[Dennis L]

My puppy has been on a raw diet since we got him. We feed a combination of food from My pet carnivore including tripe, whole ground rabbit, whole ground chicken, pork, and beef. I give him raw meaty bones everyday. He was doing great on the bones and even was eating turkey necks, but last week he started chewing all of the meat off the bone and leaving the rest. I tried giving him a chicken thigh and then I went down to chicken wings. He eats the meat off of each bone and leave the rest. He used to crunch the bones up like they were nothing, but he has no interest now.
I know he needs more than the 10 percent bone that is in his ground food so I have been adding bone meal to his food to supplement. I am really not comfortable with this as I don’t want to give him too much calcium. I am wondering if teething is an issue and if anyone has had this problem and if their pups started back up on the bones. Thanks

[Susan]

Hi Lynne, stop feeding the boiled rice, my boy can’t eat boiled rice, it irritates his bowel causing Colitis…Feed your dog foods high in omega 3 like fish, start feeding white fish even raw grounded almonds are excellent source of vitamin E, change her protein & carb to sweet potatoes or potatoes instead of the rice also I keep Metronidazole tablets, every now then I put Patch back on 200mg at night with dinner for 10 days the Metronidazole is an antibiotic for the stomach & bowel & has an anti-inflammatory in it to help with inflammation…I try to change Patches food I cook & rotate between foods he can eat, I’m feeding Lean Pork & Sweet Potato & “Taste of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb kibble there’s also a wet tin food.. then I change the protein, he doesn’t do well on chicken no more, so I changed it to lean Turkey breast, the tin Salmon, then lean Beef, then lean Pork then I start again..

[Maniza D]

HOMEMADE DOG FOOD FOR DIGESTIVE AND SKIN ISSUES
My 13 month old Tibetan Terrier has been sick on and off since I got him at 14 weeks old. After spending thousands of dollars, I decided to cook for him. After doing a lot of research, I discovered that the Acana Pacifica he was on was too rich for him. Acana, like most dog foods does not have a balanced protein to fat ratio (1:1). It is a very fatty kibble. Also it has quite a few sources of carbs lentils ( which are also a source of protein) etc. Lentils are hard to digest, even for humans .. see Indian cooking where Hing is added to aid digestion of these pulses. The Acana ingredients may work well for other dogs but not mine. I decided to switch to homemade meals and the recipe below cured him of stomach ailments overnight!

I was able to create this recipe using BalanceIt website. Couple of important things to note : I added in one capsule of Slippery Elm, great supplement for digestive issues, rosemary, one teaspoon of fresh garlic-ginger paste, parsley, a half teaspoon of bonemeal, and substituted out a portion of the corn oil (causes inflammation) for 1/2 tsp of high quality fish oil. I also adjusted the ingredient quantity to cook for 14 meals ( 2 per day). I cooked the base consisting of the cod, salmon, sweet potatoes and pumpkin and froze the portions. The fresh veggies in the recipe are par-boiled and pureed in the water they were boiled in, and added on a daily basis, along with the above ingredients and a VITAMIN SUPPLEMENT. Very important to add the vitamins and bonemeal (for calcium) to create a nutritionally balanced meal. I add in the bonemeal because the calcium to phosphorus ratio is off in the BalanceIt Vitamin powder.

The following homemade recipe was specially created for a 28 lb healthy adult dog who requires 659 Calories per day. The following recipe provides 692 Calories, enough for 1 day.

TOBY’S HOMEMADE PET FOOD RECIPE
Ingredients Grams Amount
(1) Sweetpotato, baked in skin, without salt (BalanceIT.com; flesh fed only) 200.0 g 1 cup
(2) Fish, cod, Pacific, baked 159.5 g 5 5/8 oz
(3) Fish, salmon, Atlantic, wild, baked 74.4 g 2 5/8 oz – *I used canned
(4) Pumpkin, canned, without salt 61.2 g 1/4 of a cup
(5) Celery, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed, without salt 56.2 g 3/8 of a cup, diced
(6) Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed, without salt 45.0 g-1/4 cup
(7) Squash, summer, crookneck and straightneck, cooked, boiled, drained, pureed without salt 45.0 g 1/4 of a cup, sliced
(8) Apples, raw, with skin 40.9 g 3/8 of a cup slices
(9) Oil, corn, industrial and retail, all purpose salad or cooking 18.7 g 1 3/8 tbsp – *I use only 1.5 tsp.

You MUST also add the following supplement(s) to prevent essential nutrient deficiencies:
2 3/8 teaspoons (4.75 gram) of Balance IT® Canine – I give Toby half the dose.

Per Above Recipe: 692 Calories; 33% protein calories (228 Calories); 34% fat calories (238 Calories); 33% carbohydrate calories (226 Calories).

[crazy4cats]

Hi RobbW-
If you are feeding the Adult Chicken Blue Wilderness kibble, it has 415 calories per cup. Here is a link the the dog food calculator that may help you determine how much to feed your pups: /dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/

Raw food has a lot more moisture in it and most likely a lot less calories. You either need to feed less of their current food and exercise more. Or, find a food with less calories. I tend to feed lower calorie foods and add different toppers to my dogs’ meals. In fact, I feed commercial raw mixed in their meals three times per week. You could still feed partial raw along with kibble to help save money.

I agree with the others about not adding any supplements that advertise stopping urine burn to you dogs’ diets. Changing the pH of their urine could be dangerous. Best of luck to you!!

[RobbW]

I should also mention that my dogs are overweight. So, along with trying to alleviate the lawn burning problem, I also want to try to get their weights down. My Golden is about 85lbs (would like to get him down to 70-75lbs), and my Beagle is about 40lbs (would like to get her down 25-30lbs).

Our dogs used to not be so heavy when we were feeding them THK. But like I said, it because an inconvenience constantly having to mix up the food, especially for our house/pet-sitter when we’d go on vacation. That’s why I did a lot of research and settled on what I considered to be a high-quality dry kibble. But, obviously, my dogs ballooning up over the past year is probably indicative of the dry kibble not being all that great for them.

I don’t know. Maybe I should just go back to exclusively THK again. If I had my druthers (and unlimited funds), I’d do frozen raw food nuggets. But those are prohibitively expensive with our two dogs. We used to feed our first (and only dog at the time) Steve’s Real Food and Northwest Naturals, and she did awesome on those. She was lean and had no health problems on the frozen raw food. But it was only one 40lb dog. Our current two dogs (at a combined ideal weight of nearly 100lbs) would put us in the poor house trying to feed them frozen raw!

[sean b]

Hi guys,
Is there anybody on here that has an irish wolfhound?? I am trying to get onto giving my Winston a raw food diet,but have no idea where to begin,it all seems very intimidating and would love to know if anybody here has wolfhounds and if so how much do you feed…any help would be much appreciated, how to start out with my feeding regime etc etc thanks guys 🙂

[Mary L]

It would be interesting to have a “Pre-mix” rating category along with wet food, dry food and raw…
I just received the following from “Urban Wolf” who makes base mix : “None ingredients are gmo, some are organic. And we do not add any artificial vitamins , all vitamins are naturally sourced”

• This reply was modified 9 years, 5 months ago by Mary L.

[anonymously]

Hope this helps:

By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Dru F]

Currently feeding Blues Stews along with a little kibble. thanking of incorporating some raw freeze dried any thoughts?

[Shawna]

Hi Katie C,

There definitely is LOTS of opinions on right from wrong with raw feeding. I think there are three really important factors and everything else is just opinion — 1. No matter what you decide to feed, minimally processed food is always going to be an improvement over highly processed food. 2. The diet MUST be balanced. That said, except for calcium/phosphorus, the balance can happen at every meal or over a weeks time. 3. Variety in the diet (even if feeding commercial prepared, balanced foods) is absolutely a must.

I’ve been feeding raw to about 35/40 dogs over the last 11 to 12 years (my own and foster dogs). I’ve weaned pups onto raw and fed 19 year old seniors raw. I personally don’t feed grains or many starchier vegetables but if the pup isn’t having specific issues these can help keep the diet financially friendly. 🙂 I personally DO like small amounts of fruits (about 5% of total diet) and veggies (about 15 to 20%). They are not necessary, I will totally agree, but they do add a lot of nutrient bang for the buck when properly processed. Since our pups live in a somewhat toxic environment those extra antioxidants etc can only be beneficial in my opinion. I live pretty clean but my pets are exposed to formaldehyde in a few pieces of particle board furniture in my house as well as the anti-stain coating on furniture and rugs. I don’t spray my yard but my neighbors do. Then there’s car exhaust and………

I mostly feed commercial raw, right now I have more money than time. But I do buy meat on sale and use a premix to help balance it. I also have freeze dried raw, and even kibble, on hand for those days I literally run in to feed the dogs and run back out, or maybe I’ve got the flu and don’t even want to get out of bed let alone dish up meals for seven dogs.

There are recipes in books and online that you can use but, as mentioned, I don’t think it’s good to rely on one recipe all the time. Dr. Karen Becker has a book with recipes called “Dr. Becker’s Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats”. She uses a few supplements but, in my opinion, it’s better to use supplements (even synthetic ones) than to omit that vitamin / mineral from the diet all together because of a bias. Balance IT website is another place where you can create recipes using ingredient you chose and then use their supplement mix to balance the diet. You also DEFINITELY CAN balance over a week but you have to be way more committed to finding and using harder to find ingredients/foods.

To recap, best thing you can do is not get too wrapped up into what is wrong or right and just strive for balance using whatever fits best into your lifestyle, price range and belief system.

[pitlove]

Hi Jennifer-

To answer your first question, those numbers are the recommendation from the NRC (National Research Council) which in conjuntion with AAFCO, sets the minimums for the nutrient profiles in all dog foods. As far as I know there is no legal obligation to NRC for companies unlike AAFCO, however they influence AAFCO greatly and are a good rule of thumb. These are nutrient guidelines you would want to consider in preparing homemade and raw diets as well.

For number 2, my best advice is what you already know. Keep them lean, all throughout life. I find that I can still feed my older large breed (8 year old 75lb Lab) high calorie foods, but still keep him at a good weight, so long as I consider his activity level and any extras that he gets. I also do prefer leaner meats like chicken, turkey and fish. The other thing that certainly helps their metabolism is them being intact. It’s going to be much different with neutered/spayed dogs, as their energy requirements change. It’s said now, with some of the new research, that senior dogs require more of a high quality protein because of their inability to metabolize protein as efficently as their adult counterparts. Some still argue that high protein damages the kidneys etc. Others argue that processing excess protein is a passive process of the kidneys and has no effect on a healthy dog.

[Erin N]

Hi Shawna,

I have a 10 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback that has been diagnosed with stage II kidney disease. I have ordered the Standard Process Renal supplement and working on implanting some raw into her diet. I am very curious about the Nitrogen trapping. Do you have a suggested guideline for how much to give a dog per weight? Mine is ranging from 90-100 lbs (trying to get some weight back on her, currently 95 lbs, but always been 100-105).

Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

[Jennifer H]

I made the jump to RAW a couple years ago and could not be more happy with the decision. My dogs are healthier and happier and never leave any food in the bowl at feeding time. I honestly have not had a sick dog since I made the switch on one dog that had been diagnosed with cancer prior to the switch is still with me and doing great.

Books I would recommend for thinking about making the jump would be as follows:

Canine Nutrigenomics by W Jean Dodds, DVM and Diana R. Laverdure. This is the book that finally got me to make the switch after thinking and researching the idea for a couple years. This book has become my Bible so to speak.

Give Your Dog a Bone by Dr. Ian Billinghurst

Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson, PHD

Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette de Bairacli Levy

The Dog Cancer Survival guide by Dr. Demian Dressler, DVM

There are more but these are the books I keep handy when looking to make any changes to my dogs diet.

[Katie C]

Hello everyone!
I am a lifetime dog lover who has recently moved away to college and am owner-training a service dog, Ariel, with the help of an amazing personal trainer. My trainer expects her clients to be on the best food so they can be as amazing as possible. Ariel is currently on Nutro, which is not my first choice but a good product for the price.
I started to research raw diets as Ariel has intermittent bouts of intense diarrhea which I am convinced comes from the ingredients in commercial dog foods. I was overwhelmed by the amount of information on the internet. It seems like everyone has an opinion on what is right and what is horribly wrong, so I figured I’d ask some real dog owners.
Ariel is a 40 lb. spaniel mix that is about ten months old and just about fully grown. She is always starving, despite giving her a little more than the recommended amount of food. How did you guys begin feeding raw? Are there specific resources that are helpful? What is your tried-and-true? If you have the time, I’d love a novel on raw dog food for beginners. 😉

[zcRiley]

ZiwiPeak freeze dried raw. No freezing or mixing. Ingredients listed on Chewy.com

[DogFoodie]

Hi Oceans11,

I feed my dogs a base of kibble and vary the toppers. The extras I mentioned are the toppers. Sorry I didn’t make that clear! 🙂 I buy small bags of dry food that will be used up within two or three weeks. I rotate foods with each new bag. Neither of my dogs requires a transition. My Cavalier would love to eat raw at every meal, but my Golden turns his nose up at it and walks away. I feed them similarly for my sanity. I can’t feed them the same dry food because my Golden has lots of food sensitivities. They both love raw tripe though. I use tripe as a topper or occasionally a full meal. It stinks to high heaven. I order mine from My Pet Carnivore. I’m on their local home-delivery route. You could also order from Hare Today. I prefer frozen raw over canned.

ALS foods are all life stages. They meet the AAFCO profile for growth. Growth foods are called “puppy” foods by some manufacturers, but some might also refer to growth foods as ALS foods. The other profile is adult maintenance. I prefer not to use maintenance foods. Some foods labelled puppy just might be higher in calories, so it’s a good idea to pay attention to calories (usually listed as kcals per cup) all of the time. Feeding guidelines on bags and cans of food tend to be high. Determine for sure how many calories your pup needs daily and measure it out. Be sure to include calories from all sources… kibble, canned, treats, etc. With a small dog, you might need to weigh food using a digital kitchen scale to ensure accuracy. There’s less room for error when you’re talking about a small number of calories to begin with. Keep an eye on their body condition and use that as your guide for portion control.

If they’re truly hungry at mealtime they’ll eat eagerly!

[Oceans11]

DogFoodie, are you saying that by varying your Cavalier’s daily diet between kibble, canned, fruits and veggies that he is getting the nutrients that he needs? We can certainly do that plus I will not leave good out and pick it up and offer later as Anonymously recommended. BTW, what are ALS foods? Where do you get raw green tripe? I have gotten it canned but he was r thrilled with it. U just wish there was a well balanced food I could feed them and vary between chicken and beef.
Thank you all who replied. I really appreciate your feedback!

[DogFoodie]

I’m not at all a fan of Evanger’s at all. They’ve had lots of major quality control issues.

I see no problem with your feeding your adult dog puppy food, just be aware that it’s typically higher in calories. Puppy foods are AAFCO growth foods, which are same thing as ALS foods. My adult Cavalier is about the same size as your Coton and she occassionally gets puppy foods in her rotation. She eats about 350 calories per day from various sources; ie: kibble, canned, fresh fruits & veggies, lean meats.

It’s possible your pup is being overfed, which is probably the leading cause of loose stool. They miggt be reluctant to eat because they’re not really hungry.

I would be really careful about home cooked unless it’s properly balanced. If you’re just feeding fresh or whole foods as toppers, just be sure it’s not more than 20% of her daily calories. A homemade, properly balanced, diet is the best thing you could feed them, but it’s tricky. Raw green tripe works wonders when you’re trying to entice a picky eater at mealtime.

[Rikki W]

Thank you so much for your quick reply pitlove! Sadly I am back to the drawing board as it seems the Dr. Tims formula has too much calcium in it. It shows the minimum to be 1.5% therefore I would think the average levels are going to be too high for my growing mastiff pup. Back to the drawing board I go. Who knew this would be so difficult.

[Oceans11]

We are feeding the Orijin Puppy kibble because we have a one year old also. Both are Coton de Tulears. They aren’t that active except they do run around and play hard in their area which is quite large. We tried feeding him Fromn Gold Adult kibble along with the can food but they completely ignore it. I am afraid I sound like an idiot but I am exasperated as to what to fed them. The two year old has been a finicky eater. So we keep trying to come up with something he will eat. If he doesn’t like it, he will go two days without eating. We have tried: cooking chicken breasts or thighs which the like but I am concerned they are getting the right mix of nutrients (when I add veggies and blueberries, they pick around and just eat the chicken.). We tried balance It Whole Canine menus w/the supplement and they wouldn’t touch it. We tried Basic Instinct t Raw with no luck. Tried Freshpet – they didn’t eat that after an initial meal. They are eating the Evangers canned chicken thighs supplemented with the Orijin Puppy kibble which we leave out all day. The reason we leave the kibble out all day is they often don’t eat the canned food right away. I think we are making feeding them way harder than it should be.

[anonymously]

My 20 lb dog gets 1/2 cup (1/4 cup kibble and 1/4 cup topper) twice a day, I add water to the kibble as most dogs don’t drink enough.
I would start with something like this and see how he does, weigh him once a week.
Do not free feed. Pick up anything not eaten within 10 minutes, store in the fridg and offer at the next mealtime.
The guidelines on the dog food packages are usually too much.
Maybe 1/4 cup kibble as a snack once a day or a bite of something (maybe cooked lean chicken) usually as a reward after a long walk, I try to walk him 2-3 miles per day.
My dog with environmental allergies does best on Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea kibble.
check chewy.com

Environmental allergies.
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
“Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common – but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems”.

Mail-in hair and saliva tests do not test for allergies and tend to be inaccurate. Food sensitivities fluctuate. Food allergies are rare.

It sounds like environmental allergies, I went through this with my dog and did not have good results till I took her to a dermatologist. Wasted a year going back and forth to the regular vet. Tried all kinds of diets, nothing helped.
She is stable now x 4 years, we see the specialist once a year. They can still have occasional flare-ups even with successful treatment, and it can take up to a year to see results, however I saw improvement right away .

Consider making an appointment with a dermatologist:

By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[Jenni M]

My doberman started with the gulps at about 2 years of age. She has been raw fed since puppy-hood- which surprised me as most cases seemed to be dogs with conventional kibble diets. I’ve seen theories that say the “gulps” could be neurological, emotionally triggered, diet related, and so on. Since I fed a raw diet, and exercise her frequently, I did worry it might be genetic. I never got my vet to test her though, as that route seemed frustratingly inconclusive/expensive for most the owners online.

Some people have had success with antacids, so that was my first test. An appropriate dosage of Pepto-Bismol worked to stop her gulps every time. However, research has led me to believe pepto itself is not a healthy option. Some studies suggest that antacids actually exacerbate the issue…. so the solution mentioned, among other things, apple cider vinegar. The hard part is making it palatable, so to get her to eat it I mix it 40/60- 30/70 with water, and mix in some ground meat to make a soup. It worked! I use about 1/3 of a cup (Braggs Apple Cider) for my 75lb girl. I have reduced the episodes down to almost non-existence- and avoid known triggers (fatty meat like chicken skin or heavily marbled beef).

For those interested in the information, I’d recommend reading the research on Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD in people. Specifically those that have taken the natural route to ‘fix’ their symptoms. The similarities to the gulps in dogs is interesting.

[Susan]

It may not be food related, he might have environment allergies, baths are the best, you wash off any pollens & allergens that are irritating your dog, also your better off introducing a raw balance diet if you can, kibble has too many starches & carbs for dog with skin problems…..even if you feed raw for 1 meal Breakfast & kibble for dinner this way your reducing the kibble….start adding a Dog Omega 3, 6 & 9 oil to diet, omega 3 is excellent for the skin also Vitamin C is a natural anti-histamine…
Hydrolysed diet is when the protein is broken down, some dogs can’t digest proteins & react to certain proteins, your dog would be having IBS, leaky gut symptoms, (sloppy smelly poos, nausea, gas/wind & skin problems) if he was intolerant to certain proteins. My Patch gets red paws, wind/gas & sloppy poos when he eats raw or cooked chicken…..
Maybe you mean a Novel protein?? a protein he hasn’t eaten before like Kangaroo, Venison, Pork, Rabbit, Salmon….
Buy baby wipes “Cucumber & Aloe” & wipe down stomach area when he comes back inside & bath when stomach is red & real itchy….. Maleseb can be used daily, same as Alloveen….

[Paul M]

Hi I have just joined the site, my 1year old Labrador/poodle cross (labradoodle) has been fussy since we got her at 8 weeks of age. We continued feeding her the same dry diet she was on at the breeding kennels, but after a month or so she went right off, so we tried dry kibble, we tried pouch foods from different makers, tinned food, Caesar meals, we even went over to raw prepared dog food from a local butcher, Bessie’s tries it for a day to two maybe a a week max, then she turns her nose up at it.
We have never fed her from the table, or after every meal from our plate, the odd scrap, but after we have left the table and from the kitchen into her own bowl and placed where he food is always put.
We walk her minimum of twice a day, she always has a good run with other dogs in the park, plays and runs happily, chases the balls and drinks well after, then has a sleep. But. . . She just doesn’t seem interested in her food.
We are worried she isn’t eating enough.
Any thoughts, comments or advise would be most grateful.

[pitlove]

Hi Valarie-

My pitbull experiences several different symptoms, each related to different sets of allergies. When he has a reaction to food he develops a red mouth, acne bumps on his mouth and inbetween his digits becomes raw, red and yeast starts to grow. When he is having symptoms of his allergies related to the outside environment he gets sores and flakey oily patches of skin on the under side of his belly (similar to yours) and on his sides by his ribs.

For his food allergies, we did a food trial through the vet using Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein for 2 months, to diganose it. After that we switched to Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. It is corn, wheat and soy free, but not grain free and is fish based. This cleared up all of his food related symptoms and he actually likes it. He is not a fan of fish based foods normally (we have tried many of the “higher end” brands). We stay away from all red meat for my boy because he has been known to be sensitive to beef and lamb. Fish is usually safe for most allergy dogs (but that is not always the case).

Unfortunetly for the environmental allergies, he will continue to get those symptoms every year around this time. We live in Louisiana, so we don’t really have a true winter and our summers are terrible. It’s not a great place for dogs with allergies lol. Best advice I can give you is limit exposure to the outside (no more laying outside on the porch 🙁 ) and bathe him twice a week in Malaseb shampoo. If he does have any excess yeast from his immune system being suppressed by the allergies, this will kill it. It is also very gentle and makes their fur nice and soft.

Don’t forget though, your boy could also be reacting to something in his indoor environment. This is where environmental allergies get very complex. These things can be dignosed vis blood tests through a dematologist or the vet, but it is expensive. Very expensive. If you can afford it though, it’s worth it. Also consider washing his bedding etc in something like ALL free clear which has no dyes or perfumes.

You can purchase it here: https://www.chewy.com/malaseb-medicated-shampoo-dogs-cats/dp/119234

We changed Bentley’s diet many times too before realizing that we were just changing his diet to different brands with similar proteins and not trying something new for him (in his case fish). I would highly recommend doing a food trial through your vet with the Royal Canin prescription food if you think food is an issue. Personally though, your pitties symptoms to me, don’t sound food related, but you never know.

Hope this was helpful!

[pitlove]

Yes, this has thread has become a great platform, for those who are passionate or have questions, to dicuss the unique dietary needs of large and giant breed puppies.

That is awesome! It is refreshing to see someone put thought and effort into a raw diet for giant puppies rather than just taking any old recipe off the internet.

That is wonderful that you breed and do rescue work. I dislike that responsible breeders get a bad rap. The next puppy I will most likely be getting is a Cane Corso and I already have a breeder picked out. I’ve seen one of her puppies first hand at the small pet store I work for and he was stellar! Thank you for the work that you do with pitbulls. I am a pitbull owner, advocate and lover myself. They need more support!

Umm, I kind of forgot how to post pictures myself lol. Let’s see if I can remember…

No I keep failing trying to do it…

[Jennifer H]

Wow, I love this. It is so good to be able to learn and share information about nutrition for the big guys. As for me and my food, yes I consulted with vets, nutritionists and other giant breed breeders who have fed RAW before switching my adults. Then I did more research and consulting before starting puppies on such a diet. I am a breeder of Saints and also work with rescue for any large/giant breeds that come into shelters in my area. I have fostered Mastiffs, Great Danes, Pitbull’s, Rottweilers and more over the years. Most shelters aren’t equipped to house giant breeds or aren’t allowed to even take in Pitbulls, so I am on their list to call when these breeds come in. I would gladly post photos but am new to this and not sure how?

[pitlove]

I totally agree about keeping all large and giant breeds lean. I have 2 big guys and I am very picky about the way I feed them and how lean they are! My 8 year old Lab still has good mobility and can run like crazy.

I take it you breed Saints? Did you work with a nutritionist for your recipes for the puppies?
I would be highly nervous too about feeding a homemade raw diet to a giant breed puppy, but it sounds like you put a lot of work into it before trying it out on the litter.

Post some pictures if you have any!!

[Jennifer H]

Thanks. Keeping any dog/puppy at a healthy weight is important but for large/giant breed puppies I can’t stress enough how dramatically proper weight can impact their entire life. As for my puppies, yep I do feed my puppies an all natural RAW diet. I have tested and formulated my mix to ensure it is not only balanced but also to ensure it has the right Calcium and Phosphorus levels for a giant breed puppy. I will admit, the first time I gave a litter of puppies a raw chicken back at about 5 weeks of age I was scared to death. I was simply amazed at how well they took to it. I am now tracking the health and development of the puppies I have kept and continue to feed raw as well as the health and development of the puppies that have gone to new homes and are eating different foods. It is a lot of work, but it is worth it to me. I looked at the commercial RAW diets and kibbles available and just didn’t find any that I felt truly addressed the needs of the large and giant breed dogs, so….. I just took the plunge

[pitlove]

Hi Jennifer-

Great advice! I am a huge advocate for keeping dogs lean (4/9 BCS). Do you feed your St. Bernard puppies raw? Or do you feed a balanced kibble until they are finished growing and then switch to raw?

[Barb F]

I have an older beagle with blastomycosis. He has stopped eating dry food and canned foods (Pedigree, natural brands, etc.). What he currently loves is all forms of Stella & Chewy freeze dried raw foods, but they are hard to find and expensive (about $100/month). Can anyone suggest a food with a similar taste, smell that we might try? We have been using Stella for 4 months thinking he would be long for this world, but since he’s hanging in there, I’d like a food that he loves which is cheaper.

[Jennifer H]

I may be a little late coming to the party, but I saw the question regarding nutrition for a Saint Bernard puppy and had to respond. I have been involved with Saint Bernards for over 40 years and can’t stress enough the importance of keeping them lean and making sure they get LOTS OF OFF LEASH EXCERSIE. I fed a kibble with canned food as a topper for many years and then starting making my own cooked food to use as a topper. Two years ago I made the leap to a RAW diet and cannot begin to describe the amazing changes I have seen in my dogs. I have 2 Saints that are rapidly approaching 10 years of age and are still running and playing with my younger Saints.
My recommendation is this:
Keep the Calcium/Phosphorus ratio as close to 1:1 as possible
Keep Calcium to 3g/1000 Kcals or lower
DON’T LET THEM GET FAT
DON’T EVER LET THEM SLIP AND SLIDE ON SLICK FLOORS

[CircaRigel]

Triet S,
Raw dehydrated is usually actually freeze-dried, which maintains all of the nutrients of raw, but in a convenient, dry form that keeps a lot better. Raw frozen is exactly that. It contains all of the natural moisture of the original composition, and is kept frozen to keep it from spoiling. One of the disadvantages here is that it’s generally recommended to thaw it before feeding, and you don’t want to do that in the microwave, as that will cook it a little and alter some of the proteins. I usually thaw a couple of days worth of Galen’s Darwin’s Natural Selections in the refrigerator at least 24 hours prior to feeding. His freeze dried treats require no refrigeration or freezing to maintain their quality, so the’re easier to carry as treats. As for freeze dried that is meant as a staple food, like Primal freeze dried nuggets, it is recommended to add water to rehydrate it for a specified time prior to feeding.

[CircaRigel]

It’s been a while, and I thought I’d provide an update on Galen, now 19 months old, technically an adolescent for a giant breed (Shiloh Shepherd), but no longer a puppy. However, I did go through a number of adjustments to his diet as he grew up, and thought I’d discuss them. I’ll first discuss kibbles, since that is generally the area where improper calcium and phosphorus content causes problems. Brands discussed include Eukanuba, Holistic Select (and other WellPet brands), Canidae, Taste of the Wild, Fromms, Tripett, and my absolute favorite and the most impressive, nutritionally… Darwin’s Natural Selections. I will also briefly touch on treats. Every choice I’ve made for Galen has come about via extensive research, wanting only the very best for Galen’s growth and health, for he is training as my service dog. My first responsibility is to him, even before looking after myself, for it is his responsibility to always be looking after me. Besides… I consider him family on equal par to my most beloved family members. I have linked the Dog Food Advisor pages for Galen’s finalized diet at the bottom of this post.

Galen’s breeder weaned her litter on Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy diet. After his adoption, I transitioned him to Fromm’s, which is what his breeder now weans her puppies on, but his stools were often quite soft. There was a brief period when I tried Holistic Select Large breed puppy, but rapidly transitioned away from it when Galen became ill. As it happens, ALL kibble foods made by WellPet (Wellness, Holistic Select, Old Mother Hubbard, Eagle Pack) contain green tea extract. While the very small amounts are probably not harmful to most dogs, particularly since it’s being taken with food, I found a number of studies that were halted because of dogs dying after being given green tea extract on an empty stomach. There is no way I can know for certain, but I suspect Galen is somehow particularly susceptible to toxic effects from it, even in small doses. So I began researching foods, and I liked the nutrition profile for some of the Canidae varieties, and while they were not specifically puppy or large breed diets, I contacted Canidae to make sure I chose a variety with the proper calcium and phosphorus ratios for proper bone growth (Canidae has recently been shifting their manufacturing away from Diamond pet foods, with a new processing plant in California). He did well on this, but didn’t like it much. Since he’s rather thin (but not so much as to be unhealthy, according to his vets at Alameda East, the same hospital where Animal Planet’s “Emergency Vets” was filmed, as it’s closest to where I live), I decided to change things up again when he was about a year old. Since he now was at an age where his calcium metabolism was properly established (generally puppies older than 8 months old can properly metabolize calcium, without the need to limit it so much), it broadened the choices of available foods for him. So, I made a list of grain free foods on Dog Food Advisor with 4+ ratings, focusing especially on 5 star rated foods, and ordered a bunch of sample packs for him to try from K9Cuisine. Of all of the foods he tried, he preferred the 5 star rated varieties of Taste of the Wild best. While I’m not fond of the record of Diamond pet foods, I trust the ratings of Dog Food Advisor (except the high ratings of kibbles by WellPet brands, for the previously mentioned Green Tea toxicity risk). Anyway, to keep things interesting for his palate, I now transition between the three 5 star rated varieties of TOTW for dry food.

Canned foods: From very early on, I had Galen eating Tripett green beef tripe as his wet food. I chose this because green tripe contains the nutrients of what the cow ate as well as the nutritional value and digestive enzymes that are naturally inherent to tripe. I have tried other varieties of canned foods, but Galen usually turns his nose up at them after a few days, when the novelty wears off. There has been a single exception, though, which I also supplement his diet with. That is Darwin’s Natural Selections raw foods. Back when I was letting Galen choose from among the samples I got for him, I also got the $15 introductory sample of the Darwin’s food (10 lbs variety pack), which included free shipping on dry ice. Their foods are raw, made from free-range, organic animal sources and organic vegetables. They come in easy to open plastic packets. Dog Food Advisor not only rates it 5 stars, but enthusiastically recommends the foods. They have never had a recall. I was quite surprised to find that the food was packaged and frozen just a few days before it shipped to me. Now, Once you have had the trial and go to their subscription plan, the cost is far higher, plus shipping on dry ice. It’s too high for me to feed to Galen exclusively or even as half his diet, so I subscribe to it as a supplement to his regular diet, feeding him 2 lbs a week. I get him all varieties, which include chicken, turkey, duck, beef, and bison. Of all of the foods I’ve ever fed a dog, This has been by far of the highest quality I’ve encountered.

Galen is incredibly picky even with treats, generally preferring single-ingredient, meat based treats. These have included Simply Lamb (freeze dried lamb), PureBites freeze dried chicken breast, PureBites freeze dried duck liver, and Primal freeze dried Nuggets (lamb), although the nuggets I use more as an occasional supplement rather than a treat. Galen turns his nose up at most other treats, even jerky treats. That’s fine by me. I rather like seeing only one ingredient listed, which leaves me zero doubts of there being anything in it that is unnecessary to his health (i.e. preservatives).

On a final note, around holidays I like to make a turkey stock from the leftovers and carcass (bones removed, of course, after cooking so that nutrients specific to the bones leach into the stock, like the marrow). That turkey stock is for Galen, as a special treat supplementing his food.

So… Galen’s final adult diet:
Taste of the Wild (wetlands, High Prairie, and Canyon varieties)
Tripett Green Beef Tripe
Darwin’s Natural Selections raw (beef, bison, chicken, turkey, and duck)

• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by CircaRigel.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by CircaRigel.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 6 months ago by CircaRigel.

[CarolAMFT]

I’ve been using Dinovite for a couple of years and have seen no improvement in my dog’s conditions. She sheds, has a dull coat, scratches, chews her paws and has smelly yeasty ears. Nothing has improved without my Vet’s intervention. I kept thinking it might just take time.

I also started out with their Raw Food diet and Maggie developed crystals in her urine. The vet thought it could be from too much calcium from the egg shells. She also felt the diet was too high in protein and suggested I run it through the http://www.BalanceIt.com program that determines if the homemade diet you are feeding your dog or cat meets all the nutritional requirements. Because of Maggie’s yeast, I decided to substitute Quinoa, which is lower glycemic and higher in protein than the brown rice they suggest.

I also switched to a cooked diet, after my vet also discouraged the use of raw foods, saying that domestic dogs and cats no longer have the digestive tract that their wild carnivore ancestors had. Even wild carnivores seldom, if ever, eat food that has rotted. I also read the AMVA Raw Food Diet warning: https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/FAQs/Pages/Raw-Pet-Foods-and-the-AVMA-Policy-FAQ.aspx

Finally, Maggie now has liver disease, which I wonder isn’t either due to her diet or the Dinovite itself. It may be something else entirely, but I have an appointment with UC Davis in July for a second opinion, so hope to find out more. I’ll let you know if they find anything that might be associated with the Dinovite.

[Salz]

Triet- the biggest difference (IMO) between raw frozen and dehydrated raw is that all of the moisture has been removed from the dehydrated. There is some heat used in the dehydration process so some consider it to be of less nutritional value. Dehydrated raw is easier to store ; all that is required for feeding is to add water and allow the moisture to seep back in. Frozen raw is just that; frozen raw meat that is usually thawed before being fed. I prefer frozen because it is less processed. Both are excellent choices.

As far as kibble, Orijen is great IMO for adult dogs only. All of the adults I’ve had have thrived on it, though I agree that there are other quality kibbles for a fraction of the price. If you are keen on feeding kibble, I recommend Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy.

[Marcie D]

About 15 years ago I started to investigate better nutrition for my dogs and I was just to the point of trying a raw diet when Oma;s Pride came on the scene. I have used it for years and it has been the best thing I have ever done for my dogs.
I have been training my own Service Dogs for my own mobility issues and I am planning to move in the near future at which time I am hoping to breed my German Shepherds and get them started as Service Dogs for the Veteran’s who really need them. All of my puppies will be started on the Oma’s Pride frozen mixed diets. Some day I would love to see the Dog Food Advisor, take a look at this great diet.

[Hannah D]

Appreciate the responses! I’m aware kibble isn’t great. That’s why I’ve had her on the Honest Kitchen and various freeze-dried raw. I’ve tried to use the balance IT site in the past, but it only gave me recipes for cats after I checked a couple health issues. I don’t free feed. I’m almost militant about my precise measurements. She gets her daily exercise and that hasn’t changed. I’m wondering if the tapioca and beans in THK are too starchy for her.

Thanks for the Dr. Judy link and malaseb recommendation. I’m definitely going to try bathing her with that. I’m a little intimidated by the home cooking idea because I’m so afraid of not giving her the correct amount of nutrients, but it sounds like it might be the best way for me to clear up some of her issues. I’ll check out the links and do more research on it.

Thank you again for your responses!

[Triet S]

Thank you,
Could you tell me what is raw dehydrated and what is Raw frozen ?

[pitlove]

Personally, I would wait on the raw diet til she is older if she already has a curved back. I personally do not know if the curvature is something that can be fixed or not at this point. I think you need to find a large breed puppy food that she enjoys eating and stick closely to the feeding guidelines until she is 18 months old. If you want to supplement with something to encourage her to eat the only thing I would recommend is Trippett.

https://www.chewy.com/petkind-tripett-original-formula/dp/44461

[Triet S]

Hi Pituv,
I am very appreciate your help. I have taken her to the vet aldready. She said I fed her too much. She want me to feed her 3 times a day, all is dry dog food, follow the direction on the label of the TOTW and nothing else. But, I am very confuse because my puppy dont like to eat a lot of dry food. So, I have to change to feed raw food in morning and afternoon (mixing meat,liver,organic,vegetable,….about 150gram each time). Evening is 1cup of TOTW. After a month, she still has a curve back.
Could you tell me what should I do now ? Is my raw food diet good ?
Thanks !

[theBCnut]

When it come to kibble, starch is what holds it together, so if you want starch free, you have yo go to canned, raw, cooked, or homemade. If you do go the homemade route, make sure you do your research on what needs to go into a dogs diet. Homemade diets often have some amazingly glaring errors, like no source of calcium, so make sure you cover your bases.

[Hannah D]

I’m at my wit’s end. I’ve tried countless brands and have yet to find the ideal food for my dog. My 9 year old chihuahua has hiatal hernia and does better with lower fat. The past year or so she’s had a musty smell within days of being bathed, so there’s probably a yeast issue. I’ve had her on various grain-free Honest Kitchen recipes. She’s currently on Marvel because I wanted to avoid potatoes of any kind, but she’s gained weight on it.

K9 Naturals was recommended. I had her on the venison food, but she wasn’t nuts about it. Stella & Chewy’s freeze dried didn’t seem to satiate her and neither did Ziwipeak.

Ideally, I’d like a grain-free, starch-free, yeast-free food. I don’t want to feed her beef and I usually avoid chicken when possible. But I’m open to all suggestions, wet, dry, raw, etc. I have absolutely no experience with raw food except for the dehydrated or freeze dried kind.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Shauna A]

How long is it safe to keep a raw meaty bone around for my dog to chew on? Can I keep it out or does it need to be frozen or refrigerated in between chew sessions? It’s a beef knuckle that he’s cleaned off, for the most part, but there are still small remnants of ligaments/tendons. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

[Laurie L]

I have an Italian Mastiff he is 1 1/2 yrs old. We rescued him at 99 lbs. We have had him for 4 months and he is now 117. I just started feeding him eggs. At first I was cooking them with coconut oil mainly to melt the organic oil. Also I did not know if he would like them raw. Well I was in a hurry yesterday so I stirred it in raw he actually wanted more food. Which has been a struggle. He needs at least another 30 lbs added to him. My question is how many raw eggs is okay for a 117lb dog?

[anonymously]

It sounds like environmental allergies, I went through this with my dog and did not have good results till I took her to a dermatologist. Wasted a year going back and forth to the regular vet.
She is stable now x 4 years, we see the specialist once a year. They can still have occasional flare-ups even with successful treatment, and it can take up to a year to see results, however I saw improvement right away .

Regarding diet:I had a small breed that loved Mighty Dog and lived a long life.
PS: You could try soaking a quality kibble overnight in water (fridg) and use the canned stuff they like as a topper, or mix a little in.
Nutrisca is a good kibble for a small breed (imo) and is a limited ingredient food, especially the salmon and chickpea., check chewy.com

Environmental allergies.
excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
“Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common – but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems”.

Mail-in hair and saliva tests do not test for allergies and tend to be inaccurate. Food sensitivities fluctuate. Food allergies are rare.

Consider making an appointment with a dermatologist:

By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service

Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.

Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.

Top pet dermatological issues

Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:

•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.

All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.

Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.

Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).

IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.

The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.

ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.

This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.

When it’s time to see the vet

Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:

•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin

Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

[InkedMarie]

Go to the review side & look for the Gravy Train review. it’s not a good food.
There is no need for veggie oil (salmon oil is better) and oatmeal in your dogs food. If you want to add something, add a little high quality canned, a dehydrated, raw egg…

[Megan W]

My 7 year old pit bull was diagnosed with low grade lymphoma last December. The vet put her on a home made low carb, high protein and fat diet. She put her on immuplex, livaplex, thymex, catalyn from the Standard Process company and wei qi booster and stasis breaker chinese herbs. As for her food i have been giving her 1/2 cup of veggies (dark leafy greens, pumpkin sweet potato or squash, red peppers, alfalfa sprouts, blue berries, black berries, ect) and 1 cup of whole chicken quarters (minus bone) or ground beef, fish, lamb, ect with chicken liver or gizzards added in smaller ammounts. All food is lightly cooked, not raw. I add nordic naturals fish oil, and olive or coconut oil to her food. I also add seaweed calcium and a pinch of tumeric. I add a raw egg to her breakfast every other day.
So far Natalia has been doing great and her monthly CBCs have been relatively stable. Around Febuary she did start a Chlorambucil/ Prednisone regiment because we found lympoma cells in her mammary chain. The vet wasnt too concerned but we felt like it was best to stay ahead of the game and stop any progression with some light chemo.
My question as far as diet is this. Can I do anything better or different? I know there are people on this site who have been doing home cooked for a long time and i just want your input.

[Lisa L]

I feed raw and get it from multiple different sources. They all say not for human consumption.

[goldenstar]

I do know that Goldens are prone to cancer…. due to their genitics for one reason. I may never know what the cause was for mine. I am just trying to reduce the risk if I can for my new girl in all areas of her life…. not just by reducing dried kibble in her diet.
Nutrition is a very big part in reducing the risk of cancer and most illnesses…..excersise, reducing stress, environmental toxins, genitics are some more things to consider for sure.
I too have fed kibble to my dogs throughout my life and some have lived long lives.
There does seem to be little research out there about kibble and carcinogens, but more information is being presented.
Here is one article by Dr Becker and how one researcher tested dogs to find carcinogens in their fur.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/05/27/cooked-meat-carcinogens.aspx
Now that I am aware of it, it is a little harder not to be concerned about it.
It looks like 4 and 5 star dried kibble may be best formulated to meet the the strict requirements for large breed puppies. Preparing a home cooked or raw diet is another option. But for me, it is a daunting task and I would still worry if my LBP was getting the right nutrition.
I really appreciate the important information that I have learned here.