Ana
pet nutrition expert/advisor
@pupcatfacts
pupcatnutrition.com

[RhondaP]

I had my mixed Fluffy Chinese Crested breed on Science Hill wet food.. She got bored with Chicken and so we gave her beef.. I am pretty sure she was allergic to the beef, and now the chicken seems to be bugging her as well. I am at a loss for what canned good to give her. She does not like dry! She is 10 pounds.

Any help would be greatly appreciated… I will only use American manufactured brands:)

[theBCnut]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7848179
http://nutriscan.org/the-nutriscan-difference.html
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/07/26/a-great-tool-for-dogs-with-rumbling-tummy-gas-diarrhea-or-vomiting.aspx
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=143
http://www.1800petmeds.com/education/food-allergies-intolerances-pets-33.htm

https://www.tumblr.com/drjeandoddspethealthresource/25934674990/dog-food-sensitivity-versus-dog-food-allergy

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/food-allergy-myths

[Angeldogs]

My understanding is that allergies and intolerances come from a mast cell response, much as it works in the human body. Can you please direct me to some reading material? Mast cell mediators include histamine. In the human, GI symptoms, itching, etc are all mast cell mediator responses. (I have mastocytosis).

I frequently see hyperactivity, too, as a symptom of food allergies.

[Angeldogs]

I rescue deaf dogs of all breeds. Allergies are really common. I highly recommend finding a vet that sends allergy tests out to Spectrum Labs. The results include food proteins, carbs, grasses, trees, and other common household issues like dust, etc. It’s been very helpful for us. Just wish finding a kibble for the allergic dogs was as easy…..some of our dogs are raw fed so we can control the ingredients.

[AReim]

I have an 11 yr. old American Eskimo with chronic acute pancreatitis. I’m beyond worried now as he is consistently losing more weight. He should be around 21 lbs and he is now at 15 lbs.

We have struggled with his condition for years and at this point I have no faith in what the vet recommends. I stumbled across this site this morning while researching solutions for my other dog – a very itchy mixed breed (I’ll deal with that is a separate post). There seems to be a lot of well informed people here and I am hoping someone may be able to help me.

After a severe attack several years ago, a full work up (labs, x-rays … the works) the vet informed me that his intestinal and stomach lining are “thicker than normal” and that it was likely a birth defect.

With that diagnosis, he was put on Hills Science WD canned formula. (Cerenia was also prescribed to treat the acute attacks.) We’ve tried other “vet recommended” foods but always end up back with the WD formula because he seems to tolerate it the best. I’ve even spoken with Hill’s Science “dieticians” but they are ALL CLUELESS (including the vet) as to what else might work better. The vet & dietician have always advised that hi-fat content is what will usually triggers the attacks but that is all they can tell me. They have never recommended grain-free or organic – or addressed potential food allergies as an aggravator.

All of his routine check-ups & labs show him to be otherwise healthy. His poop is usually normal. (However, we do have a poop eating problem and I sometimes wonder if it’s because he is SOOO hungry because he’s not getting enough nutrition.)

His attacks are episodic. Sometimes he is fine for weeks – other times we may have a couple of attacks in a week. His typical symptoms include any combination of: gurgling tummy, vomiting (sometimes bile, other times completely undigested food), abdominal pain (he won’t lie down for hours – I’ve had to hold him so he could sleep), and refusal to eat. On a rare occasions he’s had diarrhea and I’ve had to take him to the vet for an IV due to dehydration several times over the years.

Any help, advice, or recommendations that will help me get some weight back on him and help with the pancreatitis would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!!

[boxermum]

Can anyone suggest a better alternative to Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato & Fish dry food? My 1.5 yr old boxer has been on this food since he was a young puppy up until about a month ago when he suddenly decided he didn’t like it anymore and I stumbled across this site and saw it was only rated at a 3 anyway. I’d like to get him on a food that he both likes and is better for him, but I originally started him on it a year ago because it was the only food that wouldn’t give him diarrhea, and I’m discovering this is still an issue. I don’t know if the problem is a sensitive stomach or allergies. If it’s allergies, I haven’t been able to narrow it down to anything specific.

[OhBichonPlease]

I definitely think you should switch to higher-quality foods… for the picky eater especially – what little he will take down needs to be properly nutritious and high quality since he isn’t eating enough/well. I would transition slowly to minimize upset or selective eating of familiar kibbles and try fasting for a day with no treats or extras [I know it’s hard] before introducing small amounts of a new kibble. You can even try providing 2-4 different kibbles at a time – maybe something in the mix will appeal to your dog especially. You may want to look for a kibble that has a slightly higher fat content or salt as both of those are appealing and will encourage eating and may help get your picky eater to a better state of health. The different ingredients can help your dog adjust to new foods better and will only help/improve nutrient absorption and gut health provided there are no allergies/intolerances. Many local pet shops can provide free samples so you can try adding small amounts of new kibbles without spending much money. Adding some wet food or high quality meat toppers might also entice and encourage better eating habits. You may have to experiment, but tuna, salmon, plain cooked shredded meats, yogurt, canned pumpkin and other pantry items may help establish better habits and digestive health. Warmed peanut butter can also be drizzled over kibble instead of mixing and clumping it up in the bowl. Sometimes piles of food can be intimidating and food may need to be spread out more. Or your dog might not like her food bowl for some reason – try switching to a cereal bowl or a pie tie and see if that helps. Some dogs like to be sneaky eaters so hiding food in several places or the putting the dog bowl in unexpected places or outside might help. Feed your dogs separately [and maybe even at different times of the day], feed well [high quality kibbles and nutritious toppers/extras/treats] and congratulate, encourage and reward with enthusiastic praise every single time your picky eater takes a mouthful of food and actually swallows it.
You may also try making your own dog treats out of the above ingredients or buying canned food and instead of serving it at room temperature or warmed, try freezing it in ice cube trays giving those to your dog on a towel or an easily cleaned floor. Laying down a special mat or picking a quiet corner and acting like a mealtime is very special may also help her your picky dog more excited about dinner. Some dogs really like munching on frozen foods even when they won’t touch them at other temperatures.
When my picky eater isn’t eating I give her a little pepcid [we suspect semi-regular heartburn] and then act really excited about opening a can of high quality wet dog [or occasionally cat or puppy – vet’s recommendation for getting food in when nothing else works.] The smellier the better [canned green tripe works wonders but is best fed outside. I also had amazing luck with small cans of Weruva – it looks/smells like human-grade baby food and is expensive, but the quality is obvious and the food was eagerly consumed both wet and frozen].] I give her a little straight out of the can right off the spoon so she feels like it is human food and a nice treat and then drop some in a dish with kibble. I won’t mix it in anymore because too often she has shunned to food once she discovers the hidden kibbles and I don’t like throwing food out [the neighborhood cats have gotten very friendly since her leftovers get tossed on the pavement for them – I am sure it’s better than whatever they are fishing out of the trash, small birds, squirrels, etc]. But sometimes she will eat up the wet food in one section and then start eating mouthfuls of kibble afterward – progress!
When our girl is especially reticent about eating kibble we move her food into the room where we eat dinner and hang out in the evenings and sometimes have to pretend to eat kibble, hand feed her or toss pieces onto that evening’s dinner plate to get her to start eating. Once she realizes she is indeed hungry she usually goes back to her bowl and only needs encouragement to keep eating [Good girl! What a good dog you are for eating kibble! Good dogs eat their food!] every other bite. She still looks at us for encouragement while eating and I sometimes have to tap to bowl or shake it to remind her there is still food to be had.] I give her a half cup of food at a time and she never eats more than half at night and usually doesn’t empty her bowl entirely until the next afternoon. [She is slightly less than 15lbs and eats approx 300-400 calories a day in food and treats, as far as I can figure.]
I had never met a dog previously who didn’t like and look forward to dinner time, but our rescued Bichon needs to be coaxed and encouraged to eat almost every bite, every day.

Good luck, keep experimenting with higher-quality foods and ingredients and don’t give up!

[RescueDaneMom]

Hi BlueEyedGirl-

First, if you want to upload a picture as your avatar you need to go to gravatar.com. You can also add a picture to a post using photobucket. Copy and paste the image link into your post and it should show up.

Now onto the food…Wellness Core Puppy is a great food, but it is a BIG step up from Hill’s. To play it safe, you might want to gradually step up the quality food. You could start with Nutrisource Large Breed Puppy. Nutrisource has a reputation of being an easy food to switch to. Then you could transition to Wellness Core. 3-4 foods in a rotation is good. That would be my minimum. If your dog doesn’t have intolerances or allergies then you could find many foods to keep switching through.

Because you don’t know if she is a large breed or not, I would play it safe and feed large breed puppy appropriate food. Feeding lower calcium won’t hurt a small/medium breed dog. In my opinion, it’d be better to err on the side of caution.

I think that the amount of calcium that they get from treats is pretty negligible. However, if you are very concerned, I think dehydrated/freeze-dried tripe would be a good choice. Tripe has balanced Ca/P and I believe it is lower in calcium than some other treats. Freeze-dried liver may also be good.

There are more knowledgeable members on here that can give you more feedback and correct me if I’m wrong. I hope this was helpful to you. Have fun getting ready for your pup. It’s so exciting getting ready to bring a new dog home. 🙂

[Mom2Cavs]

I don’t know what his allergies are exactly, but from what I’ve read Nutrisource grain frees may be a good fit. The gf lamb and their seafood select don’t have potatoes at all, I believe. Check ’em out here nutrisourcedogfood.com.

[RVPets]

We have a 7 year old German Shepherd and we have been struggling to control a systemic yeast infection for the past 9 months. Our old vet (I do mean old now) kept putting him on antibiotics, saying it was not yeast, but never doing a skin scrap. Our new vet checked first and immediately told us it was yeast. He wants him on a no carbohydrate/lo. starch diet and has suggested a more holistic approach to controling the problem. We are very pleased with the results so far. He’s grown back most of his hair and his odor has diminshed considerably.

We add Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar (with the “Mother”) to his drinking water and we wipe him down with a vinegar and water mixture (50/50) and we are cleaning his ears with the same solution daily. We have hi on a partial raw diet that we have been adding a high quality dog food too (about half raw half dog food).

My problem is that we are having a hard time finding a food that he can eat due to food allergies. Has anyone tried Canidae Grain-Free Pure Elements for dogs? It does not have anything on his “don’t eat” list, but I’m not too sure about having sweet potatoes in the top 5 list of ingredients.

Has anyone else tried this with a “yeasty dog”? Did it help or make it worse? We are trying very hard to find a solution, but we simply cannot feed an all raw diet right now.

This is a list of ingrediants:
Lamb, turkey meal, chicken meal, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, peas, chicken fat, menhaden fish meal, potatoes, suncured alfalfa, natural flavor, minerals (iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite), vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, folic acid), choline chloride, dried enterococcus faecium fermentation product, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried lactobacillus casei fermentation product, dried lactobacillus plantarum fermentation product, dried trichoderma longibrachiatum fermentation extract, mixed tocopherols (a natural source of
vitamin E)

[somebodysme]

Yes, with the help of her rescue, we figured out what she can eat. She is now perfectly fine. Once she stopped eating all these supposedly 4 and 5 stars foods and got on a food that had no allergens (to her) then she just healed right up and is doing fantastic. Just because a food is rated 5 star at this place doesn’t mean it’s going to be the fix all for an allergy dog. She is extremely allergic to rice and peas and lord only knows what else…but not allergic to what the people here will tell us are common allergens…for my dog she apparently is not allergic to “common allergens”. I no longer look to DFA for assistance when it comes to dog food. She’ll eat this(horrible terrible sickening food) until it no longer works or until hell freezes over…whichever comes first…HA!

[cherikeeusa]

I will be getting my large-breed puppy in about a month. My pup is a Goldendoodle, a Golden Retriever/Standard Poodle mix; they are well known to have a propensity toward grain allergies. I would like to provide a rotational diet for him, adding homemade meals (Sojo balanced) as well as grain-free, white potato-free dry foods topped with canned foods, sardines, etc. Can anybody help me with what sort of time-table for changing up his meals should be? Also, I’ve seen someplace that pork is a definite no-no, and chicken has a fairly high risk of allergy. True? Or…? In addition, any suggestions you might have for which brands I should start with would be very helpful. A full dietary plan would rock since I know next to nothing! LOL! I know…newbies suck right?!

[Jeancar]

My vet is suggesting a food trial for my 5 yr old cocker spaniel. He has unidentified allergies(chews his feet, and “goobery” eyes). We’ve tried several allergy meds, and he is presently eating “GO” salmon. He recently had crystals in his urine, so he’s taking a supplement for stone prevention. He will have to stop taking supplements during the food trial. He also has a sensitive stomach, he takes Pepcid to control acid production. Are there any foods that deal with more than one problem?

She has suggested Hill DD potato venison. She feels the protein level is low enough to avoid bladder stones. This sounds reasonable to me, just interested if anyone else has the same issues, and possible feedback.

[gmcbogger38]

Sorry. I started off with ACANA (not potato free) from Nutro and that is when I started seeing issues. Thinking it was yeast, I then switched them to a grain free and potato free food. I have tried several high quality brands, and even raw, but nothing is helping. So, I wondered if the ACANA with potato could have triggered allergies and if that would even be possible? I then wondered if switching them back to a grain inclusive food would help, since they did fine before with grains. I mean my ultimate question is this: is it possible that some dogs do better on grain inclusive foods? It just seems like everyone says grains are bad.

[mercman]

I have a 12 week old GSD female puppy. I was feeding her Nutro Natural Choice Large puppy breed chicken/whole brown rice/oatmeal food. She was doing a lot of scratching I was concerned about possible food allergies and went to my local feed store. They recommended Infinia Zenfood Grainfree Salmon and Sweet potato even though it is not specifically a large breed puppy kibble. This recommendation was based on a 1.2% calcium level and on being a Grainfree kibble. Is this the right choice. Incidentally the itching may have been due to over-bathing.

My male GSD (5YOA) is eating Costco’s Kirkland Salmon and sweet potato, BTW. I did see this listed in HoundDog Mom’s acceptable large breed puppy food list. Would this be an appropriate choice for my puppy too?

[CattleCait]

Both of my dogs are showing signs of having allergies. They were previously on Diamond Naturals, I learned later that it wasn’t a very good food so I tried Pioneer GF Chicken. They wouldn’t eat it, so I returned that and have been making them home-cooked meals of chicken and veggies because we raise chickens, but they’re still having allergy symptoms.

I guess what I’m asking is – how long will it take for the “yuck” to be out of their system? It’s only been a week or so off of Diamond Naturals, so I’m assuming the grain could still be affecting them? How long should I wait?

If removing the grain doesn’t work, then I’m going assume that it’s the chicken and I’ll try the Pioneer GF Pork or Whitefish, but I don’t want to eliminate more than one ingredient at a time in case the chicken is in fact alright and they’re still reacting to the Diamond.

[theBCnut]

The short answer is no, not necessarily. Allergies and intolerances to food are very specific. As an example, one of my dogs is intolerant of chicken muscle meat, but not chicken liver. I didn’t bother to test it too much so I don’t know if he could handle white meat but not dark or dark but not white, and I don’t know if he reacts to chicken bones, because I can’t get every last speck of meat off a raw bone, and I really didn’t care that much. I avoid chicken with him but he does get a food with chicken liver in it, and it happens to be the food that he does best on. However, there are dogs that are allergic/intolerant to chicken, duck, turkey, etc so they say the are allergic to all poultry, but if they never ate a titmouse or a kingfisher, they can’t be allergic to them. They can only have allergies/intolerances to things they have been exposed to. BTW, they can have exposure in utero too, I imagine.

[pegripley]

Shawna, I’ve read a number of posts and you seem amazing. I lost my Scottish Terrier, Charlie, to Cancer a year ago this September, he was only 8 years old. We had NO idea he even had it.. Within a few days I couldn’t stand it anymore for myself and my mini-Schnauzer so we got another puppy. She is also a mini-schnauzer. I took her to get spayed in December 2012 and we found out she has Kidney Disease. Since then her #’s have continued to increase and she’s now 16 months old and her BUN is off of the chart, the vets machines can’t read it. It’s over 130, her Creatinine is 4.0 (high end is 1.8) and a few other things are now showing also like decreased red blood cell count = 3.2 and normal range is 5.5-8.5.
I have been feeding her boiled chicken thighs and baked sweet potatoes. I am currently giving her a phosphorus binder and also Renadyl. The Renadyl is supposed to flush the toxins out through her stool rather than making her kidneys process it and work harder.
The odd thing is. Bella has never shown any real symptoms other than the #’s. I had no problem potty training her, she is crate trained and has no accidents. she doesn’t urinate anymore than our other Schnauzer does. We also had an ultrasound done and her kidney’s are slightly smaller than normal but nothing major small and no other abnormalities faound. Now she does love her water but it’s not like she sits next to the bowl and drinks it dry. She usually drinks a lot in the morning or when she first comes out of her crate and then will get little sips the rest of the day. My vet and I are both astonished and very grateful that she isn’t showing any symptoms.
Anyway, now that you know my story I am really trying to find something to prolong her life and also make sure it’s a good quality of life at the same time. It breaks my heart to think her life is going to be cut short.. You seem like you have a good handle on this. Can you please give me any advice..
I took her yesterday for her check up and have done nothing by cry since yesterday. I’m usually a positive person but this is just breaking my heart.
Peg

[mfulton7]

Okay so this isn’t allergies its more than likely a food intolerance. I did notice that the earthborn holistic amd zignature are both pea based. I wonder if that is the trigger. If not maybe fish? Would you happen to know what the most common dog food intolerances are?
I do have a probiotic for her/them but I will definitely check into getting the enzyme as well. Thanks!

[theBCnut]

My dog with intolerances had them from the day I got him at 8 weeks old, so I have to assume he had them before that. True allergies usually develop later, but I don’t think that is necessarily the case with intolerances. Take the ingredient list with you to the store and try to find a food that is very different, different proteins and different carbs. Also, get him on digestive enzymes, they help with the gas, and a good multistrain probiotic, they help heal the gut, which is where a lot of these issues start and get worse and worse. If you want a recommendation for those, Swanson’s has a couple of probiotics that are good, Dr Stephen Langer’s and Soil Based Organisms. Their Premium Digestive Enzyme is good too. Mercola has excellent of both, but they cost a bit more.

Keep ingredient lists of any food he has with notes about how he does on them. You can compare ingredient lists and start to figure out what it is he reacts to, so you will know what to avoid in the future.

[mfulton7]

I have been feeding my pups Earthborn Hollistic Coastal Catch for about 4 weeks or so now. I have the Doberman pup (14wks), shihpoo pup (9 mth), and Chihuahua (2 yr). Since the dogs have been on it the dobie and shihpoo have really bad room clearing gas and the dobie has loose stools every other day or so. Another food they’ve been on was the Zignature Trout and the dobie had loose stools with that also. Should I try another food or another flavor of the Earthborn Hollistic? Weve also been noticing the dobie seems itchy a lot. Bites at her paws, scratches her backside Im thinking she scratched so much she caused scabbing on the backs of her front legs. I was thinking most dogs don’t develop allergies until theyre older? I know that the fawn dobies are more prone to skin issues so maybe that is causing it?

[Mom2Cavs]

Yes, my Cavalier that has allergies has anal gland issues as one of her symptoms. She can’t have poultry, at least chicken, but just to be safe I’m staying away from all poultry. I am using grain free, poultry free dry and canned foods. I also make sure any supplements or treats don’t contain offending ingredients. Since I’ve done this her symptoms are gone.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by Mom2Cavs.

[VegetarianDog]

I have two vegetarian dogs, both relatively healthy. One has food allergies to animal protein and now that she’s solidly in her teens she has a bit of arthritis and some hearing loss. The other is blind from glaucoma she had before I adopted her and has had reflux for at least a couple years longer than we’ve had her (I was a humane society employee and my shelter had fostered her through heartworm treatments for a couple months with another employee when she first arrived there, then adopted her out to a home that we had to confiscate her from a year and a half or so later. Then I fell in love with her while working on rehabilitating her and wound up adopting her, so we know what she was like the first time she came through the shelter, but still have no idea about the first several years of her life). Aside from those specific issues, they’re in excellent health. When we first adopted our allergic girl, we tried all the atypical meat and carb sourced foods out there (duck and potato, venison and pea, etc). She reacted to everything, even plain fish. Her allergies are bad enough that when my brother was letting her lick out his empty individual serving yogurt cup, the teeny tiny amount of gelatin the yogurt he had contained was enough to cause her to have a flare up. Because of that, we switched to a vegetarian diet as soon as we found one that worked for her. She still craves meat 9 years later, but she just can’t have it even with twice daily antihistamines. An accidental mouthful of cat food is enough to cause a $300 vet trip for anibiitics, special shampoo, powerful antihistamjnes, and steroids and land her in an ecollar for a month because when she has a flare up, she’ll scratch and chew every inch of herself bald and keep right on chewing and scratching, crying as she’s doing it because she’s already gone through the skin. For us, vegetarian food is not a choice, it’s a necessity. Our other dog is vegetarian as well because the allergic dog will eat meat-poop if she can (thank god for top entry kitty litterboxes since cats are obligate carnivores) and flare up from that and even though we try to clean up as soon as poop happens, missing even one piece a month isn’t a risk we can take.

It would be amazing if there were more spaces where people with vegetarian or vegan dogs could go to exchange information about which of the vegetarian options are healthiest. You either won’t change their minds about the ethics or it’s a medical requirement for their dog, so isn’t it better to quit judging people and help them make the best possible choice within the parameters they’re working with?

• This reply was modified 12 years, 1 month ago by VegetarianDog. Reason: Edited for clarity

[Akari_32]

Thankfully I ruled out all food allergies with Bentley (thought it was chicken, then grain, and now we are certain it’s grass or something else growing in the yard), so I’m open to just about anything food wise. He likes red meats best, but eats anything other than fish no problem (and he’ll eat the fish, he just ain’t happy about it LOL). He esspetially seems to love the chewy bits of lamb in the Purina One… Yuck! The other dogs don’t care what it is, if it’s even slightly etable, they’ll eat it (this also includes the occational dead animal in the yard, and plants the little brats unpot if I don’t keep an eye on them -_-). My nonpicky dogs make choosing a food easy :3

[DogManDan]

wow i have never seen a dog with so many list of allergies to food, the poor pup 🙁 maybe something else is causing the problem? have you asked for a 2nd opinion from another vet? how is she now? i hope you find the best ingredient for her

[RescueDaneMom]

I have a 7.5yr old Dane. Luckily the only thing I have found that he is allergic to is mango and bee/wasp stings. My sister has a dog that we suspected had a chicken allergy but it turned out that it was flea allergies. From the research I did at the time, the best thing to do is put your dog on a limited ingredient diet such as Nature’s Variety Instinct grain-free, limited ingredient diet. It comes in turkey, lamb, duck, and rabbit. Because the TOTW formula you are currently feeding is lamb based, I would choose one of the other protein sources to try. I believe if it is truly food allergies you should start seeing some improvement in as little as a week but it can take 4-6 weeks for all the symptoms to completely clear up. Once all of the symptoms are gone, you can add one ingredient at a time and watch your dog’s reaction to see what she is allergic to. That’s my two cents. Hopefully someone else with more experience with allergy dogs will chime in. Good luck!

-Caroline