[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight? His stools are still really loose. Not remotely firm. They seem to be really grainy as well, and light in color.

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[Katie]

I rescued Bauer, a Great Dane that was a neglect case out of my county shelter. He was being starved and left outside on a chain. Needless to say – he is severely underweight – weighing in at only 103 lbs – when he should be around 145-155. My vet seems to think he is about 2, and that he was being starved for so long during his formative puppy growth stage that he will likely never get to be a full mature male size. That doesn’t bother me. I just want him to gain some much-needed weight.

When I first got him, he had every known parasite and worm imaginable, plus coccidia. I have had him for over a month now, we have been through two rounds of panacur, and his body is now worm/parasite free… but he is not gaining any weight. His ribs and spine poke through, and the definition behind his rib cage and above his hip bones is disturbingly sharp. I have seen very little improvement in a month. He’s gained a pound. I have been feeding him the 4Health Lamb and Rice for Adult dogs twice a day. 4Health is what the Great Dane rescue told me to feed him, saying Danes need a lower protein formula dog food. I have also been cooking him chicken or steak and feeding him homemade meals for one meal a day. I have him on Dyne supplement too, he loves the taste of it. But he is still not gaining weight?

On top of his emaciation – he’s constantly biting his paws, chewing his toenails, and/or licking/chewing his anus or the top of his hips. He has chewed/licked three different hot spots on his back legs/hips area. He does not have fleas. I have him on Trifexis. I am wondering if this could be food related as well? Or maybe he just has allergies? I have a feeling that it could just be boredom/separation anxiety too. He came to me chewing his nails. This isn’t a new issue. But it does seem to be getting more and more intense right now – particularly with his the hot spots.

I am new to Danes. I have always had golden retrievers/flat coats/labs or aussies in the past – so I have dealt with my fair share of obsessive lickers. But Bauer goes beyond licking, he’s chewing out his fur.. I know it’s got to be painful. And I have never experienced a dog that literally eats his toenails. I mean he seriously splinters them apart and chews them off. It’s neurotic behavior.

Any advice is greatly appreciated and welcomed. Thanks!
Katie

[Akari_32]

I found a great $2 off any Prosense pet product, so I decided to try the fish oil for Bentley’s suspected grass allergies (it’s not chicken, it’s not grains, so maybe grass?) and the senior vitamins for Haley’s weight (we can’t possibly shove anymore food down this dogs throat, as she just can’t physically eat much more than 5 cups).

Bentley’s been on the fish oil for a few months, and it does actually seem to help him some. We’ve also been wiping his paws and tummy off after being outdoors with a baby wipe, and trying to give him a weekly bath. And, which I haven’t tried yet, I found hot spot shampoo of the same brand on clearence for $3 (use the coupon and it’s only a buck :D).

Haley, at just 65 pounds of ideal weight, eats 4-5 cups a day. She’s maybe 2-3 pounds underweight, healthy otherwise. The vet had her on vitamins last year durring some medical treatment, but she’s since been off them. Pretty much boils down to her being old at this point, and not being able to metabolize food as efficiently. Shes been on these Prosense Senior vitamins for a few days and I do already see her gaining energy, at least.

Regular feeding, for all three of the dogs, consists of 8-9 cups of dry food mixed with a 13 oz can of wet food, and usually an egg thrown in, as well. This is obviously divided up in appropriate amounts for each dog. The whole feeding routine has been made up specifically for Haley, as straight dry food really upsets her stomach, in an indigestible sort of way. Even if it’s just moistened with some water, it helps her tremendously. Poor girls got tummy troubles lol

I was wondering about these senior vitamins: they seem really high in calcium, which I’ve heard mixed things about for older dogs. I’ll get exact numbers in the morning, as I’m in bed now, but it’s several times higher than the adult formula. I want to say its 4-5% though.

This brand is only available at WalMart (locally, at least) from what I’ve seen. Not that I really have much problem with that. I don’t particularly like WalMart, but I’ll do what I have to.

Also, side note while were here, and I feel it’ll be brought up at some point– you guys know those powder Centrum probiotics for people? Would something like that he beneficial in Haley’s case? Doesn’t have to be that brand or kind, either. Anything along those lines. Just know I’m not made of money 😉

[GizmoMom]

These are some of the foods that don’t have the ingredients you wanted to avoid.
/dog-food-reviews/ziwipeak-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/natures-variety-instinct-dog-food-canned/
/dog-food-reviews/hound-gatos-dog-food/

[aimee]

Allergy testing is considered totally unreliable for food allergies, so you may have other options available to you. The only way to diagnose a food allergy is by dietary trials.

Here is information on how to do a dietary trial. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499

[theBCnut]

Can I suggest you get a couple books on making homemade dog food and make your own? That way you can be in complete control of what goes in to it.

[InkedMarie]

If you go to the Dog Food Ingredients forum, there’s a stickie at the top with grain and white potato free foods. Might be a starting point.

[griam01]

Hi all,

Thank you in advance for your help. I am out of my mind trying to find dog food that my dog is not allergic to. He is two years old and has always been itchy, some times worse than others. I have been feeding him Merrick Grain free Duck and sweet potato and he likes it..but only if I mix in moist food with it. So I bought several of the grain free varieties and he would finally eat. Well, the itchiness never went away full. I finally had him allergy tested by a test from Glacier Peaks Hollistics. It came back with a large list of items he is allergic to.

Lamb
Tuna
Trout
Cod
Asparagus
Beet
Potato
Spinach
Sweet Potato
Yam
Tomato
Turnip
Canola Oil
Sesame Oil
Pineapple
Rice Milk
Corn
Brown Rice
White Rice
Peanut
Sesame Seed
Lentil Bean
Nutra Sweet
Chicken Egg

I have been scouring dog food to find something that doesn’t include the above and cannot find anything. I am hoping to find someplace that I can try and return the food that he doesn’t like. He is extremely picky and will only eat the food if he likes it. He has gone over a day without eating and sticking his nose up. His stomach will be growling and he is obviously hungry, but won’t eat the food if he doesn’t like it.

Any help you can provide I would truly appreciate it!!!!

Thank you!!

[Marissa]

I would definitely suggest breaking his daily food ration into multiple meals. This should help with the hunger. I would also suggest switching foods every 3-4 months. He might be getting bored or frustrated getting the same thing all the time. Merrick Grain Free foods are great and they have a wide variety of protein sources, so you can feed the Buffalo for 3-4 months, then turkey, then fish, then pork, and keep his meals interesting. They also have great canned foods available. As far as price goes, it’s not too far off from Blue Buffalo. I think they’re priced pretty similarly. I can buy a 25lb bag of my Merrick for around $52, and that lasts my 2 dogs about 5-6 weeks. I think I’d pay the same amount for a 25-30lb bag of BB, but I prefer it and think it’s worth the price difference to be able to switch the protein sources since one of my dogs is prone to allergies.

[somebodysme]

mam2cavs, what you think it is about the TOTW Pacific Stream that is not affecting your allergy dog like other foods? My dog has been allergic to everything that she’s eaten since Dog Chow which she was NOT allergic to! There is something in the high end foods that she does not tolerate. Her allergies are skin not digestive. So I’m curious, have to figured out what TOTW does not have in it?

Edit to add: I just went and checked the ingredient label and I see that this food is one of the few higher end foods that doesn’t contain even one of the following items: Flax seed, beet pulp, rosemary extract. These are items that I am questioning to be the root cause of my dog’s allergy.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 5 months ago by somebodysme.

[Sallynova]

Dogs For The Earth Dehydrated Dog Food – if you buy the large bad and break off bits of the biscuits for treats. My dogs love this stuff and so do all my friends dogs and it is super healthy. They have I think 4 flavors and a couple different treats and my dogs go crazy any time they see their food packets. I know it’s all organic and they use human grade food and its grain free and its super healthy. I wish more people knew about this food because it has helped a lot of dogs with allergies and skin problems too. Best thing is to look on their site http://www.dogsfortheearth.com there’s so much information and it is owned by an animal nutritionist and they ship it everywhere. You can get it on amazon too but we get regular deliveries every 2 weeks. We love this food and try to tell everyone. I think your Little Bichon will love it too!

[Dr. Vickie]

Skin is a reflection of what is going on inside of his gut, except his guts look and feel worse!
Feed him wild caught pacific bone in canned pink salmon from your supermarket, organic egg whites, no grains, no starch (carrots and peas are starches folks) or sugar for that matter (my guess is that he is not preparing to race the Iditarod, at least not soon 😉 ) If he is playful and active and not overweight you can add some organic canned plain pumpkin for energy. Cooked organic green beans, all other kinds of organic greens are great too and very important, plain greek yogurt. Sprinkle a high end holistic dry food or wet along with for added nutritional support that uses wild salmon only as a protein base and no grains. To give him some variety if he needs or wants it, you can try grass fed beef/bison/buffalo but I would keep it to salmon until you are sure he is stable before I would add these food items. Some starch in the formula is “ok” but less is more. One fish oil capsule one-two times per day for at least three months then cut back. There is such a thing as too much omega 3 over time. (Note, flax is far to weak of an omega 3 source for him right now. It is helpful once the omega 3:6 ratio has been fixed and that takes up to one year in my experience).
Treats? SOME banana, cut apples, berries of all kinds. Frozen or cooked green beans are safe too and nothing ever got fat off of green beans. EVENTUALLY, other grass fed animal protein choices will be back on his plate but for now, no!
His WORST food choices will be lamb even if it slept in the lap of Jesus it will cause issues; grass fed corn fed it does not matter. Corn fed critters, mainstream beef, CHICKEN and all parts. Even your buddies 6 point buck he shot yesterday is suspect for your dog ( been baited for months with corn feeders ).
It’s note easy, or cheap but it will work I promise.
Give him a pat for me!

[Dr. Vickie]

The inherent problem with allergies is that the body allows it in the first place. Food, pollen, carpet cleaner, the baby as a source, in my experience, is a red herring. The GI is inflamed and that inflammation is what can allow the gut to over react to, well, you name it. Get rid of the pro-imflammatories in the diet and environment, as best you can, and they should be able to handle benign substance exposures. How to? I tell my clients to start, avoid processed oils (corn oil, canola, vegetable, low grade olive…) and animal protein sources that are fed grain, especially corn fed diets themselves aka “corn fed critters”; Cornfed beef, chickens, lamb, duck, fish (yes salmon too)…. The reduction in omega 6’s alone will improve most allergy issues. Add a wild caught source of omega 3’s to the reduction of omega 6’s and anywhere from 3 days to three weeks your allergy issues will be greatly reduced if not mostly gone.
I recently sold my successful holistic practice and I only prescribed antibiotics or steroids once for skin allergies (dog had maggots living under over 40% of its skin HELLO!!!) and only for a short time.
This is a great site! Cudos for it and all of you who are pursuing answers for your pet!
p.s. it applies to your health too! 😉

[ellgee]

I have my fingers crossed! We, too, have tried so many foods including pre-made raw (Darwin’s). It is almost a joke with my husband. But I KNOW one day I will be able to say _________ changed Dudley’s life! LOL!

Does your friend feed just the Aqualuk or does she rotate with other foods?

[InkedMarie]

Glad you ordered the Aqualuk. Give it a month then update. I’m hoping it’ll help. My friend tried so many dry foods, then pre made raw but this food finally worked.

[ellgee]

Oh I have been thinking it was the food for the past several years which is why he has been quite a few different things. He has just had the skin issues every single year despite the food changes. It runs in cycles. I will take him off the chicken because that’s been at the back of my mind as a problem. And he is currently on Benadryl daily.

When you say hypoallergenic is there a particular brand? I do want to rotate his diet. I also ordered the Annamaet Aqualuk today.

[Mom2Cavs]

My first thought is always the food. Why don’t you think it’s that? Anyway, chicken can be a high allergen for some dogs, not all. I have one that does soooo much better without poultry in her diet. I just think it’s the easiest and “cheapest” thing to change first. I agree with InkedMarie above, put your dog on a different protein, possibly something hypoallergenic and perhaps try the benedryl, too.

[ellgee]

This is my first post although I have been an avid reader of DFA for a long time.

I am at my wit’s end with my French Bulldog’s allergies. I do have an appointment with a vet allergist/dermatologist on 11/1, but I just don’t want him suffering until then.

He has been on several 4 to 5 star foods over the years and is currently on Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Boost (chicken) which I add some of the raw bites (duck) too. Yesterday I came home to soft stinky poop in the house! He hasn’t had an accident since he was a pup! I know he must have GI issues because we have to wipe his bottom after every poo and this isn’t anything new.

His skin is very red with crusty spots, he is losing tons of his hair. I am bathing him twice a week with Douxo chlorhexadine shampoo. Last time I took him to the vet, he told me that in looking over Dudley’s records, this happens at the same time every year leading us to believe these are environmental allergies. And due to a weakened immune system, he gets these skin infections and staph. Last go round, he was on antibiotics and steroids. I do NOT want to use steroids long term if I can help it. He is on a daily Benadryl which doesn’t do much as far as I can tell.

I was reading on the Supplement Forum and my head is spinning. So much information.

My question is since we don’t believe it to be food related (but who knows???) should I try to boost his immune system? Should I feed him an elimination diet?

Help!

[cockerspanielmom]

I just wanted any recommendations you have.

I have a 15.5 year old cocker spaniel, mostly healthy.
We added a 10 month cocker spaniel puppy after losing our 13 year old earlier in the year.

We also have two additional cockers living with my mother in law while we have our house built. a 13 year old tri girl with bladder stones eating a prescription diet WD or CD and a cancer surviving 13 year old buff boy with an enlarged heart but otherwise healthy.

So we fed everyone WD for the past 7+ years due to the one dog who required it. With the puppy in the house, that’s not ideal so our vet suggested a senior formula for the two boys and a puppy formula for the new baby.

We’ve tried Blue Buffalo, it’s our first choice. The puppy really needs grain free.
They don’t like BB and will barely eat it. We tried some samples of Merrick and they love it but the protein is just too high. We’ve also tried Natural Balance Fish and Potato and Ideal Balance Fish/Potato.

Ideal Balance is only rated a 3 (bleh) but they ate it best. Merrick replied that we should try Castor and Pollux as a lower protein option to Merrick.

I just feel a bit lost because they don’t seem to like any of the foods we are trying yet. We want them to love the food, want to eat it, and it still be healthy. I’ve never had such picky dogs before and the puppy needs that grain free due to possible allergies and it’s just a mess.

[somebodysme]

NO she is definitely allergic to the antler and the bone! She had a severe reaction just right after she ate them with hives! She was given benadryl and was ok the next day. She is on an elimination diet and doesn’t eat anything besides her food so when he gets something like a bone and has a reaction that night I know it’s the bone or antler. I was talking to vet a few days ago at a pet event and told her my dog was allergic to an antler and she did not find that to be at all unusual.

I do want to have her tested for the allergies. She was given treatment for parasites back in January then tested two months later and was negative. I suppose she could have them again? She does SO LOVE the cat poo! GAH! Which also doesn’t help with the allergies.

[rogerharris]

Hi, I will suggest you to feed your dog “Pinnacle Holistic Trout & Sweet Potato Dog Food”. It is a dry food which is made with trout and sweet potatoes. It eliminates common allergies.

[Cyndi]

Thanks for the “flea cheat” suggestion Patty! I went out and got a flea comb yesterday. I never even thought about getting one til you mentioned it (I can be a bit spacey sometimes, lol!) Anyways, I went over Bailey last night with it real good and only found one flea. I will probably bathe her again today, but she hasn’t been scratching hardly at all. What a pain in the butt. I was planning on doing nothing yesterday and I had to vacuum the entire house (took the vacuum bag to the garbage when I was done), wash all the bedding, mine and bailey’s, give bailey a bath, comb her, spray her with flea spray, all on top of my regular saturday “chores”… I’m tired today, lol! Hopefully I got rid of most of them, if not ALL of them. What a pain in the butt!

[gixx0r]

Hi all,

I just picked up an 11 month old Bichon Frise and want to do my best in ensuring it eats quality foods that help its coat and mitigates the potential for allergies that Bichons tend to have when messing with their diet.

He is currently on Life’s Abundance Premium Health for Puppies and Adults. We got him as a dog that needed a rehome after the breeder had sold it to family that realized they couldn’t handle him. That family had been feeding it Purina Pro Plan Focus Toy Breed Puppy kibble.

Any suggestions for a good rotation as it enters adulthood?

[Cyndi]

Well, I don’t have a flea comb. I have to run out and get one, but I sprayed her Thursday completely with the Mercola’s Flea & Tick spray, that’s when I found a flea. The spray had killed it or immobilized it. That was all I found. So I sprayed the entire house with a different organic spray I had & put more DE down. Then last night I covered her entire body in DE. Today, I still didn’t see any other fleas, but she’s been scratching more so I bathed her in Dawn, Apple Cider Vinegar & Water (saw that online) and I found a couple more fleas that I picked off of her. They were dead. When she was dry, I sprayed her with more of the flea & tick spray and she hasn’t scratched once. So, I am going out in a few to get a flea comb and I will probably bathe her again tomorrow. Damn fleas! Damn me for saying I wish it WAS fleas.

[theBCnut]

I do so know what you mean!! So you know a flea cheat…Bailey has short hair, so you should be able to get a flea comb through her hair, right? Get a damp paper towel and drop any dirt you get on the flea comb onto the paper towel, if it makes a red spot, she is hiding fleas somewhere. That way you don’t actually have to find the flea to know they are there.

We always admonish our pets that they aren’t allowed to keep pets, but they rarely listen.

[Cyndi]

Someone shoot me for saying “I kind of hope it is fleas…” Well, atleast I know Bailey isn’t allergic to any foods, it’s just those f’n little insects! I’m working on getting rid of them now. Ugh!! I can’t believe it took me so long to find any. I checked and checked and checked her so good and I finally found one. And we all know, there’s NEVER only one! Wish me luck!

[sheeena]

Hello everyone,

I recently did an allergy test on my two puppies and upon reviewing their list of allergies I’m having a hard time finding a right dry food for them. Has anyone ever come upon a dry dog food that doesn’t contain poultry (duck, chicken, goose, turkey), vegetables (broccoli, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, yam), canola oil, any grains, flax seed, eggs or gluten?

Any suggestions would be great!

Thanks!!!

[theBCnut]

Autoimmune problems cause allergies and malnutrition can cause allergies. Malnutrition can be because of long term diarrhea or a heavy parasite load, as well as an unbalanced diet. Actually anything that causes inflamation to the gut can cause allergies/intolerances. A gluten or grain intolerance can lead to other allergies because of the inflamation that the grain caused, same with others. So having one untreated intolerance can lead to others, which is one reason I’d like to throttle vets who give cortisone shots instead of having the owner do the work of getting to the bottom of the problem. And also why my intolerant dog always gets digestive enzymes with his food, even though he isn’t eating anything he is intolerant to.

[somebodysme]

Just a comment from the peanut gallery(whatever that means :)….my dog HATED the Blue Buffalo food too! This is a dog that is crazy about food! She’s loved all the other foods I’ve tried. She also did better on Pro Plan than any other food she’s had except what she is on now that seems to be a lot better for her allergies which is Natural Balance rabbit formula. Note: I only feed this because she has such severe allergies. I think that 4 health should be fine, the grain free is made by a better company and is still pretty cheap so just try the grain free one next. I wouldn’t worry about your current bag as long as your dog isn’t ill from it then it should be fine. Personally I believe that Diamond has so many recalls because they are such a large manufacturer of dog food.

One company that I see a lot of people like is Fromm. Their grain inclusive Gold formula is reasonably priced. I’m not convinced that grain free is right for all dogs after dealing with a dog that is sensitive to so many ingredients, it made me see things differently.

Edit to add: Foods we tried that didn’t work, Nature’s Variety Instinct(crazy expensive!), Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch, Zignature Lamb, Avoderm Duck and Trout formulas, Blue Buffalo Fish and potato. She loved all those except the BB but sadly she was allergic to them. OH and Simply Nourish Grain Free (a Petsmart brand) that she loved. It wasn’t all that cheap for a store brand though but people seem to like this brand too, it worked the best for her digestive system but not for her skin.

• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by somebodysme.
• This reply was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by somebodysme.

[Marvins mom]

Well, i have been researching dog foods as best i can over the years and 4Health i think is made by Diamonds (since i don’t think they’ve had any recent trouble), but have not had ANY trouble with it. It’s been a long hall trying to keep our boy from being sooooo miserable and finding a grain free food in the past was not easy, that we could somewhat afford. OF COURSE now i have been able to afford the Dinovites along with his food and have gotten GREAT results from it. I am curious though, with his allergies definitly being seasonal…if the grain free is really needed and if just buying a great quality reg. dog food would be sufficient? I posted in the supplement part of the forum on how the “vites” has helped him.

[PugsleyOtisMom]

In July I switched my pugs to the “Nature’s Variety Instinct Grain Free Duck & Turkey Diet” kibble. Instantly their allergies improved and I noticed a big difference in their health. However, I have had to cut their food down to half a cup a day because they are gaining so much weight! Otis my one year old pug went from 18lbs to 21lbs(OVERWEIGHT) and Pugsley my 5yr old pug went from 25lbs to 28lbs! If you are a pug person you know that is A LOT of weight to gain. I understand the food is high in protein and that is what is making them gain the weight, but I can’t keep resorting to cutting their food down.
I don’t want to switch their food but if that’s what I need to do I will do it. I did see that Natures Variety Instinct came out with a healthy kibble, has anyone tried it? If anyone knows of a different brand of food out there that is healthier but the same quality please let me know. Also, if anyone knows of a cheaper healthier food that would be great. I love my pugs, but spending $60+ bucks a month on their dog food is just not feasible.
Also, please do not lecture me on how much I am feeding my pugs or that they need more exercise. I have had issues with my older pugs weight for years. They get lots of exercise(walks everyday) and no extra treats. The main issue is I do live in Louisiana so them being outside more is just not an option.

[Cyndi]

Well, haven’t found any fleas or flea dirt on Bailey. I checked her from head to toe. I’m going to check yet again thoroughly before I start her on an elimination diet. I think, since I just bought so much food, I’m just going to try eliminating one thing at a time and see how it goes. I’m not so sure it would be chicken that she’d have an allergy too, because she’s been on that the longest, unless they can all of a sudden develop a food allergy to a certain food.

We’ll see what happens…

[Marvins mom]

We were feeding them/him 4Health from Tractor Supply and mix it up with another grain free from, i think the same company – Diamond Naturals – though i know as a dog food, they’ve had their troubles in the past. AND i don’t think the grain free dog food is completely necessary, being seasonal.
All in all, it seems to be helping him and with seasonal allergies, as there’s alot going on in him. So with him reacting for only a few weeks vs several months….i am excited!

[Marvins mom]

I have to mention the best help i’ve had for my dog in the 8years that i’ve owned him. It’s – if I may mention a brand name – the Dinovites product out of Kentucky. All the years that he’s itched and scratched off all of his hair, having the itchy red, watery eyes for months on end – it’s the only thing that has helped him have some amount of relief. For years we’ve tried the extra fish/oils, grain free dog food, probiotics, benedryl, steroids, vet visits…..and NOTHING…i mean nothing helped him. Sadly he looked like a chemotherapy patient?!?!? Since taking the Dinovites this year, starting in May he was three months free of his irritations. Sadly come Aug. he burst into red inflamed skin and sad eyes, also lost wieght again. I thought – OH NO, not again! BUT IT ONLY LASTED FOR 6 WEEKS… vs the 5-6 months of misery!So, i bathed him every other day with a soothing bath shampoo and continued with the Dinovites and he is now been itch free again since the last 2 weeks! it is now Oct. 1st. I have to say that seasonal allergies are the worst to treat and this IS the only remedy i will continue to use year long for him to be happy in the later years of his life! He is now 8 — i only wish i had known about this product years ago and saved him the misery!!!!!!!! I am hoping that come next May it doesn’t start again and holds off til at least Aug. or doesn’t come at all….we’ll see! It’s worth the invest ment for us!!!!!!!!

[Cyndi]

Thanks so much Patty! I was hoping to avoid the elimination diet but I may have to do that. BUT after reading your second post, I think I need to really check her good for fleas. Bailey HAS been scratching her neck and back end area. She does her legs too, but also her neck and back end. She doesn’t have thinning hair at all, I’ve checked for that as well & she doesn’t have soft stools. I check her for fleas all the time, but maybe that’s what it is. I’ll check her tomorrow and go over her from head to toe. I really hate fleas, but I’m kind of hoping that’s what it ends up being (never thought I’d say that) and not have to go thru an elimination diet (especially considering I have a big order from Hare-Today coming on Tues, lol!)

and thank you also, PrincessPiper. That ran thru my head too, that she could be allergic to grass. She does lay in the grass all the time.

[theBCnut]

Allergies are rare and true allergies are more commonly due to environmental factors than food. Food intolerances are a different matter though. You can usually get an idea if it is an environmental problem versus a food problem by where the dog is itching. Environmental allergies are usually contact allergies and the dog will experience itchy skin in the specific areas where the contact occurs, like feet with a grass allergy, or stomach for something the dog lies down on. Fleas hang out around the neck and tail. Food allergies/ intolerances tend to be a more generalized reaction, itching all over, soft stools, vomitting, eye discharge, ear irritation.

[PrincessPiper]

I’ve heard that most allergies are not caused by food but by environmental. I have a friend that has a Shih tzu and she would cry while biting at her legs. They tried everything and after many visits to the vet they have finally determined that she is allergic to grass. She asks to have her feet washed whenever she comes in from outside now.

[theBCnut]

To start with, I would just choose one of those protein sources and feed just it for a couple weeks. If it is the problem then when you increase the amount of it that you are feeding, the itchiness should increase too. Sometimes when the symptoms are mild, it takes longer to figure out what is causing it, especially if the symptoms are mild enough that you aren’t even sure if you are looking for a food allergy. It isn’t going to matter if you unbalance her diet short term, so don’t worry about that for now. I would start with just the beef and See Spot and see if you eliminate symptoms, then go to the whole carcass rabbit and maybe add a leafy green to it, but not much else. Since chicken is most likely, I would save it for last.

Once I finally got Micah symptom free for a bit, I can tell really fast if he has gotten something he is sensitive to. His skin gets hot and turns pink even before the itching begins. Bailey may have something environmental going on, since you say the itching isn’t constant. With a food allergy, I expect you to notice thinning hair, especially on a short haired dog.

[Cyndi]

Thanks somebodysme, but I can’t really say when her itching really started. It’s been atleast a month, if not more and I haven’t really introduced anything new. The rabbit is the newest, but it’s even been a while for that. That’s why I wouldn’t even know where to start. I guess I could start with the last thing I introduced her to and work backwards. & I doubt it’s her shampoo. I use an all natural shampoo and I’ve been using it for months. I’m wondering if it IS environmental. It’s been, with the exception of the last 2 weeks, very warm and humid, and she has been spending alot more time outside just laying around.

I know how relieved you were to finally figure out your dog’s allergies to peas. Bailey doesn’t itch and scratch all that much, that’s why I really didn’t give it much thought when it started. Figured she just had a plain old “itch” and was scratching it.

[somebodysme]

OH man, reading that is making my head spin! HAHA! I’ve been dealing with allergies since I adopted my dog back in Dec! I wouldn’t know where to start because any of that could be an issue. So you cannot think of anything new you just started? I’d try and figure out what’s the latest addition and stop that and see if it helps. It could be environmental too, shampoo? My dog will show signs immediately if she’s allergic to something.

[Cyndi]

I have a question for any raw feeder that would like to help. I have had Bailey on raw for just about 5 months now. I give her raw garlic and use different flea sprays, Mercola’s being one of them, so I’m 99% sure she doesn’t have fleas. I check her all the time too. It’s been maybe over a month now, not sure, but she’s been scratching and biting at herself and licking her front legs. The leg licking is like frantic leg licking for like 5-10 seconds and then she’s done and goes about her business. The itching and scratching isn’t constantly and just about every time she does it, I check her over and I find nothing. So, I’m thinking she maybe allergic to something she eats. In the mornings I give her the ground beef, ground tripe and ground organs for 2 or 3 days and do whole carcass ground rabbit for 2 or 3 days, with either sardines or eggs or veggie blend baby food alternated & right now I’m using the See Spot Live Longer mix on the beef days. For dinners I rotate between a chicken back/feet/heart/gizzards/liver or turkey neck/gizzards or a large rabbit piece & a rabbit head.

So, I know how a typical “elimination diet” goes, but I’m wondering if I just cut out something from her diet for a while, if that would work? & what should I start with? Is chicken the likely culprit here? I wish I could pinpoint when her itching and biting started, but I have no clue. Any help, as usual, is greatly appreciated!

[theBCnut]

/forums/topic/dinovite/
Sheesh, I had a hard time finding this. I’ve used DinoVite with good results before and I will use it again. I did not just add it to kibble, however, I made their Yeast Starvation Diet. I don’t think it is some kind of miracle food that will cure food allergies or anything like that, so if your dog is having problems with it’s food, a change of food is in order.

[jctwitty]

I have a female Wheaton she came down with allergies after she was fixed .
any suggestions on food, allergies to salmon rice potatoes peas lamb venison really hard to find anything with out one of these

• This topic was modified 4 years, 3 months ago by Mike Sagman. Reason: Fix Duplicate Topic Title

[somebodysme]

I know that it can be a pain, but you may just have to have different foods for different dogs. If the zig and fromm work for the dog with allergies then consider yourself extremely lucky and now find a food, maybe the fromm by itself for the dobbie pup to reduce the poo. I wouldn’t worry too much about the pooing a lot other than if it continues then change to something else. When I worry is vomiting and runs and rashes. Most likely it just has too much indigestible vegetables and fruits for his system. Be glad he’s not getting sick!

I can’t help on the rotating as I’m doing good to find only one food that my dog has not been allergic to so far…besides Purina Pro Plan which I really don’t want to go back to! But I can use the Purina as a base of operation and since she was not allergic to it I can safely assume that chicken is fine for her!

[mfulton7]

That’s what’s my husband and I are thinking. None if our puppies ever pooed this much. Its insane! I was always leary about the chicken but I will have to remember that. Weve been sticking to fish based foods because I thought those were better for allergies. Also when can I start rotating bags of food? My 2 other dogs are used to it but with the puppy being so young will it hurt her tummy if I start now? Also how often is it recommeded to rotate? Weekly, monthly? Should I mix foods? I’ve read about people doing that too.

[mfulton7]

I have a 7 week old doberman pup who is currently on zignature trout & salmon. She has been pooin a lot and she been on it for a week. No diarrhea these are normal stools, no parasites etc she just poos 6-10 times a day. Shes eating a total of 2 cups a day sometimes a little less. I feed her 3 times a day. I also have 2 other small dogs. One of them may have allergies not completely sure though. She cannot eat totw wild it makes her vomit horribly. The 2 dogs have been on natural balance lid, zig, nutrisource. Is there a dog food that would be good for all 3 of my dogs? I like fromm but the price of the grain free is on the pricey side. What about nutritionals? I know it doesn’t say grain free BUT it does say no wheat, corn, soy does this mean its similar to grain free? Other brands I’ve been looking into are merrick, wellness core, halo, castor & pollux ultramix, avoderm, natures variety prairie, whole earth. Would any of those work for a dobie, shihtzu mix and a chihuahua?

[somebodysme]

Honestly…I wish that a best food could be recommended but it will depend on each individual dog and I really hate to say that. Since Zig is just really not working for your puppy, I’d take him off. So how much are you feeding him, did you mean 2 cups for the entire day or 2 cups three times? If you are feeding 2 cups three times then that is entirely way too much food. My 50 lb dog only got 2 cups a day on zig. I’m assuming you meant that you feed three times with a total of 2 cups for the whole day…right? It seems like, my dog was going about 5 times a day on that food which is kind of a lot. I think it’s got too much “fluff”. HA!

I see Fromm being recommended a LOT! People really do like it. Honestly, it is trial and error. What I thought would be a wonderful after researching until I was blue in the face, ended up totally not working for my dog that turned out to be highly allergic to peas. She is on a potato and rabbit diet right now that’s doing pretty good. She will need to find a better food eventually though so the whole trial and error deal will begin yet again. Unfortunately the whole grain free diet isn’t the answer for her because of allergies.

I’d say that of the brands that you mentioned, they all have their fans and non-fans. They are all high rated foods.

Have you posted in the large breed puppy thread yet? Aren’t you the same poster from the review section that asked and I mentioned the large breed puppy thread? I seem to recognize your name now. That thread should keep you busy reading for a few days! HAHA! I think it’s 30 something pages by now!

[konamisan]

Hi Dr. Mike,

I’ve been feeding both my JRT & Yorkie raw food for two years now and have only had a problem with feeding the JRT chicken & turkey because she has SEVERE ALLERGIES to it. I’ve tried several brands i.e.;, Bravo, Darwin’s, Steve’s, Stella & Chewy’s, Vital, & lastly Nature’s variety Instinct.

I’ve fed them rabbit, venison, pheasant & lamb.

I recently tried the Variety Instinct Beef!!! BAD CHOICE!.

I started the beef this past Sunday Sept 15th, 2013. I purchased the Patties & the Raw Kibble Bites. I would give them the patty in the evening & the raw bites in the morning.

3 days into the feeding, I noticed that after my Xena the JRT started throwing up about 15 minutes after she ate this food. If she drank any water, she would throw it up too.

Well here we are Saturday September 21st, and she has refused to eat either the patty or the raw beef bites as well. My Zeus, the Yorkie was refusing to touch it too. They both have diarrhea, Only my JRT is still vomiting she isn’t even keeping the water down.

She went to poo this morning and alarming to see, that she had BLOOD in her STOOLS!!! She is refusing to eat anything.

I called the Petco Store where I purchased this food & spoke to the Manager.

He suggested that I bring in the UPC Labels and to generate a written report to the Nature’s Variety Instinct Corp.

I contacted my Vet and He suggested I give her some boiled Chicken & Rice & some Pedialyte. My Vet also suggested that since I can’t afford to bring her to him to check her, he said ” Maybe you should consider giving one of your dogs up for adoption cause you certainly can’t afford the two to take care of them in a case like this”

I have never had an issue as this one to make my Xena soooooo sick. I know that she has not ingested anything other than this BEEF product.

I still want to feed them Raw. HELP WHAT DO I DO Dr. Mike & knowledgeable dog owners.

I also have them on Dr. Becker’s Liver & Kidney Support, Digestive Enzymes & the Spirugreen Super Food for Dogs.

Sincerely for My (Zeus 7 yr. old male & neutered & (Xena 6 yr. old Female & Neutered)

I’ve had Zeus since he was 3 months old & Xena since she was 6 weeks old.

Thank You ,

Konamisan

[somebodysme]

OH I’ve been going insane trying to get a handle on my dog’s allergies. I have heard a lot of people really like the Nutrisca. I had a lady overheard me talking to the manager at the pet shop telling him about my dog’s issues and she came up to me with a bag of Nutrisca in her arms and was saying how this food saved her dog and that she’d gotten friends to change too and their dogs are improved. I can’t use it because of the peas though. I’m pretty sure the pea allergy is pretty rare though but is it what it is. Rare or not, it’s her issue I have to work around. It is extremely limiting on the high end 5 star foods as most of them include peas as a main carb source.

I’m pretty sure that if she seems better, they suggest to give a food 6 weeks. It’s hard to do though when you don’t see that the food has healed them yet! I keep hearing that flare ups are normal. I keep telling myself this, my dog has only been 3 weeks on the food that she is on. I want to give it a fair shake but I want her WELL!!!!!!!! It was drastic the immediate improvement from Nature’s Variety LID Turkey to the NB rabbit formula. Within 2 days I could see the rashes just fading away. Then the improvement slowed down. ACK!

I have also heard a lot of good things about Zymox, it’s supposed to be very gentle and natural and good for yeast. I’m using a RX shampoo right now that’s working. Sebozole is what I’m using now. There’s a hot spot shampoo at walmart they sell that’s very gentle too, brand name is Pro-Sense. Don’t use an oatmeal shampoo if you are dealing with yeast, it helps feed the yeast.

[Lara]

Karma is on Nutrisca Lamb and Chickpea for about 4 weeks now. I wanted her off any kind of potato…white or sweet. That was the common ingredient in the previous dog foods. I have kept her on the Gentle Digest probiotic and the Claritin and Benadryl. And seems to do well on them.
I have added Dr Mercola’s Spirugreen and she does ok.
I truly believe not only am I dealing with food but environmental allergies as well
Karma definately does not like digestive enzymes. Vomits every time.
The vet even changed her heartworm med to Revolution from Heartguard

I had to get her off Rachel Ray because her stools were liquid and yellow….and she seemed constantly hungry
I was wondering about Zymox shampoo and the rinse? Wondering if I should give that a try….any thoughts?

I will be looking into that saliva test

Thankyou charlie and sombodysme. You both have helped me out so much and thanks for not making me feel like the only one dealing with this….sometimes I feel like my vet thinks I’m crazy because I want to try to fix the issue not put a “band-aid” on it!