Vet says Food allergies PLEASE help!!

[myrottie_chyna]

I took Chyna to the vet today because she has been getting scabby spots on her back, and behind her elbows. She also has a few under her jawline. He flea combed her and found no fleas, she is on Frontline. He said it was not mange or any other parasites. He suggested that it was food allergies, and that I switch food. He didnt really have an suggestions on what to change it too except for *AARGH* Purina, or Science Diet, Which fills his office.

I dont know what to do. I dont want to take her off of Canidae, but she is miserable. He gave her an antihistamine shot, and said that should stop the itching for a few weeks. She has been sleeping since we got home. He said she would have an increased appetite, and need to drink and pee more.

So what brand of food should I try?? Has anyone else's dogs had allergies to food while on Canidae? What did you switch too?
HELP!!!

[Jamie & Odin]

myrottie_chyna, Odin has some allergies too. He had scabs around his mouth, on his jawline. My vet did a scraping of the scabs and they were a bacterial skin infection. A bacterial infection, especially a recurring one, is symptomatic of allergies, but need to be treated with antibiotics. Did the vet do a scraping? If it is bacterial, changing foods and addressing the allergy will not address the current infection, but prevent future ones.

Second, my vet told me that food allergies only account for 10% of all allergies, so it could be something else. I switched to california natural, haven't seen any improvements yet, but it will take about 2-3 mos. to get any results from switching foods.

PS, yep he developed the allergies while on Canidae, the numerous protein sources may not work for all dogs. Try Innova, Wellness or California Natural.

[myrottie_chyna]

He scrapped off some of the scabs and skin with the flea comb and looked at them really closely. He didnt say anything about infection, but that the scabs were build up of sloughed skin. When he scraped also, there was a TON of dandruff. She also has them on her side by her armpit? Just behind her elbow, where there is no hair. She also scratches her feet/legs.
So he gave her the shot, and also talked me into 6 months of Heartgard. :)
I am really torn.. I JUST bought and opened a 40 lb bag of Canidae a few days ago, and have NO idea what food I should go buy to try. OR what to do with the 40 lbs of Canidae. I wonder if the store will give me a partial refund on the open bag....

[Roscoe's dad]

If I remember right, others have asked this. You may want to do a search, there were a lot of recomendations for different high quality foods.:)

[rottlove]

Animal shelters might be happy to take that Canidae off your hands. Call first; some don't take open bags.

[CarolineS]

The only way to get food allergies under control is to put the dog on an allergy elimination diet with a unique protein and carb source. This diet is homemade and the dog usually stays on it for 6 - 8 weeks and eats absolutely nothing else but these two foods. If the symptoms improve, you'll know the dog is not allergic to these two ingredients and can build your diet from there, either with a commercial food or making it yourself. Your vet should know what an allergy elimination diet is and be able to help you set one up.

Dogs are allergic to the protein in foods, with meats being the biggest offender because they have the greatest amount of protein. Corn is very high in protein as well which is why dogs with allergic tendencies quite often have reactions to it. Canidae has four protein sources in it, so there is no way of telling which one is bothering your dog. If you're determined to stick with a kibble, go to one with only a couple of ingredients like California Natural.

I don't know how old Chyna is and how many different types of kibble she's eaten in her lifetime, but chances are she's allergic to at least one of the reoccuring protein sources in them all. Chicken is a likely culprit since it's used in so many kibbles (in which case California Natural won't work). Lamb is increasingly common in kibble as well.

My dog has food allergies which have resulted in inflammatory bowel disease. One of Vicki Magnus' dogs has food allergies which resulted in skin symptoms like your dog's, but much more severe. In the last two years, both Vicki and I have switched to making our own food (cooked, not raw). Both our dogs have improved enormously and the allergies are now under control. Neither of us had any luck with any of the commercial kibbles, prescription or otherwise. It is entirely possible to get food allergies under control, but it takes dedication and fine-tuning of a diet.

By the way, I don't think the shot he gave her was an antihistamine shot. It sounds more like a cortisone shot. The side effects of this are increased appetite and thirst. Some vets never get beyond pumping the dog full of steroids to control allergies and are unwilling or unable to provide any dietary advice. If this proves to be the case with your vet, I'd look for a second opinion.

[DixieGrl113]

If this does turn out to be a food allergy, there are some great super premium foods out there you could try. Wellness has a fish &Sweet Potato formula. There's also California Natural. I haven't had any hands on with this food but the ingredients are quality and few. Which is great for an elimination diet. I liked the look of some of Wysong's formula's too. They also have Duck, Rabbit and Venison in a can which is good for an alternative meat source. I think I read that Solid Gold has a allergy formula too. I would start by eliminating ingredients in the food one by one to find out which one she's reacting too. This is A LOT easier if you home cook or BARF. You know EXACTLY what's goin in and can adjust accordingly. My oldest girl has food allergies. She can't have any grains and absolutely no beef. She does ok with marrow bones though. Its really a process of elimination. There are plenty of members here with food sensitive/allergic dogs. I think its CarolineS that has to feed buffalo meat. Its frustrating at times but it can be managed. I switched to BARF specifically for the purpose of allergy managment for Roxanne. She is doing 1000x's better and the others have benifited as well as a result ;) Good Luck to you. :) Here's some helpful links I have bookmarked

www.wysong.net
www.omh.com/dogs
www.trueserve.biz/ssl/index (scroll down the side to see dog food links)
ww.homemade4life.com (they have a rabbit formula)

[DixieGrl113]

I see Caroline beat me to the post lol :D Well, there you have it!

[myrottie_chyna]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I am going to go look at Calif Natural, and Innova tomorrow. I know they are made by the same company. Thier website says that the Calif Natural Puppy formula is good for sensitive puppies.
I cant believe my vet is such an ignoramus. He said "dogs have been living long healthy lives for years on Purina". I asked him about the use of corn in pet foods, and how that is a horrible source of protien/carbs. He didnt really have much to say about it... What can I say, country vet.... I think Im going to have to combat this myself w/o his help. He did say that if it dont improve with a food change, he could give her some fatty acids something..... I cant remember, I was Irked.

CarolineS, do you have any recipes for homecooked food that I could try? I am really not wanting to Barf. It scares me to feed her chicken bones. I was feeding her wings, and she loved them. But she hacked up bone splinters a few times, and I swore I wouldnt feed them too her again. Not unless I can get a grinder or have my butcher grind them.
But if you have a fairly simple recipe, I would love to try it.

[DixieGrl113]

Grinding the bones is always a great option. Bone quality grinders can be expensive though. Whether you BARF or Cook there are calcium alternatives. Ground egg shells come to mind. CarolineS is IMO one of the best here on the subject of Canine Nutrition. Can't go wrong with her help. She will really break it down for you. I hope ya'll don't keep the recipes/info to PM's! I'm always ready to learn more about nutrition and recipes/ingredients different people use. :D

[TrishB]

This is one of my pet peeves. The vet says you have a dog with allergies and tells you to change their diet. Huh?!?!

If the vet feels that your dog has allergies, they should do a RAST (Radioallergosorbent test). This test will tell you WHAT your dog is allergic to. Interesting huh?

As your vet said, about 10% of dog allergies are food related. So why on earth are you switching their diets?? What about the other 90%??? :p

I'd highly recommend that you get a RAST performed. That will tell you specifically what she's allergic to and how to adjust to avoid the allergens. It may be that she's not allergic to any of the food items at all! In which case, changing her food will do nothing other than potentially upsetting her tummy and causing more stress to her. Itchiness is not pleasant. :(

Here's a great article:

http://www.thepoop.com/experts/vet/rast.asp

In the mean time, I'd recommend that you get a new vacuum with a HEPA filter, and an air filter (possibly with HEPA again). Taking the allergens out of the air and carpets may help. Some people remove carpets altogether.

But I wouldn't start changing things until you find out WHAT she's allergic to. ;)

Best of luck and let us know what the results are! :)

[Sheenagirl]

Sheena also started scratching more while on the Canidae kibble. I had her on IVD White fish and potatoes (can) food for years because we felt she had allergies. I also gave her the IVD (dry) Duck kibble. She was fine while on this limited protein food. I know it is a prescription type food which is not in any of our pet specialty shops - I still buy the IVD can food from my Vet's office (who's office is also is loaded with Science Diet!!!).

I also decided to try some other kibble foods- she did well on the Nutro Natural Chicken and Wellness Super 5 mix. So, I'm not real sure Sheena has allergies after all (but she did scratch more with the Canidae).

Try the dog foods with only one protein source (Sheena preferred the fish) and see how that goes. I would be interested in knowing which foods Chyna does the best on. ;)

[Jamie & Odin]

TrishB, I understand your point. However, my vet advised against allergy testing. This is because of the high cost, and the fact that it is only really useful if over the counter allergy meds don't work, and you need to take your dog in for shots. If you are taking your dog in for shots, then they need to know specifically what he/she is allergic to.

I would prefer to test for food allergies, thereby eliminating the need for meds at all along with the offending food, should that be the cause.


If the allergy is environmental, then it would basically be treated the same way regardless of what the allergen is. With otc benadryl.

This is the fundamentals of what I understood of my converstaion with my vet.

Also, your vet has a wide variety of allergen test dry kibble available to order.

[Vicki]

My dogs allergies were so severe she was on the verge of being put down. A picture is worth a thousand words: http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...250&members=1.

The pictures hardly do justice to how HORRIBLE it was. The last picture of her on the boat shows her well on the road to recovery, and she looks even better today.

We feed her venison if we have it, and buffalo when we run out of venison. Her food is one part meat, one part potatoes, and two parts green veggies, cooked in a crock pot. We then use a mixer to mush it together, and then put it in individual containers. We make about one weeks worth at a time, a few in the fridge, then freeze the rest. My little girl is 16, and still going strong. The change in her health made a believer out of me, all my dogs are on home cooked diets now.

[myrottie_chyna]

My vet wanted to put her on one of a few science diet allergy formula foods, but he looked them up in a book and they were not recommended for growing puppies. He said we could possibly try them after she is 8 months old, but he said not now. She will be 5 mos on the 25th.
I brushed her for about an hour and a half last night to try and loosen the scabs and dandruff. I might go ahead and bathe her with the conditioning shampoo that I got her. Its herbal, and says that its good for dry skin. Its made by Bio Groom.
I'm going to the feed store today to do some searching/comparisons, of some different foods.
I am thinking that her mother was allergic to Lamb. So I'm going to look for something w/o lamb in it and try that first. ?????????
I am Soooooo the breeder so far is not returning my calls. :(
I vaguely remember her saying something about not putting her on any foods with lamb as her mother is allergic to it. She was feeding her science diet. The puppies were fed Nutro Natural Choice.
She has only been on Nutro and Canidae so far. The nutro only in the beginning before transitioning to Canidae.