Good Allergy Food??

[Taz_Zoee]

Help! I need to know a good hypo-allergenic food within the next two hours.
My friend/co-worker is going to pick up meds for her dog at lunch and she needs to get her some food as well. The vet recommends the Purina HA. This is rather expensive and hard to find around here (plus I've heard not-so-good things about Purina, even though my Taggart eats it :p). Is there any other kind of food we could try to find?

Thanks!! :D

[Taz_Zoee]

Anyone? I've got 30 minutes until lunch.

[king2005]

What kind of allergies?

Digi is allergic to all meats except Fowl & Fish.. I feed her Origen 6 fish... They also have Origen Chicken (I think thats what its called)... as there is no garbage, no chemicals, no mystery meat, & no mystery parts!

Now if the dog is allergic to things like dust & grass, wouldn't it just be cheaper to buy him/her allergy meds? <- Others need to step in here as I haven't researched this yet

[Taz_Zoee]

They are not sure. They think she may have IBD. But they just wanted her on an allergy food. :confused: (Thanks for your response.:))

[Flatcoatluver]

Purina and Hill science diet or both commonly given to dogs by vets, both very unhealthy. Natural Balance is a good dog food for the dogs that have allergies. But I also say that evo innova is the best, no grains, no corn, and no by-products. Grain and corn is a very common allergy for dogs.

[king2005]

They are not sure. They think she may have IBD. But they just wanted her on an allergy food. :confused: (Thanks for your response.:))

Sorry gonna post 1 more time :)

IBD: Irritated Bowel Dissorder?

If I didn't put 2 & 2 together with Digi I never would have known that she had allergies to cow (including dairy), pork & shellfish... Once I removed everything beef, things greatly improved.. No more puking & no more exploding butt syndrome!

Now she cannot tollerate any of the above, not even a tiny amount... Her digestive system now will bleed if she gets into anything shes allergic too.

My vet calls it (in simple words) Extreamly Sensitive Digestive System.


The above now explains why poor Diji was such a picky eater, everything was hurting her tummy :( Well not anymore :)
If I fear shes feeling down or think she got into something I can give her Pepro Bismaul for 1 day to help her system remain calm.

I really hope that helps :)

[Karen]

Iams Lamb and Rice does well for some dogs with allergies.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you (all three of you :D)! I've written down these foods and I'll discuss it with my friend.

In fact, I'm going to print out King2005's last post and show her that as well.

You guys are awesome!! :)

[Husky_mom]

sorry I couldn´t help but I have no experience there... hope you and your friend figure out something

[king2005]

Thank you (all three of you :D)! I've written down these foods and I'll discuss it with my friend.

In fact, I'm going to print out King2005's last post and show her that as well.

You guys are awesome!! :)

If you want more detail let me know & I'll PM that to you.. I don't really want to post it here as it involves poop in detail.

OH, check to see if the dogs skin is red!! If the dogs skin is white (normal) before it eats & then goes red after a meal, then you know its the food for sure! Also monitor scratching along with the red skin. Ummm... Is the dog willing to eat anything & everything, or does it turn its nose up often, or will go a day or so without eating?

Read Digi's blog of what happened to her 2 weeks ago... www.digi-king.blogspot.com

OH is the dog eating a lot of hair? That can be a sign of an upset belly (I didn't know & feel stupid as I know shes always eaten a LOT of hair) esp. if the dog doesn't have access to grass (Digi didn't)...

Is the dog thin or seem to have a hard time putting on weight?

I think that pretty much covers everything I went through with Digi

[Taz_Zoee]

Tessa is very skinny and always has been. My friend got her too early from the breeder, but now we say she is lucky she got her early or she would have died. She had a severe case of worms and almost did die. If my friend hadn't got her when she did Tessa probably would not be here today. :(

She is a Boxer, so she doesn't have too much of her own hair to eat. But she does have Shih-Tzu "uncles" (my friends parents dogs). She said that she does eat a lot of grass. And that she wants to eat everything in sight. She is not a picky eater.

So at the vets office my friend said that she had read online that Purina is not good food. So the receptionist went back to ask the doctor about an alternative food for her. She came back and said the doctor said not to believe what you read online and that Purina is the BEST food there is and she feeds it to her dogs. After we left I said - yeah, WHATEVER!!! :rolleyes: And my friend agreed with me. LOL

Jess, please PM me with more details and I'll forward it on to my friend. We really need to figure this out because it's been going on (off and on) for almost a year now. Thanks!! :D

[Seravieve]

Nature's Recipe Fish and Potato might be good for her. Its no corn, no beef, no wheat, no byproducts. And its not as expensive as Innova or Orijen, if that's a concern. Its available at Petsmart. We feed it and the lamb and rice formula. LOL at the Vet.. Purina is a good food.. :eek:

[Taz_Zoee]

Nature's Recipe Fish and Potato might be good for her. Its no corn, no beef, no wheat, no byproducts. And its not as expensive as Innova or Orijen, if that's a concern. Its available at Petsmart. We feed it and the lamb and rice formula. LOL at the Vet.. Purina is a good food.. :eek:

Thanks, I'll tell her this too.
And it wasn't just "good" food but the BEST food there is.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

California Natural is a very limited ingredient kibble, that many people feed their dogs with allergies. There's a chicken & rice, lamb & rice, and herring & sweet potato formula. Just another brand to look into. :)

[Seravieve]

LOL oh dear.. I missed the 'BEST' part. Kinda makes you wonder...

[king2005]

Tessa is very skinny and always has been. My friend got her too early from the breeder, but now we say she is lucky she got her early or she would have died. She had a severe case of worms and almost did die. If my friend hadn't got her when she did Tessa probably would not be here today. :(

She is a Boxer, so she doesn't have too much of her own hair to eat. But she does have Shih-Tzu "uncles" (my friends parents dogs). She said that she does eat a lot of grass. And that she wants to eat everything in sight. She is not a picky eater.

So at the vets office my friend said that she had read online that Purina is not good food. So the receptionist went back to ask the doctor about an alternative food for her. She came back and said the doctor said not to believe what you read online and that Purina is the BEST food there is and she feeds it to her dogs. After we left I said - yeah, WHATEVER!!! :rolleyes: And my friend agreed with me. LOL

Jess, please PM me with more details and I'll forward it on to my friend. We really need to figure this out because it's been going on (off and on) for almost a year now. Thanks!! :D

I'll start doing a write up for you on everything I have learned with Digi.. My vet said it is a rare condition, but can easily be controlled most of the time (if the owner cares).


About the "cheaper" foods, you must remember that just becuase it says there is no beef in it there could be traces of it in the kibble, as beef is more then likely handled in the same place (ONLY fowl & fish are in the Origen plants, I know becuase I contacted them)..

Also if a dog is allergic to beef, its best to ONLY feed them fowl & fish (with all the yummy veggies & fruit of course) because sheep, deer, bison, cow all very similar animals when it comes to their protein.. & well pig is a "maybe" but many dogs can't handle pork anyways.. Digi was ok with pork, then it all went down hill after a few months of eating pork treats.

yes Origen is more costly, but at the end of the day, its cheaper as you can feed the dog FAR less then that Purenia or Iams or Hills garbage!! & there is no toxic/harmfull stuff in it so the dog isn't going to get sick from eating it (allergies don't count.. but its less likely that a dog will be allergic to it)

Also remember that dairy has the same proteins in it, so Cheese is a big no no too, & cottage cheese!

for now, feed the dog rice, boiled chicken, raw carrots, & raw green beans for a couple of days.. If its system starts calming down that might mean the dog is having similar issues as Digi... But first let the system dry out.. no food for 24hrs (poor Digi had to go without for nearly 4 days).. give the dog some gateraide to keep him hydrated.. gaterade has sugar in it, so the dog might get hyper.. but the sugar will also encourage him to drink plenty.

Digi Weighs 24-26lbs.. she is to take 1/6th of a human dose of Pepto Bismaul... The vet told me to give her some for a whole day if her system starts to act up a hair, or if I suspect she ate something shes allergic too.

That might be an idea to help calm the dogs insides right now... But it might be a very good idea to get 1 bag of Origen 6 fish & remove ALL treats & bones from the dog.. Wash all the dogs bedding, collars, leashes, mop all the floors to help get rid of all the oils from the meats the dog may be allergic too.

If you want, call my vet tomorrow for more "vet" information/advice on a dog that might have an Extremely Sensitive Digestive System like Digi King 416-621-6753 ...

[Taz_Zoee]

Wow, thanks. The only problem is she is living with her parents right now and they have two Shih-Tzu's. One of the major problems she was having was that her family would feed her all kinds of crap. They felt bad to give the "boys" a treat and not give Tessa one. And they feed their dogs anything and everything. My friend would get SOOO angry with them. :mad:
Last week at the vets office we were discussing all of this (and my friends mom was there). I mentioned that you (meaning my friend and others in the house) need to stand strong. Because she knows if she wants something someone will eventually cave in and give it to her. My friends mom said "like me". And I said "yeah Denise!!!" So hopefully with her being there and hearing the vet herself she will help keep Tessa's diet strict. Her father may be another story though. :rolleyes: She knows she just needs to get out of there, but it's not possible right now.

So I will just tell her she needs to feed Tessa away from the boys and give the boys treats when she is not around. Simple as that. This is Tessa's comfort and possibly her life we are talking about here.

Thanks Orangutango, I will give her these ideas as well. :)

[Freedom]

I'm not sure if this will help. This thread has a food grading system and below that, it rates quite a few brands.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=149509

[Taz_Zoee]

I'm not sure if this will help. This thread has a food grading system and below that, it rates quite a few brands.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=149509

Thank you! :D

[caseysmom]

My casey has a pretty sensitive tummy...no lamb at all for her...she does great on california natural chicken and rice and even kirklands chicken and rice but no scraps and no lamb.

[Catlady711]

Karen,

Just thought I would add (a bit late) that Lamb and Rice frequently isn't used for allergies anymore by many vets. Too many pet food companies started marketing the food for 'good skin' selling it everywhere and many pets have now been exposed to what once was a unique protien. Because of that more rare protien sources are being used for food trials (kangaroo, venison etc) or the Hills ZD which is a manufactured protien if I understand the terminology of it correctly.

[Kater]

California Natural is a very limited ingredient kibble, that many people feed their dogs with allergies. There's a chicken & rice, lamb & rice, and herring & sweet potato formula. Just another brand to look into. :)

I would like to personally recommend California Natural. It's also GREAT for putting weight on a dog! It's the only dog food that has not only maintained Kirk's weight, but also helped him put on muscle in fairly short order. I suppose some of it may have to do with his age and other factors, but there's really no way for me to parse that out. He has been on it exclusively for about a month now (was feeding a mix of formulas/products from the Natura line previously) and his tummy has really settled. I feed him the salmon & sweet potato canned with the herring & sweet potato kibble. He's got a gorgeous coat, too! :D

Two thumbs up from us! Let me know if you have questions. :)