[Denis S]

Hello, my GSD has a new food allergy, I think. I noticed he had a wound next to his anus, approximately 2 inches in diameter. I rushed him to my vet. At first, it was mentioned that it could be a ruptured anal gland, then it would have been something the burrowed itself in, but, then was concluded that it was a food allergy. I went with it at first, as I brainstormed questions to ask. What made me stray away from it being, necessarily a food allergy, was that test’s were not conducted to rule out other possibilities; her explanation of how his immune system was forcing protein out through the path of least resistance (which would have made sense to me if something ruptured, forgive me I am not a vet.) It was a quick glance, and my (former) vet’s aggressive attempt’s to have me buy a $110.00 bag of 24lb Science Hill Hydrolyzed Z/D dog food. It really, gave me a terrible taste in my mouth.

I went home and emailed Diamond dog food, a food I have used for year’s on my GSD’s and Rottweiler and never had any issues. Afterwards, I began my research on hydrolyzed dog food. Forgive me to all whom read my post, if I may seem like a novice here, which when it come’s to hydrolyzed dog food, I am. I concluded that the process of making the food itself is more difficult and requires more of a process than any other version. I didn’t feed him the Diamond dog food that night, instead I made him wild caught salmon with a few extra’s for omega-3’s and other nutrients for him. All on recommendations from a breeder friend and other GSD dad’s.

The next day I received a response from Diamond (surprisingly quick) and they recommended their Diamond Care line. I read and read reviews and and found that it is indeed hydrolyzed dog food. I still continued my research on other brands, you never know what you’ll come across. I went to my local pet store and was disappointed that they had not received the Care line yet. Luckily for me as I was talking to the manager, a vet from another clinic over heard and jumped right in. I explained to him the situation, he nodded his head, looked down and right back up to me. He was apologetic and agreed more could have been done. He then went to explain to me, in detail exactly how hydrolyzed dog food work, what it is intended to do, the pro’s and con’s, who it is for and the potential outcome. He asked about symptom’s, behavior, stool frequency and consistency, his typical diet, what he does on a daily, where does he roam or like to hang out and do, etc. Then continued to explain Science Hill’s influence inside of veterinary medicine. I’ll leave all that for another topic. He then went on explaining how the allergies work with dog’s etc. He did recommend a few brands, the make up, and well the typical “less legs the better,” same rules I follow. Believe, me I felt stupid that I knew exactly what my body needs to stay optimal and didn’t apply it for my boy.

I did schedule with his office for a visit.

If you have any experience’s or recommendations please share. I do ask that we all have tact and be polite to one another.

[anonymous]

Yes.
Amy responded to your comment. I responded to your comment. You ignored our responses, I suppose that you did not find our opinions of value.
/forums/topic/hydrolyzed-diet/

Apparently you already know what you want to hear and will keep seeking others to confirm your opinions.

Best of luck with the new vet!

[Susan]

Hi Denis,

Sound like your GSD had a Furunculosis on his bum, my boy has IBD, Seasonal Skin Allergies (Summer/Autumn) & he has food sensitivities, food allergies are rare & the dog normally will suffer with IBD when he/she suffers with food allergies..
Anal furunculosis is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease of dogs that results in ulceration and inflammation in the area surrounding the anus.

Here’s link – “What is Idiopathic Furunculosis (German Shepherds)?”
https://wagwalking.com/condition/idiopathic-furunculosis-german-shepherds

If your dog is eating the Hills Z/d vet diet, after 1 month if he is doing firm poos, no farts, no skin problems & he is doing really well this is when you start a food elimination diet & try too work out what ingredients your dog is sensitive too?? that’s if it is food related?? its Spring in America it could be environment allergies or his immune system is crashing from Allergies or vaccinations?? it takes a while doing food elimination diets, 1 month to trial 1 new ingredient at a time to his Hypoallergenic vet diet, it can take 20mins up to 6 weeks for the dog to react, with itchy skin, ears, red around mouth, paws, gas/wind/farts, vomiting, itchy yeasty ears, skin, anal gland problems take a bit longer 4-7days when dog is reacting to an ingredient..
I found Patch reacted within 20mins of eating raw or cooked chicken, when he eats grains & carrots he took up to 5 days to react with sloppy yellow poo, farts & yeasty smelly skin & ears…
Results are 100% correct with food elimination trial. Blood, Fur& Salvia testing can give false positives results, they’re a waste of money also it’s best to do food elimination diet in the cooler months when allergen are lower, its hard in Spring & Summer as your dog might be itchy cause of a plant, tree, grass, flowers, pollens in yard or next door & you think its what he’s eating & its not, keep a diary you will start to see a pattern with Seasonal Environment Allergies, also baths weekly, baths are best to wash off any allergens on skin, paws head etc ….
I wipe Patch down with baby wipes days I don’t bath him, read the ingredients in the baby wipes & get the baby wipes that have Aloe leaf abstract in them, also Patch was getting furunculosis on bum & paws, when his immune system was down, when I first rescued him, so now after he poos I always wipe his bum with baby wipes & I wipe down his paws when he walks on wet grass or freshly cut grass he gets red paws..

Get some “Sudocrem” its an anti-fungal, anti bacterial healing cream, for Dermatitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash, Pressure Sores, if you live US look on Amazon & I’ve read Walmart has started to sell Sudocrem, its an excellent cream… it heals sores, cuts, red paws, thinning of fur on head, excellent for itchy bum, when they scoot (bum surf)
Make sure his immune system is healthy & its best to see a Dermatologist as they specialize in skin..

Look at “Adored Breast” Healthy Gut & Love Bugs (Pre & Pro Biotics) made by Julie Anne Lee

Please watch these videos below when you have the time, Julie explains what might be happening with your dog.

Here’s Julie Anne Lee – Allergies, Skin Disease, or Autoimmune – PT 1

Here’s Julie Anne Lee – Allergies, Skin Disease, or Autoimmune – PT 2

[joanne l]

Hi I am sorry to hear about your dog I have a GSD too. He has anal gland issues as well. My vet did not know what was causes it. He said “could be diet or just a condition” Well anyway, getting them expressed will fix it but the down side of that is it will come back and you will need to do it often, which is not good for the dog. It will weaken his anal glands. Anyway he was eating pro plan so I switched to Holistic Select and he seems better. Still he will lick at his bum but not often like on Pro plan. So the next step is to change the protein in his diet. I know it is not the grains that is causing it for my dog, it may be the protein. So I would try the hypoallergenic dog food and see what happens. Or try to find a LID of another brand. Best of Luck.

[anonymous]

“Well anyway, getting them expressed will fix it but the down side of that is it will come back and you will need to do it often, which is not good for the dog. It will weaken his anal glands”

INCORRECT.
Please discuss your dog’s condition with a veterinarian that has examined him.

[joanne l]

I did and my vet said to me abut my dog, “give him food that will frim his stools and they will express naturally” So I would appreciate if you don’t quote me like that. And it is true that if they are expressed unnaturally too often will weaken their anal glands. You can read about it your self.

[anonymous]

From a previous post of mine per:
Excerpts (out of context) from article below: https://www.vetsecure.com/veterinarymedicalclinic.com/articles/136
Overview:
“Anal sacs are the reservoirs for the secretions of anal glands which are located on either side of a dog’s anus, at approximately four and eight o’clock. These sacs contain liquid secretions from the anal gland, which, in healthy animals, are normally pale yellow-brown to grayish in color. The contents are usually emptied during normal bowel movements, or when a dog is nervous or scared. In most animals, these sacs empty easily. However, some dogs, especially small breed dogs, are not able to empty the sacs properly and become susceptible to anal sac disease”.
Transmission or Cause:
“The cause of anal sac disease is unknown. Smaller dog breeds, such as Chihuahuas and poodles, are most often affected. Excessive anal gland production, soft feces or diarrhea, poor muscle tone, and obesity also contribute to higher risk of developing anal sac disease. Anal sac abscess tends to occur after an impacted anal gland has become so severely swollen and infected that the anal sac forms an abscess and ruptures”.
Prevention:
“Expression of the anal sacs every few weeks or months often will help prevent anal gland fluid from accumulating and becoming thickened again. High fiber diets have been shown to help prevent anal sac disease in at-risk dogs, especially those that are obese”.

[joanne l]

Here is another article to read: Should anal glands be expressed manually?
Dog lovers are often misinformed because they are told they should get their dog’s anal glands emptied. Some veterinarians and groomers believe that expressing them will prevent them from filling up, which is not correct. In reality, the more frequently they are squeezed, the less toned they are. It almost seems that the canine glands get ‘lazy’ by having them squeezed too often.
Ideally, you should let your dog’s anal glands do their job and allow them to empty naturally. Most dogs’ anal glands tend to be semi-full when examined, but that is not a reason to have them expressed.
That is from this website: https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/11014181-holistic-approach-to-anal-gland-problems-in-dogs

There are different opinions on everything, I guess do what works.

• This reply was modified 4 years, 11 months ago by joanne l.

[anonymous]

Yes, I understand. You are comparing homeopathic veterinary views with traditional science based veterinary views.
Homeopathic views and traditional views differ greatly.

I prefer to stick with traditional veterinary medicine as I have had positive results. I do not believe in homeopathy as I have had dire results when listening to those folks.

Good luck with whatever course of treatment you choose to pursue.

[Author]

Posts