[Kevin R]

Hi all, I have another question regarding changing my dog’s food. I mentioned changing to a lower glycemic food due to yeast issues. The yeast issue is not major at this time, however, I figured this couldn’t hurt anything. Is there a typical carb percentage I should look for when choosing a food? I know it may vary from dog to dog, but just how low should the carb count be in order to maybe make a difference in this situation? Reason I ask is because I tried her on Orijen a few years ago, but it went right through her. I don’t know if it was the higher protein or the fat percentage, but I know I’ll probably need something a little less “rich.” I thought about Acana Grasslands since it’s a little lower protein, but the fat is about the same I believe. Feel to give any other food suggestions as well. Thanks for your time.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Kevin R.

[Luisa P]

I have done so much ready and I am exhausted!! Bottom line is, I wish I could just cook fresh food for my Dalmatian but realistically I know I can’t. All the information online is overwhelming because some sites do talk about fresh food, but then you need to add vitamins, etc. to make sure they are getting a balanced meal. My biggest challenge is that not only do I feed my Dalmatian, but I have 7 other dogs. So to make fresh food every day is not realistic for me. So I decided to meet in the middle. I am currently giving
one of the highly recommended grain free formulas from this website, but I give 1 cup less and then I supplement that with fresh homemade food. The biggest thing that I have learned from the Dalmatian diet is that you need to make sure you float their food with water. If your water source is high in minerals, then I would use distilled. I am attaching something important that I have found and do follow with my daly.

Traffic light system:
Green Light Purines – These foods are virtually Purine free they can be fed as often as you like and to stone forming dogs. Food stuffs
Whole grain yeast free bread
Whole grain yeast free cereals
Most vegetables (see high purine exceptions below) Not onions or Garlic.
Fruits (some fruits are toxic to dogs see list below)
Nuts (except Macadamia nuts)
Peanut Butter
Pasta
Eggs
Cheese
Yellow light Purines – The following foods are considered to contain a moderate level of purines and are acceptable in diets for stone-forming dog breeds. Most or even all of your Dalmatian’s protein sources should come from this list as opposed to the “Red Light” purines listed in the next section Most Poultry including Chicken and Turkey
Fish and Shellfish (see exceptions below)
Lamb
Pork
Beef
Oats and Oatmeal

Red light Purines – The following foods contain the highest levels of purines and should be avoided as much as possible to help prevent stone formation: Kidneys
Hearts
Brains
Liver
Sweetbreads
Venison
Duck
Goose
Sardines
Mackerel
Muscles
Scallops
Cauliflower
Spinach
Peas
Mushrooms
Legumes (kidney beans, lentils)
Yeast (including brewers yeast)
Gravy

If you have a FB account, you could join a private group called Dalmatian Addiction, there are a lot of great people there who share great info and pictures of their dogs.

[Anonymous]

GNC Pets Ultra Mega Hip & Joint Health for Senior Dogs – Beef Flavor

I don’t see brewers yeast listed as an ingredient.
Life Stage: 3- Senior Dogs
•Supports joint cushioning & mobility
•750 mg glucosamine + 600 mg chondroitin + 500 mg MSM
•Added omega-3 fatty acids, turmeric & boswellia for healthy joints

[Ryan K]

My dog has a pretty strong intolerance to Brewer’s Yeast. She gets really rough yeast infections in her ears even after a couple days of ingesting something with this ingredient in it. Does anyone know a good, reliable, ADVANCED quality Glucosamine-Chondroitin supplement that would work well for my 14 year old Old English Sheepdog that does NOT have Brewer’s Yeast in it? I can’t seem to find a decent one without it in it and my dog reallllllllllly needs this in her system. Her arthritis is so bad now. Any advice would help! 🙂

[cissy m]

I had many of the same problems first couldn’t have grain then found out mine was allergic to chicken almost all food chicken or not has some chicken in it went from yeasty ears to itchy feet then yeasty skin with hair loss loose stool didn’t think things was ever going to get better many vet visits changing food most you mentioned some problems would get worse finally started him on petco brand probiotics & enzymes tablets & vitamins big thing I switched his food to Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea he’s like a brand new dog no itching yeast is gone hair is almost completely back …. it’s alittle pricy but so was all the vet visits
I wish you luck
Cissy

[Madelon H]

Susan – thanks once again for the helpful information. I have read that article and several others – lol!! When I looked back at my EPI log I had noted each time he was given the Droncit (always with his supper) he would wake in the middle of the night shaking his head horribly and scratching his ears and they would be red and gooey – then he’d vomit bile – it would be over in about 24 hours – which according to the vet is how long the Droncit stays in their system. He never had a problem until the Droncit but then again he was given Droncit after his EPI diagnosis and at the same time switching foods. Interesting about Tylan having the same effectiveness no matter the dose. I just want to start all over – like I said get him off of everything and then do one thing at a time. The worms came back as two types of fly larvae – a plant based fly and botfly- the vet wasn’t able to talk to the Parasitology department as they were closed but said from talking to them before she thinks they are passing through him alive because of his compromised system whereas in a healthy dog they would likely die before being passed. I have a fenced in yard – plenty of room to run but I can see everything and since he was diagnosed and I began looking at every poop he now won’t go outside unless your with him – hoping he gets over that before winter – I hate cold weather!! As for the “leave it”. I have used that command for many years with my dogs – doc knows it but doesn’t always follow it – lol!! He’s so smart – he knows when I’m gloved up with bag and shovel after he’s pooped that I’m scooping and he will then find me piles of bunny poop – its hard to find bunny poop but I’m getting pretty good at it – scooped five piles this am :). So as far as diet with the yeast – before EPI he was on RC GSD puppy – hydrolysed yeast and rice – ingredients appear to be on the low carb/low sugar side of things – the TOTW I put him on after diagnosis was definitely not – potatoes, sweet potatoes. What I was recently trying to switch him to Natures Logic is very low carb low natural sugar – it had millet and some dried fruits and veggies but all appeared to be on the low sugar side and at that time was when we got the infection diagnosis. SO I’m not sending the bags back (two aren’t opened) because I want to use the rx food for a few months get some normal poop going again let his system get over everything and rebalance itself and then see where we are at. I didn’t do the shots of B12 – the vet didn’t believe in it – his B12 was at 406 so I ordered the Trinfac-b from wonderlab – he gets 3 capsules a day. I haven’t re-tested the levels yet as we are going to have the entire EPI panel run again because the breeder doesn’t believe he’s EPI because at 3mos when he was tested it was normal – I’m writing a 6 page letter to send when we have him re-tested because I want her to inform the other litter mates that there’s a possibility of this happening to them at some point and not to mate the two dogs again – they were mated earlier this year prior to me notifying her. I tried to join the Facebook page yesterday it kept saying pending – I’ll have to check again to see if I was accepted. I would like to get him neutered this winter – have you heard of any problems with that after being diagnosed EPI?

[Susan]

Hi you sound like me, my cupboard is full of open bags of kibble, I added up how much they cost $ the other day $350 worth, I wish I could cash them all in lol most were bought online & they will not refund $ on open bags of kibble even the vet diet kibbles 🙁

I don’t think the Droncit would be causing the yeasty ears, I can see the Droncit giving him acid reflux & vomiting… the yeasty ears would be from his diet & underactive immune system.. down the bottom is Dr Karen Beckers link on Yeast & foods & what causes yeast in dogs, you have probably read it before but read it again especially the last paragraph on reoccurring yeast problems in dogs, their immune system is not operating 100%..
is Doc having cobalamin B-12 injections to help reestablish the friendly bacteria colonies for his S.I.B.O…& maybe keep him on the Tylan a bit longer while introducing the Royal Canine then reduce the Tylan… are you given the Tylan just once a day? they did a study on Tylan & found giving Tylan once day worked the same as giving a dog tylan twice a day also a low dose of Tylan works just as well as the higher dose of Tylan.. I suppose it really depends on the dog, the Tylan keeps the bad bacteria a bay…. my vet wants Patch on the Metronidazole for 6 months but Patch gets bad side effects from the Metronidazole…..

With the rabbit poo can you go outside with Doc & watch that he doesn’t eat any poo & teach him the word “Leave It” so he stops eating any poo or food that has falling on kitchen floor etc…. Patch was eating all the neighbours cat poo, when I was letting him downstairs for a wee, I told the vet & he went & got the Animal Behaviourist & she taught me “Leave It” its pretty easy, you get a kibble or treat & put under the front of your foot, your toe so the dog can see & smell the kibble or treat, you say “No Leave it” then when they leave it you give a treat or kibble but not what is under your toe/foot then when you fell confident enough, you just leave a kibble on the floor & let the Doc see it & as soon as it looks like Doc will go to eat it, you say “NOOO Leave It” then say sit, then only if he left the the food on the floor, you reward him with one of his kibble or treat, in time he wont bother with anything on the floor & any poo…even when outside you say “No leave it” when he goes to eat the rabbit poo… you could even put some rabbit poo under the front of your shoe to teach him “Leave It” I use to watch Patches nose like a hawk but I don’t have to anymore, when he see something on the ground on our walks, he looks up at me to see if I’m watching & I am & I just say “Leave it” he just keeps walking & I say good boy, your a really good boy Patch & I can see he feels proud of himself, then I say, when we get home, I’ll give you a biscuit for being a good boy…as soon as we walk thru the front door he goes into the kitchen & sits & waits for his biscuit, he doesn’t forget that I promised him a biscuit lol….. they’re a lot of hard work & depressing some days but I look at Patch & think, I couldn’t live without him, I learnt so much due to all his illnesses… 🙂
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx

[Susan]

Hi Kim, it looks like the new food may be the problem with his skin & dirrhea, I know within 1-2 days if a kibble isn’t right for my boy, he starts to have red itchy paws, itchy ears, skin & sloppy poos….. With the Earthborn kibble which flavour are you feeding, the grain free kibble or their natural kibble?? also the Earthborn grain free kibbles have higher protein % & fat% this could be causing the Diarrhea or your boy is sensitive to an ingredient in the Earthborn kibble causing the itchy skin & diarrhea….

I would look for another kibble with limited ingredients with similar ingredients, same protein & around the same fat % & protein % that’s in the Diamond Natural kibble you were feeding also rice look for a kibble with rice, my boy does best on kibbles with rice, I’m introducing Earthborn Ocean Fusion very slowly at the moment, the Ocean Fusion has the least ingredients out of all their flavours but it has sweet potatoes & potatoes second & third ingredient, something I’m very worried about potatoes being a starchy carb, my boy gets bad yeasty skin, paws & ears from certain high sugar carbs in kibbles, but the Earthborn Ocean Fusion doesn’t have any peas or tomato pomace which is hard to find a kibble that doesn’t have peas….
“California Natural” has their Lamb & Rice it has just 4 ingredients or their Chicken & Rice has just 5 ingredients… I few people I know their dogs have skin & bowel problems & their dogs are doing really well on the California Natural kibble, they add some sardines or boiled chicken to beef up the kibble a bit, even if you just feed the C/N Lamb & Rice till his skin is better again then start adding a new ingredient every 2 weeks to see if he starts itching again then you will know what foods he’s sensitive too..also get some antifungal shampoo like Malaseb medicated shampoo & bath every 5-7 days my vet said as soon as I saw Patch starting to scratch bad bath him in the Malaseb shampoo… keep us updated on how he’s going….
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1181

[Madelon H]

Hey Susan – well I have been on a roller coaster ride with Doc for sure!! After all of your information and my own researching I reached out to Nature’s Logic – I really liked that the founder of the company immediately emailed me himself and without me going into detail about EPI and SIBO he said Doc needed a diet low carb/low natural sugar diet which their food is. The bags say 5% fiber but Dog Food Advisor put it at 4% and the company says it’s between 3-5% but the bag has to have the “max”. So I tried the chicken – he did okay, then i tried sardine (noticed a lot of acid reflux) and we are trying the rabbit now. My vet said to give a food 2 full weeks before deciding if it works or not – I haven’t been doing that 🙁 During this time I was finally able to take a poop sample in with the “worm” – the other vet at the practice who i like much better said she finally saw it and it’s DEFINITELY not tapeworm – which is great but unfortunately Doc had been given 4 doses of Droncit and I believe he’s allergic to Droncit – immediately after getting it his ears flare up and he becomes really itchy and vomits bile. SO of course I feel horrible – she said it looks like fly larvae – we are stumped about him passing live fly larvae – we sent it out for testing and are awaiting the results. What i’ve read online I believe it’s called pseudomyiasis – I think he’s getting it from eating rabbit poop or grass where flies have deposited their eggs and the eggs have hatched and Doc eats it – he LOVES rabbit poop. Anyway, I realized he was passing live larvae I took him in for a full rectal exam and through once over – I asked her to check his ear (I had been asking the other vet but he never did) – came back positive 4 out of 4 for yeast, bacteria and rod in the left ear and 1 out of 4 for yeast in the right ear and he has a yeast infection between his toes. We are not sure if this is from the Droncit or the Tylan that he’s been on or if he could be allergic to yeast altogether. After his first bout of SIBO as a puppy he was put on Royal Canin LF Gastro kibble and did fine then switched to Royal Canin Large Breed Puppy Developmental (rx) then switched to Royal Canin GSD Puppy – he did GREAT. SO, I’m thinking the yeast infections he currently has is from the Droncit. We’ve given him a bath with medicated shampoo for his yeasty paws but he is still itchy on his body – his ears are doing much better and his paws but still itchy on the body – not sure if that’s food related or environmental. SO I decided to go back to what worked last time and I bought the RC Gastro kibble and am going to mix that with the rabbit food and get him completely on the RC Gastro and wean off the Tylan (he’s been on it for 60 days). Then I’m going to keep him on the RC Gastro for with a probiotic (doesn’t appear there is any in the kibble) for a month or two and let his insides settle down then I’m thinking about trying the RC GSD Adult (when I read the description it talks about low fermentable foods, etc – it actually sounds like a good food – fiber is a bit high but if it works it works) – I’ve spent hundreds in dog foods that I have sitting half eaten or unopen altogether at this point and am tired of dealing with it and feeling badly for poor Doc.

[Susan]

Hi Kevin, You need to change her diet, kibbles aren’t really good for yeasty dogs as they are very high in carbs, you need to cut out the sugar carbs Potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes etc yeasty dogs need a low Gi diet, raw, wet tin, home cooked diets are the best, most vet diets are high in carbs…. if you have to feed a kibble try “Earthborn Holistic’ their grainfree flavours the carbs are only 17.5% -29% the “Great Plains” & “Meadow Feast” are potato free….their natural kibbles are a bit higher in carbs… http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/us/dog_formulas/
I feed wet tin food for breakfast & I have just started the Earthborn Ocean Fusion natural kibble for dinner, my boy needs a lower fat diet & the grainfree diets are too high in fat for Patch…he has IBD… also read what the carb % is in the kibble, if it isn’t written on the kibble bag or their web site you add the protein% + fat % + moisture + ash % & then you take what you have away from 100% & you get the carb %….Earthborn has it written on their site under Guaranteed Analysis…

Glacier Pecks Holistic does Salvia & Hair testing & test for 100+ Environment triggers & 200+ food items for $85….
http://www.glacierpeakholistics.com/More-Than-an-Allergy-Test_p_80.html

[Kevin R]

Hi all, I just wanted to reach out as I’m looking for a good food for my 9 year old Westie. She is a very allergic dog, but I’m not certain what all to. I believe its mostly environmental and dust, but maybe some foods. We had blood allergy tests done a few years back, but I’m not sure how accurate it was. In the past, she has been on steroids a few times and then ultimately Atopica. Also, I usually bathe her about once a week with Malaseb, but sometimes I may wait a little longer if she doesn’t appear to need a bath. Anyways, I’m trying to get her off of the Atopica completely if possible. Currently, her skin is somewhat “yeasty” and she may have a vaginal infection which I’m taking her to the vet for. Currently she is eating the Royal Canin prescription food “Venison and Potato.” I recently started giving her some supplements found in this Westie diet here – http://www.westierescueca.com/diet.htm, but I’m not certain if their ingredients would be aggravating any yeast issues she’s having. I had been giving her Greenies treats as well, but I’m looking to eliminate this as well if needed. I recently got some Orijen freeze dried duck treats since its just duck in the ingredients. I guess my question is what be a good food to try if I change her diet completely and should I look for a low glycemic food? Should I add any supplements? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Kimberly W]

Hi all,

I have a puppy-mill Boston Terrier female named Lexie. I got her at 1 year old and she was in bad shape – demodex mange being one of the issues. We got rid of the mange, but she itches almost constantly still ….. especially mid-back and butt. Her tail has a spot where she’s rubbed all the hair off and now it’s like a callous there. I’ve tried all different proteins (even ground raw venison!) and grain-free foods, allergic injections, prednisone ….. even trying an immuno-therapy serum for common Florida allergens. She’s currently on Apoquel at $2 per DAY ….. it does help, but she still itches. I liked the idea of the Dinovite supplement + the raw diet they promote and switched her over VERY slowly. My first box of Dinovite lasted over 60 days. Lexie has a very touchy tummy and I didn’t want her to get sick. She seemed to do okay with the supplement and the diet, but we noticed that only the Apoquel made her scratch less. And by no means did the scratching stop ….. :/

So, into the 2nd box of Dinovite, Lexie started spitting up after eating. This had happened all along, but just once in awhile – now she was doing it after almost every meal. And it wasn’t RIGHT AFTER she ate, it was hours afterwards. Like we were sleeping at 3am and she’d vomit in the bed with us. And it was always GREEN. Like she was just spitting up just the Dinovite. We weaned her back onto the white fish based kibble she’d been on (that we were sure didn’t make her sick) and just put the Dinovite in that – thinking we’d eliminate the chance that it was the raw food. She STILL would vomit only green stuff.

I’m at my wits end here. I hate thinking she’s miserable. We have really tried a ton of stuff, but I think something in the Dinovite is making her sick. I’m wondering if all the time she was on the raw diet, it was moving the toxins from the crappy food she was fed (before I got her) OUT of her body and then, the grain (sorghum) in the Dinovite finally made her sick????

I wish I could post a picture – she looks SO good – hair is all grown in from where the demodex had her bald, so glossy she shines in the sun ….. everyone comments on how beautiful she is ….. but she itches. Almost all the time. Doesn’t lick her paws and her skin doesn’t smell at all, her ears are pretty pink inside ….. no yeast that I can see manifesting itself on her body anywhere. When I scratch her back where you can obviously tell it itches the MOST, there is some dandruff that comes out. She has no fleas and I’ve washed her with DermaBenss shampoo – as suggested by my vet – for the flaking skin ….. but when that didn’t work, I used a soap-free emu oil shampoo that’s FOR DRY SKIN and that didn’t help either.

This is what a meal looks like for Lexie:

1/2 cup of white fish based kibble – NO GRAINS (no corn, wheat or soy)
3 pumps of Yummy Chummies salmon oil
baked sweet potato or canned pumpkin
2 capsules of food enzymes (opened and sprinkled on the food)
Drs. Foster and Smith adult vitamin
vitamin E capsule – 400IU
***Also, before bed, I’m giving Lexie 2 capsules of bifidophilus, to help repopulate the good bacteria in her intestines.***
***We only use one kind of treats – Yummy Chummies Grain Free treats made with 95% salmon + potato and pea flour.***

The food we are using scores a 3.5 star on the food advisory list and I’m willing to buy her a 5 star food, but am not sure that food is her only issue. Does anyone have ANY suggestions for me? I’d be very grateful for any ideas that I haven’t already explored. Another supplement? A different shampoo? Anything I haven’t thought of or don’t know how to look for? I’ve even wondered if the itching is just a HABIT and maybe she doesn’t know how to stop ….. :/

Thanks for any thoughts!!!!

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Kimberly W.

[Pitlove]

Wysong Epigen 90, if she can have chicken.

Have you gotten an anti-fungal shampoo from the vet or another source? My pitbull has had yeast issues in the past, not as bad as your lab, but he has had yeast infections under his nail beds and most recently his ears. The anti-fungal shampoo from the vet has helped a lot, especially for his feet when we fill up a sweater storage container with water and the shampoo and do a foot soak. We also give him regular baths in it.

Make sure, if she has yeast in the ears, that you are checking them regularly and using an earwash to clean them. Get the earwash all the way into the inner ear canal and fill up the whole ear and massage the earwash in and then let her shake her head. Use gauze to remove the debris in the outer ear canal (This is how my vet told me to clean my boys ears).

[Deborah F]

I have a yellow lab that has textbook yeast problems – itchy, smelly feet, raw skin on her tummy. I have been looking for the best dog food to feed her without contributing carbohydrates or yeast ingredients. Any suggestions?

[Susan]

Hi I’d say it’s the ingredients in the Purina dog chow, making her yeasty & has the yeasty ears, there has to be other cheap kibbles that have better ingredients then the Purina dog chow that cost maybe an extra $5 a bag, I’ve read on this site a few people feeding Racheal Ray Nutrish or Victor grain free, they are suppose to be good & cost less….I always recommend the “California Natural Lamb & Rice” large bites, it has only 4 ingredients & helps dogs with skin problems that need a limited ingredient kibble… but I don’t know how much the California Natural cost http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1181

With cooking it works out dearer I have found & you need to balance the diet or she will have other health problems….I buy extra lean beef mince & add cooked boiled broccoli, celery, carrot & quiona & put in a cup to get the 1 cup size & make little meat loaves & bake in oven & then freeze them all in seal lock bags, stay away from starchy veggetables like potatoes, peas etc, green veggies are the best for yeast problems, even if you feed say kibble for breakfast & the cooked meal for dinner, so that way she is getting less of the kibble also tin Sardines in spring water are cheap, I buy 3 tins of sardines in spring water for $2 at the supermarket & mix some sardines thru her kibble, I feed the Purina Supercoat wet tin Lamb & veggies casserole tin food for breakfast, I live in Australia, I think the ingredients may be different to the American Purina, the Purina Lamb & Veggie casserole is the only wet tin food that my dog doesn’t regurgitate back up or have diarrhea on..

also Malaseb medicated shampoo, the Malaseb kills the bacteria on the skin & ears, even if you buy a cheaper antibacterial shampoo to bath her weekly in, I’ve read someone saying Walmart sell a good antibacterial shampoo for dogs, I don’t know the name, just look for antibacterial shampoo…
The new shampoo & weekly baths & change part of the diet will really help her, even if you just change 1 meal, then see how she is doing, you may not need to see a vet if it all clears up…my boy yeast problem went away within 3 days of changing his food & baths in the Malaseb medicated shampoo, he didn’t get his itchy ears & skin back….

You may not have much money but I bet your dogs don’t care & would rather live with you then a new owner who has money especially having bull breeds they are sooooo loyal & never forget…..I rescued my boy over 2 & 1/2 years ago & he still runs up to men in work clothes when he sees them on our walks, so he hasn’t forgotten his old owner…I wish he would forget lol

[Melissa S]

My pitbull, Ktulu, is having really bad skin problems. Just recently her right ear also became crusty and irritated on the inside. This has happened before to both of her ears, once. We cleaned them out with Keto (we have a prescription from the vet) and it never returned. Until now. She’s also always had skin issues on her stomach and flanks.

It’s gotten incredibly worse and her skin has become darkly pigmented, has lost hair, and I know she’s miserable. She smells like dog. Not like yeast or cheese or stinky feet. Another thing to keep in mind is that because of our living situation, the dogs must stay outside at all times. (Yeah, I know. I hate it, but this isn’t my house and we can’t afford to move to our own)

We haven’t taken her to the vet for this, because I’m afraid they’re going to try and do all kinds of unnecessary tests and give us drugs that won’t work or try to get us to buy Hills Science Diet (which I’m not a fan of at all). Although, I’m thinking that I will, just to see if they’ll take cultures and help us determine if this is a yeast issue (I think it is, along with allergies).

Now, that’s not really my issue. My issue is my partner thinks what we feed our dogs is just fine (Purina Dog Chow-please don’t judge us!). I’ve never liked it, but with our limited budget and our dogs liking it, I thought that it was okay for the time being. Well, the time being has passed and I can’t take it anymore. I’m even considering giving the dogs to people who can properly take care of them (ie. have more money).

If I were to start with a homemade diet, where do I actually start? How expensive is it really going to be? How do I make sure my dogs are getting all the required nutrients? Do you think this is the best route to go considering her skin issues?

I was looking into already prepared raw and freeze-dried, but with how large both of my dogs are, it’s out of the question regarding costs. Also, I want to make sure that I can pinpoint any food allergies as well, and so many of these commercially prepared foods have tons of ingredients.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Susan]

Hi Jennifer, like you said Apoquel is a new drug, so any real bad side effect are not really know yet…
Apoquel is a immune suppressant & blocks pruritus (itching) but cannot resolve inflammation or treat yeast secondary Malassezia Dermatitis..
Have you tried a different antihistamine.

My vet gave me a list of human antihistamines that my boy can take, you need to know accurate weight of your dog & dose is per 10kgs=22.0462lbs..Give each of the following antihistamine ALONE for a 10 day trial moving on to the next drug if there is no response or only partial response..
Top of the list
* Phenergan-10mg tablet per 10kg …give 1/2-1 tablet twice a day.
taken for 10 day trial, if Phenergan doesn’t work after 10 days I was to try the next antihistamine…
* Periactin-4mg tablet per 10kg…Give 2 tablets twice or three times a day…
* Polaramine-2mg tablet per 10kg…Give 2 tablets twice a day…
* Zadine-1mg tablet per 10kg …Give 1 tablet twice a day…
* Telfast-90mg tablet per 10kg …Give 1/4 tablet twice a day…
* Zyrtec-10mg tablet per 10kg … Give 1/2 tablet twice a day…
* Claratyne-10mg tablet per 10kg …Give 1/2 tablet once daily…

[Susan]

Hi, after Patch finished his triple therapy antibiotics Metronidazole, Amoxicillin & Zantac last December for his Helicobacter-Pylori 2-3 days after stopping his meds, I saw a tape worm on his black bum, I looked & thought is that a tape worm then the next afternoon the same another tapeworm, they look like rice but cause it was Christmas eve the vet was closed that sells his Milbemax all wormer, Patch can’t take any other all-wormers they make him ill, vomiting & pooing blood, I rung the 24 hr vets & they didn’t have the Milbemax they had another all-wormer, so I had to wait till the holidays were over to worm him…I told his vet at the time & he said, yes he often see’s tapeworms in dogs after they have been on antibiotics but he didn’t say why, he just said tapeworms won’t hurt him, I’d prefer no worms…. so the next time he had too take the Metronidazole again, I wormed him first then started the Metronidazole the next day & when he was finished taking the Metronidazole, I kept looking at his bum after he’d poo to see if I could see any more tape worms & I couldn’t….the thing is Patch doesn’t have fleas, the fleas don’t stay on him & jump back off him, the cat did have fleas at the time & Patch doesn’t kill wild prey mice, rats, rabbits, etc…

There’s several species of Tapeworms Dipylidium Caninum from fleas & Teania & Echinococcus species from mice, rats, rabbits, squirrels, deer & sheep…you have to wash all bedding everything he sleeps on.. Does Doc eat wild prey?

I was giving Patch probiotics Protexin Soluble but it was expensive $60 for 1 month, so I found another dog probiotic Vetafarm at the pet shop with the same ingredients for $20 but I don’t think the Vetafarm was as good as the Protexin & I stopped giving probiotics to him then about 3 months ago I saw a Animal Naturopath cause I wanted to put Patch on a raw diet & she sent out human live probiotic capsules that were dairy & gluten free, I had to open the capsule & put only half a capsule on the raw meal, Patches itchy smelly skin & red paws all went away within 3 days of being on the raw diet, the only problem he was regurgitating the raw, water was coming up into his mouth about 3 hours after eating the raw & he hadn’t drank any water after breakfast & he was swallowing & swallowing it, this water came out of his mouth one day while we were shopping & went all down my shopping bag, that’s when I seen it was water & a few little bits of blended veggies thru the water, I think the enzymes were breaking down the raw meat too quickly, so I had to stop the raw cause he was getting acid reflux & a sore throat but I was shattered & so was Patch, he loved his raw Kangaroo, so I started to cook extra lean beef mince & the same, he was regurgitating the cooked meal as well….. the thing is he doesn’t regurgitate wet tin food if its chunky or soaked kibble put thru a blender, so I started looking for wet tin foods but I couldn’t find a low fat, low fiber wet tin food in the Pet Shops, Wellness has their Core grain free reduced fat but the fiber is 3%, so that will be too high when converted to dry matter, so I tried the Hills & Royal Canine low fat vet diets but they all have boiled rice & boiled rice goes thru Patch (diarrhea) the corn or something in the vet wet diets was making him itch & smell again, so about 2 weeks ago I went to the Supermarket & I started to read all the ingredients, fat & fiber in all the wet tin foods & I bought a 700g tin of Purina Supercoat Homestyle casserole Lamb Veggies & Pasta, the Purina seemed to have the best ingredients fish oil, vitamins & minerals, the fat was 4%, fiber-1%max, I also bought another brand that was duck the smaller foiled wet tin food, it had only 2% fat, we tried the duck first at night his last feed he loved it but poo wasn’t as good as they are now on the Lamb Casserole…. I would need 10-12 small foil tins of the duck a day & it works out too expensive to feed…
I also started him on the Royal Canine Intestinal low fat kibble about 2 weeks before, cause when I went to buy his regular Hypoallergenic, gluten, dairy, sugar & potato free kibble “Salmon & Sardines with brown rice & green veggies” it had a Gold sticker saying “New Improved Omega 3,6, & 9 formula” so I looked & all the ingredients were still the same, so I bought the bag of kibble but the new kibbles were smaller & black & felt real greasy, even when I soaked the kibble in water, I could feel the greasiness & Patch was getting his real bad acid reflux again, so I stopped the Meals For Mutts kibble & I gave the R/C low fat Kibble ago… but he has spewed up the R/C Low Fat kibble a few times that’s then I thought I’ll give the wet tin food a go again, I’m feeding the Purina Lamb Casserole for breakfast, for lunch & dinner the R/C low fat kibble & the Purina Lamb Casserole for his last small dinner & he doing the best poos ever.. so today I’m going to just try feeding the Purina Casserole all day & see how he goes & see if he start to get his yeasty smell again, I take out the beans & wholemeal pasta & throw it away & I’ve been adding a little bit of boiled sweet potatos & some boiled chicken, I have a freezer full of cooked foods for him that he regurgitates when feed by themselves, so I’m going to add them with the Lamb casserole tin food & see how he goes… I really think the kibble is causing all his problems with Helicobacter, S.I.B.O, acid reflux & nausea..

With soluble & insoluble fibers you need to work out how Doc goes, if you have ever tried the Hills Z/d kibble, Hills I/d Gastro or the Hills W/d all these kibbles have more insoluble fiber, the Hills Z/d was making Patch do 1 big cow paddy poo in the morning, his poo was just slop & he started to smell real bad with yeast on the Hills Z/d kibble probably the Corn Starch, so Patch doesn’t do well on insoluble fiber, he does better poos on soluble fiber but soluble fiber sits in the stomach longer, where insoluble fiber passes the stomach into the small bowel, so I don’t know is that a good thing for S.I.B.O probably not…

If you can try & get Doc on wet food or raw is the best, a lean protein, like Rabbit, Chicken, Turkey, Kangaroo these are all low in fat… I never added any bone in the begining, the Naturopath said no bone or organ meat yet cause of his IBD… maybe give him his kibble for dinner & try the wet tin or raw for breakfast but I never mixed the 2 together Raw & kibble or wet tin & kibble…. I thought it will just sit in his stomach & something will happen, it always does with him lol… another thing try 1 new thing at a time so if anything happens you will know what is causing what..

[Susan]

Hi, yes they say that EPI dogs can have a high fat diet, what I’m noticing on the F/B EPI group, a lot of dogs are suffering from Acid reflux & need ant acid meds, high fat diets are no good if your dog suffers with acid reflux or if you dog doesn’t suffer with acid reflux they can get acid reflux from eating a high fat diet kibble or wet tin foods..
I wouldn’t go too low with the fat, I stick around 8%-12% max fat cause of Patch skin problems.. also sardines in spring water are good to add as a topper on their kibble for their skin….
When your dog was eating Taste Of Wild did he start his scratching & itchiness or when he was on a vet diet did he get his S.B.I.O?
You need to start limiting certain carbohydrates like, Lactose, Fructose, Resistant Starches like potato, peas, lentils, beans, legumes, banana etc you need a diet where the carbs don’t ferment in the gut & bowel causing the S.I.B.O…
Patch has had SIBO twice now & both times his skin & paws were yeasty & smelly as well….I keep a dairy but I didn’t write what foods he was eating at the time, so now I’m writing what he is eating so if it happens again I’ll know what kibbles & foods to avoid. I’ve stopped giving a little bit of banana as a treat in the morning..

The Honest Kitchen Zeal is suppose to be really good, its low in carbs, low in fat, gluten free high protein, but I think its expensive to feed a big dog, I feed 2 different meals wet tin for breakfast, kibble for lunch & dinner & a late small feed of wet tin food that I feed for breakfast..Patch can’t eat 2 large meals a day he gets pain either stomach or pancreas pain, so I divide all the meals into 4 smaller meals..

With wet tin foods the fat % is different to the fat % in kibbles..it isn’t lower in wet tin foods….. if the wet tin says 5% fat when converted to dry matter (Kibble) 5% fat is around 22% fat, so I feed wet tin foods where the fat is 3% & under so that’s around 7-12% fat when converted to dry matter (kibble).

This link is for humans with S.I.B.O it explains about foods that ferment & are no good..

SIBO Diets and Digestive Health – It’s about Fermentable Carbohydrates

I have found kibbles with just rice seem to be better then the grain free high starch kibbles… Here’s California Natural Lamb & Rice limited ingredients it has just 4 ingredients & the crude fiber is 2.5% or there’s their Chicken & Rice with 5 ingredients & the fiber % is the same as the Lamb & Rice, a few people I know have dogs with IBD & feed their dogs on the California Natural limited ingredient chicken or lamb kibble….
you will need to email California natural & find out what the soluble & insoluble fiber % is in the Lamb & rice or chicken & rice…
http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/1181

[Anonymous]

Consider making an appointment with a dermatologist for skin testing IDT, maybe your vet can refer you to a specialist .
Environmental allergies are more common than food sensitivities/allergies.
If you use the search engine you will find many posts on this subject. /forums/search/allergies/

Helpful article below:
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.

[Pitlove]

Orijen is an excellent food, that being said, it is not for every dog. I know a few people who’s dogs have severe allergies (they are GSD’s not pitbulls but still) and their dogs can ONLY eat Acana. My pit was the same exact way about food. He was not interested in eating. He would eat for a few weeks then he would walk away from the food and I had to hand feed it to him. When I introduced canned food into his diet, he instantly starting eating again. Now he loves eating so much I can add just 3 spoonfuls of canned food on top of his dry and he eats no problem. I can make 1 can last for 4 meals that way! Whereas before, I was blowing through 2 cans a day.

As I highly recommend keeping him on a high protein food given that for a large breed he is considered a senior and they do have a higher protein requirement.

If your bulldog is not allergic to chicken I would highly recommend looking into the Wysong Epigen 90. It’s the only food on the market that is completely starch free which would help with the gunk build up in the ears which sounds like yeast.

[Susan]

Hi Taylor, there is pumkin in the Grandma Lucy’s Rabbit & Pumkin is high in fiber, so I’d say it will make the poos worse, you can try pumkin, you only add 1 teaspoon of boiled pumkin but I think she is getting too much fiber with the Grandma Lucy’s food…sounds like your girl has more food sensitivities then environment allergies, can you cook for her? look at the ingredients in the Grandma Lucy’s & make the food minus a few ingredients like the pumkin, chickpeas & spinach & add rabbit, quoina or millet or add both to the food to fill her up more… greens are best to add in meals when they suffer from yeast problems, broccoli, Bok Choy, Zucchini, celery, Kale etc NO Peas..
Have you ever done a food elimination diet before, sometimes the foods that they reacted to at one time, sometimes when you re-introduce that food again they are fine & have no reactions….

In Australia scientist are testing kids with food sensitivities/intolerances, (not food allergies to peanuts) & they’re finding when they re-introduced small amounts of the food that they are sensitive/intolerant too over a 6month period the child can eat that certain food now.. also they are finding that kids that were introduced to food older then 6months seem to have all these food intolerances & now they are saying its best to introduce foods to babies at 4 months old of age not older…..
Patch has a problem with potatoes he gets diarrhea & rash all over stomach, well I think it was the potatoes in the kibble, the kibble just had potatoes & fish & he can eat fish, so I’ve been adding about 1 teaspoon of boiled mashed potatoes in with his cooked meal & he’s been OK so far, so next week I’m going to add 1 spoon mashed potatoes & see if his poos start to change & if he has any reactions….

[Taylor C]

Thanks for the responses! I searched and searched and searched for a food that was free of anything she is allergic to, as well as brands that weren’t loaded with potatoes, because, like you said, Susan, I do want to stay away from that because she is highly allergic to yeast. I also wanted to find a variety with a “cooling protein” and the Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit is the ONLY thing I can find!! Duck and fish are considered cooling meats as well, but, of course, she’s allergic to duck and mixed fish! Beef and pork are considered neutral meats – she hasn’t done well on beef in the past; I guess I could try pork. Her skin just looks so much better on the Rabbit that it’s killing me to think of switching again!!
What do you think about adding pumpkin? I’ve heard that can firm up stools…?

[Susan]

Hi, that’s happened with my boy, I finally found a food & his itch & hive like lumps all went away but he was pooing about 5-6 poos a day, big & soft & had bad gas, he has IBD so when he starts his farting, I know something is wrong, so I stopped the food, his bowel was working over time, I was scared he may have blood streaks thru his poo again, so I looked for another food with similar ingredients minus the barley & less fiber…Dogs don’t need fiber in their diets, dogs have a smaller gastrointestinal track then humans…
I just had a look & the fiber % all the Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance foods & the fiber is high at 6-8% in all the Pureformance flavours… Have you tried the Valor fish or another flavour, the fiber is 5% in all flavours & has Quoina instead of the chickpeas …there’s also Artisan, in the Artisan Pork the fiber is 3.9% so less poos, but the Pork has potatoes & sweet potatoes, so no good if you have a yeasty dog problems….write done all the ingredients & maybe look for another brand there has to be another brand with similar ingredients minus the chickpeas & a lower fiber%..

There may be an ingredient in the Pureformance that is causing the poo problem, I’d say its the chick peas, chick peas are high in lectins, lectins can cause leaky gut, here’s a few links about Lectins & leaky gut…. also I wouldn’t be adding things that are high in fiber…
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/5-things-all-dog-owners-should-know-about-lectins/
http://trulyglutenfree.co.uk/2013/01/15/gluten-grains-and-lectins-why-remove-all-three/

[Pitlove]

Hi Carter- I don’t have a bulldog exactly, but I do have a pitbull, which are known for the same problems as bulldogs as they come from their lineage.

My first question is how old is your boy? Second, can you list me the order in which you tried these foods?

My pit did excellent on Orijen. No issues that you are having. My boy has always been gassy though. We aren’t really sure what it is. Our vet said it’s likely a food allergy, but I disagree.

The others I haven’t fed so I can’t really give you an opinion on them. Go! is a good food from what I’ve heard and I have not heard anything about NOW. Obviously Acana is an excellent food as it is still under Champion.

Are you able to order online? I’m not sure if chewy.com can ship outside the U.S, but if they can look at Nature’s Logic or Wysong Epigen 90. They are excellent for breeds prone to yeast (which is likely what that build up in his ears is). Also, you may need to clean his ears out a lot more than normal because of the breeds predisposition to yeast. Also being consistant about cleaning the folds on the muzzle.

[Pitlove]

So this brings us to the problem with kibble in general. Those starchy carbohyrate sources provide one main thing in kibble; a binder. In order to have it’s shape kibble needs a carbohydrate to bind the food together, therefore you will never see a kibble that is completely carb free. Wysong Epigen 90 is the closest thing at only 4% carbs. Impressive for a kibble. It is really a shame that Nature’s Logic has alfalfa in it because millet is a hypo-allergenic seed and is easily digested by dogs. Millet being the carb source in NL.

If your dog is prone to yeast, staying away from starchy carbs is best, but IMO the lesser of all the evils in that list is lentils and chickpeas.

Most people will tell you that completely getting rid of allergies requires a raw diet and to be honest thats probably true. But that would take working with a nutritionist and developing recipes that would work for her and then actually making them.

Canned foods also will offer you more choices that kibble of less grains and starches, however they are not without them. Maybe look into dehyrated raw?

Edit: Also on the subject of Tripe. Most tripe is not considered complete and balanced. I know Tripett isn’t for one. One that is complete and balanced is Solid Gold’s Green Beef Tripe. I’ve used that for my dog and he loved it. Didn’t smell bad to me either.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Pitlove.

[Pitlove]

Hi- I haven’t use Farmina however I’ve heard good things about it. Something else I can suggest to you that I’m trying with my pitbull right now to manage his yeast and this would be good for allergy dogs too is Nature’s Logic. They make a Vension and also a Rabbit and they use Millet for their carbohydrate source which is known as a hypoallergenic seed. They are also only one of two companies who do not use a synthetic vitamin pack. All their vitamins and minerals come from natural sources.

[DogFoodie]

Ugh, just saw your picture. That’s some irritated looking skin. Yeah, you need to break the itch / scratch cycle. The Mercola article I linked above has some ideas for rinses that you can use to wipe her off after she’s been outside.

Do you bathe her often? What kind of shampoo do you use? My favorite shampoos are from Mercola: http://products.mercola.com/healthypets/dog-shampoo/. You might be able to find it at a boutique pet shop near you. I also like Halo: http://shop.halopets.com/Products/All-Grooming-Supplies?type=grooming; and Earthbath: http://earthbath.com/product-category/shampoo/ I would be careful not to use any grain-inclusive grooming products, just in case yeast on the skin is a concern.

You already have one breed susceptible to skin and food issues, but your new pup is notorious for the same issues.

[Pitlove]

DogFoodie nailed it on the head! Switching dog foods is worthless if you are switching to a food that still contains whatever your dog is intolerant to! LID diets would be a good place to start in ruling out what your dog can’t handle. My vet told me to do an elimination diet for 12 weeks for my dog because shes convinced he has both seasonal and food allergies. (I personally believe its just seasonal). Consider that he could also have environmental allergies if you are noticing that he has the issues with scratching all year round even when you feed a food with a novel protein.

Oh I should note I also have a AmStaff and they are very prone to yeast and skin issues. My dog gets yeast infections under his nail beds and in his ears. I’ll be ordering Wysong Epigen 90 as soon as my current food he’s on is almost out to try to manage his yeast. It’s unlike any other dry kibble on the market as it is (dry matter basis) 70% protein, 18% fat and 4% carbs! And completely starch free!

Edit– Brothers Complete makes a “hypoallergenic” dog food as well however just like with most of these types of food including Wysong the price tag is hefty.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 8 months ago by Pitlove.

[zcRiley]

Wild yeast naturally lives on potatoes, so I avoid all potatoes. It also feeds off of/thrives on oatmeal (in foods AND shampoos).

I transitioned for an entire year thru half of the 5 star listing to realize it was all the different fillers being used. Also, limited ingredient formulas may not have enough nutrition (my pups starved on it). I finally took out chicken, potato, tapioca, egg, and weird fruits/flowers. I chose peas as their only food “filler”. I skipped their dinner then switched the food cold turkey the next morning. Results were within days, not months. I do not agree anymore with these long drawn out transitioning periods, especially when their dog is suffering every second of every hour. It’s like you know the food is bad but you keep giving it to them, makes zero sense.

[zcRiley]

Looks yummy! Too bad my pups can’t have it. They don’t do well on potato, sweet potato, yeast extract. Makes them itchy, hot spots. They were born into Orijen until last year. Iall of a sudden, it wreaked havoc on their digestive tracts. Too too many ingredients. I thought about getting an allergy test from Glacier Peak but haven’t yet. $85 per pup, yikes.

[April B]

I would nominate HONEST KITCHEN dog and cat foods!!! I feed my baby the EMBARK SELECTION from HK.
They have helped both of my dogs, with so many issues that was mainly caused by JUNK DOG FOOD! Thinking that the Big Name Brands were good, and also the prescription vet foods, Not! One of the worst was Royal Canin, it caused an awful yeast infection in my dog’s body!!!

[Pitlove]

“Purines are found in high concentration in meat and meat products, especially internal organs such as liver and kidney. In general, plant-based diets are low in purines. Examples of high-purine sources include: sweetbreads, anchovies, sardines, liver, beef kidneys, brains, meat extracts (e.g., Oxo, Bovril), herring, mackerel, scallops, game meats, beer (from the yeast) and gravy.

A moderate amount of purine is also contained in beef, pork, poultry, other fish and seafood, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, mushrooms, green peas, lentils, dried peas, beans, oatmeal, wheat bran, wheat germ, and hawthorn.

Higher levels of meat and seafood consumption are associated with an increased risk of gout, whereas a higher level of consumption of dairy products is associated with a decreased risk. Moderate intake of purine-rich vegetables or protein is not associated with an increased risk of gout.”

I guess this is why your vet is recommending vegetarian? I wasn’t aware of this about dalmations, but it sounds as though they literally can’t eat anything but plant based proteins.

What food are you feeding now?

[InkedMarie]

Hi Delilah,
A wet food is best (canned, raw, dehydrated). For your dogs other issues, a grain and potato free food may be best. I have a yeasty dog & he didn’t get better until I put him on raw (we use ground) with no produce at all.

[Delilah S]

Hello! I am new to this site. I have looked at ratings, etc. before, but this is my first post.

I have a 4 year old English Bulldog. Jan 2014 she got a UTI. She had since had issues with recurring UTI’s…she had one in Jan, Feb, May, Oct, Nov, Jan & a trace of blood in her follow up Urine Analysis in Feb. She had done different antibiotics, we tried to supplement her with d-mannose, etc. etc. She has had x-rays & ultrasounds…all clear. Urine analysis(es) showed struvite crystals and a pH around 8-8.5. At a loss, our vet recommended Hills c/d in Feb to see if he headed off the infection. Sure enough, it did. She’s been UTI free since Feb.

Her skin has been mess…her face swollen, ears yeasty, she’s never been stinky & she smelled terrible, irritated face folds, the works (& that was on 2 benadryl twice a day). At the last trip to the vet he gave her steroids, but was pretty adamant about not switching her off of the c/d…talking long term allergy management treatment instead.

We sought a second opinion from another well respected, touted to be “more holistic,” vet in our area a few weeks ago. We were feeding Earthborn holistic meadow feast before the c/d and had not tried any other commercial foods. Based on the allergies, the new vet agreed that it was worth trying another food & ran a blood panel to check thyroid which came back ok. She wants to see a UA in 4 weeks on the new food.

After a lot of research we decided to switch her to The Honest Kitchen Keen because it’s supposed to be good for dogs with urinary issues. I have been monitoring her urine pH at home and it was a 6 when starting the transition from c/d. After one week it remained a 6. I checked it today and it was a 7. Today was the first day she was fully on the Honest Kitchen food.

I know 7 is still considered neutral. But, I am SO anxious now!! I was SO hopeful this would work for us to balance the allergies and urinary issues both. Our vet said 6-8 weeks on the new food to see what would happen with the allergies, but I could tell a big difference after about a week. She’s still not perfect, but there is a definite improvement in her looks & smell and I can’t tell that she’s feeling better.

I guess….are we on the right track?? Does anyone know of anything supplement wise I should talk to our vet about? She is currently on an omega 3 and probiotic as well (both of those are new within the last 3-4 weeks. Any other ideas or suggestions? I am going to keep an eye on it at home every few days vs. once a week and see if it continues to climb.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

What you describe sounds like environmental allergies which are more common than food allergies/intolerances. Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane, they get worse as the dog gets older.
I had excellent results after taking my dog to a dermatologist/specialist for skin testing. If the dog is really uncomfortable you may want to start there. I wasted a lot of time going back and forth to the regular vet, trying all kinds of different diets etc
Frequent bathing with Malaseb or GNC Antifungal shampoo for dogs does seem to help in conjunction with other treatments. Nutrisca salmon and chickpea kibble agrees with her the best.
If you go to the home/forums page here and use the search engine to look up allergies, you will find a ton of posts regarding pet owners going through the same thing.

Helpful article below:
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.

[Anonymous]

You didn’t mention how old your dog is? What you describe sounds like environmental allergies which are more common than food allergies/intolerances. Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane, they get worse as the dog gets older.
I had excellent results after taking my dog to a dermatologist/specialist for skin testing. If the dog is really uncomfortable you may want to start there. I wasted a lot of time going back and forth to the regular vet, trying all kinds of different diets etc, frequent bathing with Malaseb or GNC Antifungal shampoo for dogs does seem to help in conjunction with other treatments.
If you go to the home/forums page here and use the search engine to look up allergies, you will find a ton of posts regarding pet owners going through the same thing.

Helpful article below:
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.

[Pitlove]

Dog Foodie and Aimee thank you for your input.

Aimee- I have seen Vet’s like Dr. Becker say that carbs because they break down into sugar is what the yeast feeds off of. I’ve heard other people say that and then I’m hearing people say no it’s not that. There is so much information out there that contridicts one another that I’m finding myself stressed and confused.

Dog Foodie- I got what you were saying haha. As I said, I really disagree with my current vet that it is food related, but I am willing to try a food like Wysong to see if it makes a difference. I also think that I slacked on cleaning his ears regularly and that also contributed to the yeast build up. My current vet was saying that in her experience dogs do not start showing symptoms of allergies until 1 year of age, but down in LA she is finding they are showing them sooner because of the climate.

We are using Gain and Borox to clean his bedding. I started with the Borox because we had fleas. Those are just about gone, but they torn him up so bad he had scabs and is now missing hair in the spots that the scabs are falling off and his skin is flaky in those areas. I have an anti-funal shampoo from the vet that we have been bathing him in. When we were doing foot soaks for his yeasty feet it cleared it up very fast, but she said he has some yeast build up under his nail beds again, so we are going to re-start the foot soaks.

As for the raw, my boyfriend can be a stubborn jerk. He said to me “if you’re not going to cook for me, you’re not cooking for the dog”. Not that it would be cooking anyway more like thawing lol. Also I have yet to price it out and determine whether I would be paying more or less than what I’m currently spending on food. I am the one who feeds both him and the cat soley. He eats kibble and canned right now and the cat eats all canned. I do have some THK for him, but it’s grain-inclusive and he wasn’t super into it. He ate it, but he would walk away and come back which isn’t normal for him now.

I plan to give the Wysong a try and see if there is improvement by the time the food is gone. If not then I know it’s not the food. I’m also going to be a lot more aware of cleaning his ears and keeping up on it and soaking his feet. The yeast is not all over his body thankfully. It’s his nail beds and ears.

[aimee]

Hi Pitlove,

I never found there was any sound support for the “carbs feed the yeast” myth. It really makes absolutely no sense at all. Really sad to see people who should know better perpetuating such nonsense and a breath of fresh air to see someone call it out for what it is: urban legend.

[DogFoodie]

Wysong Epigen is good product, Pitlove. It’s worth a try, but it also quite possibly not food related.

That said, I have a Golden whose seasonal allergies became very apparent to me this spring. He was eating a particular food that he’s always done great on when seemingly out of nowhere, he had yeast infections in both ears. He does have food intolerance issues also, and in the past, when he’s reacted to foods, he’s had the same type of reaction which resulted in yeast infections in his ears – usually his right ear. But, this year, I was able to relate the timing of the onset of his symptoms to seasonal environmental changes. Looking back, it happened the same time last year. I was starting him on Springtime’s Bug Off Garlic and I attributed his ear infections to him reacting to that. I’m still not certain whether or not he’s intolerant of garlic.

One thing I did that seemed to help was to add Quercetin with Bromelain, Papain and an Omega 3 supplement to help the scratching. I could tell a difference. My dogs allergies have improved as the particular pollen season that seemed to affect him the most has decreased a bit. We’re still not in the clear, but I’m formulating my strategy for next spring.

Another thing you might consider doing is preparing a rinse of diluted white vinegar. Use it to clean his feet and wipe off his legs and belt with it every time he comes in from outside. Vacuum frequently. Keep indoor cleaning products simple and natural. The sensitivity could also be to products in your home; ie: cleaning products, new carpet, bedding, etc.

A raw diet would be great, but it’s OK if you’re able to do it currently. Since you’re interested, talk to your boyfriend and find out why he feels uneasy about it. Would he be feeding your pup at times? Maybe you could assume sole responsibility of feeding him if your boyfriend is uneasy about it. Also, half raw is better than none. Maybe you could try a commercial raw – that’s sometimes easier to stomach for queasy feeders. It’s also agreat way to be sure you’re getting balanced meals. A dehydrated food like The Honest Kitchen would also be less processed than kibble. I’d probably choose a grain free one like Zeal. Raw isn’t for everyone. My Golden isn’t a fan of raw, unless it’s tripe, which he eats eagerly. Another option would be canned food.

Allergy testing is notoriously inaccurate. I actually had a hair and saliva test recently that tests samples using biofeedback energy. The test was affordable for me, but I’m struggling to make sense of the results. My integrative vet and I were discussing another test, Dr. Jean Dodds, NutriScan test as likely being the most reliable, but still limited in scope and possibly accuracy. So, you’re better off with an elimination diet for food intolerance issues and developing a strategy for dealing with your pup’s environmental sensitivities.

There was someone here who was feeling with an issue with a food the same breed as yours and she ended up figuring out that it was a specific new detergent she was using. She stooped using the detergent and the symptoms disappeared. She had started using Gain lavender. She and her pup went through h*ll until she figured it out.

I know how frustrating it can be. There’s an awful lot of us here dealing with similar issues. You’re not alone! Good luck!

[Pitlove]

Interesting, so that link about 7 facts of dog odor is saying that startch and grains have nothing to do with yeast overgrowth. Now i’m really confused because I thought they did. I can’t put my guy on raw right now. My boyfriend will not let me. Not really sure why but he’s just not ok with it. I want to try Wysong Epigen for him. Any thoughts on that?

[Susan]

Hi Pitlove, your vet is on the right track about the potatoes high starch diet, but she hasn’t explain it properly, I would try a hypoallergenic limited ingredient kibble without potatoes, peas, lentils, sweet potatoes etc cause what she has been eating has caused the yeasty paws, also Malaseb medicated shampoo is excellent for this.. bathed every 5-7 days, I was putting the Malaseb just on Patches paws in a empty bath & leaving it on for 5mins then rinsing off the Malaseb kills the bacteria & really helped..
here’s a link to Karen Helton Rhodes face book group called “Canine Skin Solutions group” https://www.facebook.com/groups/1563654607200747/
here is the link explaining overgrowth Malassezia from food allergies (CARF) read #4, it will explain things more..
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/6/21/why-does-my-dog-stink-7-facts-about-dog-odor-you-need-to-know
I found as soon as I put Patch on a raw elimination diet, the red paws, smelly feet, went away…this is the diet Patch was put on you need to scroll down & click on Skin Allergy diet & just pick 1 protein 2-3-veggies & 1-2- fruits, I picked broccoli, celery, carrot & apple all peeled then cut up then put thru a mini processer ..1 cup of meat & 2 spoons of the blended veggie/fruit mix.. I had to add digestive enzyme, probiotic & digestaVite Plus to balance the diet but the Naturopath said he would be Ok without the DigestaVite Plus for 1-2 months while we were doing the elimination raw diet, I wasn’t adding no organ meat yet or no bone cause of his IBD.. with yeast you need to feed green veggies, broccoli, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Celery etc & stay away from the starchy veggies if you decide to feed a raw diet … http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/natural-diet.html

[Pitlove]

I’ll also mention that he is on this food atm: http://precisepet.com/dog-formulas/precise-holistic-complete/dry/wild-at-heart-flight-line/

It is the first grain inclusive food he has ever been on, but this formula has potatoes. I feel that I need to keep him off grain free foods and only feed him foods with brown rice as the main carb source to stop the yeast. Thoughts on staying away from grain free foods as well?

[Pitlove]

I recently brought my almost 1 year and 2 month old pitbull to the vet for what I thought was a yeast infection in his ears. He has been to this new vet 2 times prior and a different vet found a yeast infection so bad under his nails that she thought it was demodex. The old vet who has now since moved out of state to another practice, told me she felt he had a pollen/grass allergy and made no mention of a food intolerance/allergy. His allergy symptoms definitely seem to go down in the “winter time” (I live in Louisiana so we don’t really have real winters) and get worse when it starts getting to be summer. Some of you know that I do feed a rotational diet and I have not seen an improvement in his itchyness when I change foods. Only when the weather changes to cool months. The last few foods he was on that he did well on were Orijen, EVO and Fromm.

This last vet visit after she told me he had yeast in his ears, I mentioned to her that I was planning to try to get him off kibbles with high starch carbs like potatoes. She preceeded to tell me that potatoes were really good for dogs after just telling me he had yeast…I didn’t question her outloud, but that makes ZERO sense to me.

So now I’m torn. She thinks he has both seasonal and food allergies. I think he just has seasonal. I wanted to try him on California Natural Lamb and Rice since it’s just 4 ingredients and no peas, potatoes, sweet potatoes or lentils. Now I just don’t know what to do though. Do I try that food and follow what she told me to do about starting an elimination diet? Or do I go back to feeding 3-5 foods that he does well on like Fromm?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Alasdair D]

Hi All,

First post, so please be a bit gentle….

As an introduction, I live in the UK and have 2 Deerhounds. One is 10 years old and one is 10 months old. The pup has been fed raw since birth and I converted the old lady to raw when we got the pup 6 months ago. The old lady had been fed raw many years ago, but I got lazy and moved her onto Royal Canin some years ago at a vet’s recommendation. Over time, she developed some skin problems, but the move to raw has cleared that up completely and she now also has more energy.

Anyway….what I am looking for is some advice on the diet I currently feed them. I will describe the “go to” menu, but be aware that I do chop and change depending on what is available and also feed lamb rib bones and other raw meaty bones often.

I normally feed the dogs twice daily. Breakfast is a raw mince and vegetables (see below) meal and dinner is normally raw chicken wings or quarters.

The mince I use is made from ground chicken carcasses so has about 15% bone, and also has about 10% added offal. It is all human grade chicken meat with no additives or preservative whatsoever – just pure ground up chicken parts.

For the vegetables, about every month or so I buy a load of leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes (the orange ones) and broccoli, then grind it up really fine in my food processor and freeze to use later.

I use about 1/3rd veggies and 2/3 mince for the breakfast meal – and I also add a supplement that I make up from equal weights of powdered kelp, brewers yeast and ground flaxseed. Each dog gets a desert spoonful of this powder with their breakfast.

That’s the typical meal plan. Both dogs love it, the pup appears to be in phenomenal health and the old girl is much better than she used to be.

So, I am really looking for comments on this….. I think it covers most of the bases in terms of protein, fat, carbs, vitamins and minerals, but I want to know if there is something I am missing or anything I can or should add to improve their diet.

Let me know what you think!

Many thanks,

Alasdair

[Pitlove]

M M- I’m very glad to hear that your dog is doing well on a vegan diet. It is first and foremost important that dogs are healthy whether they are eating meat or not. I am not a supporter of vegan dog diets and as an aside I feel it should be considered animal cruelty to do feed them to a cat as they can become critically/fatally ill, however, your dog is clearly an extreme case.

Do you know if she is allergic to Rabbit or Kangaroo? You can feed those raw as well and for a dog with such extreme allergies you probably have already found out that raw is usually best. Hare Today also makes Cavie grinds (guinea pig). That could be another novel protein to look into. However, the grinds from Hare Today are not complete and balanced and would require you to make them such (your vet could probably help you).

As I said though, it is great that you have found something that is working for your dog. As long as she continues to remain thriving and healthy for her yearly check-ups and allergy and yeast free then more power to you both!

[M M]

She is allergic to beef, chicken, turkey, venison, lamb, fish + milk per the allergy testing. The only one of these we hadn’t previously tried in food was chicken because the original vet said chicken is the most common allergy. She just loved yogurt as a topper but it gave her diarrhea which took more than a month to resolve. But thankfully she loves her bean and broccoli topper just as much!

The allergy test didn’t specifically check salmon (just “fish”) but our experience before the allergy testing was red face, red watery eyes, and wet sneezes immediately after eating. We didn’t know that wasn’t normal for her until we saw the difference with the V-dog.

She had been off all meat for a long while and was doing very well before allergy testing so the allergies are likely true allergies, not just markers of an overactive immune system. I don’t know why the pea and bean protein seem to be just fine for her.

Thank goodness she has done well on the V-dog as she was downright miserable before and it was so hard to watch her and be unable to provide any comfort as meds and topical preparations were no help. We also love that she no longer stinks to high heaven a day after her bath and doesn’t need daily ear flushes to keep yeast in check.

[M M]

We have been using V-Dog for 10 months with amazing results in our hyper-allergic English bulldog. Only after switching to V-dog did we learn through allergy testing that she is allergic to milk and every kind of meat (tho’ we suspected at least some meats were an issue as we tried ~6 types). To the person who has never heard of a dog being allergic to meat, you’re welcome to call our vet and discuss our dog’s case. It happens. A week after we adopted her, her previous owner commented that she has “allergies” but he didn’t specify details and we had never heard of meat allergies. I had to buy a cone collar to keep her from scratching herself raw.

The first vet we saw recommended a novel protein diet so we proceeded to try salmon then various rare protein and grain/potato-free options. I didn’t notice any changes in her intense whole-body itching, skin yeast and bacterial infections, and ear infections, so I figured we had not given it enough time to show benefit as I was told it takes 3 months after switching foods to notice a change.

We switched to the V-dog a week after our pup had a severe allergic reaction with facial and airway swelling, wheezing, and hives that failed to resolve with 2 steroid injections and oral prednisolone. She gobbled up the V-dog and begged for more, which was a huge change from me having to lace the other foods we’d tried with peanut butter or moist food (which she often would just lick off and leave the kibble behind).

Within a few days of switching to V-dog we noticed a dramatic reduction in the itchy-scratchies, yeasty body smell, yeasty ears, red face after eating, and watery eyes after eating. Her hives resolved and thanks to her improved smell I was able to wait 2+ weeks between baths (vs 3x/week with medicated shampoo as previously directed by our vet). Her hives totally resolved. The bald spots in her coat filled in and now her coat is thick and shiny.

A while after switching to V-dog, I tried giving her a fresh raw meat knuckle bone which she gnawed at for 2 minutes then promptly threw up and then refused to touch it. I thought maybe she didn’t like the raw aspect, so I cooked meat and made homemade broth from bones, at which point her allergies dramatically worsened. Stopped the meat, allergies gone.

The V-dog is expensive, but we happily pay for it as our dog is now healthy and happy. She was so miserable before. When we go to the vet for routine care she and her staff all say how nice it is to see a healthy bulldog. We also supplement with coarsely ground home-cooked beans and veggies (especially kale and broccoli), which she devours. We give her plain organic PB mixed with freshly ground flaxseed for treats. For training treats we just use the V-dog kibbles since she loves them so much. She also loves and begs for raw carrot sticks and fruits like thin apple slices, mashed cherries/berries, watermelon, and banana (tho’ we heavily limit fruit to small amounts due to high sugar content and also give watermelon from near the rind to limit sugar).

I would like to find a home-cooked food option in case there is a time when we can’t get the V-dog (and also it seems that baked kibble is not really an ideal food, despite how well she does with it compared to other kibble and moist foods), but for now I am very happy to support the company. The vet told us that we should stick with V-dog as it is working so well for us.

Of note, our dog also has environmental allergies, but as long as we vacuum to keep dust/pollen at a minimum she does fine. I do limit her time outdoors during the worst of the pollen season. But even if her allergies flare from pollen they are nothing like what they were before the V-dog switch.

[crazy4cats]

Christie-
One important thing that we forgot to mention in the two previous posts to think about also, is the fact that the WEF recipes have less calories than the Merrick grain free. Most of the WEF flavors have about 350 calories per cup and the Merrick ones typically have 400 or more calories per cup. So you do need to take that into consideration as well as you will most likely be feeding more of the WEF than the Merrick.

I have two neutered male labs that I have to be careful of their weight. Therefore, I can feed a little more of the WEF without worrying about weight gain. That makes them happy!!

Pitlove gave you great advice about feeding a lot of potatoes possibly causing yeast issues. We haven’t had that problem, but it is another good reason to rotate foods and/or brands that use different proteins and carb sources. Good luck!

[Pitlove]

Christie- I’ve worked at a store that carried both products (Petco) and so I made a point to look into both brands for when customers had questions about them. Merrick GF has 12% more protein than WEF. WEF is 26%(29 dry matter) and Merrick is 38%(43 dry matter). Therefore WEF will be a little higher in carbs than Merrick. WEF is also lower in fat than Merrick, which helps. However, for it’s price I believe that WEF is one of the best foods in that price point. It’s very close to Purina products price wise and we would often recommend it at my old job for customers who were looking to transistion to natural foods. The price wasn’t as scary, but they are still feeding a far better food than Purina or the like. One thing I’d like to point out (as I’m currently going through this with my pitbull) that Bulldog’s are prone to yeast and yeast loves starchy carbs like potatoes. Since Merrick does a lot with potatoes and sweet potatoes make sure you are cleaning his folds (if he has some) and his ears very regularly. If you start to smell a yeasty smell consider a food without potatoes and other starchy carbs like peas.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 9 months ago by Pitlove.