Protein Allergy(s)

[king2005]

As many of you know Digi is allergic to Beef, Pork, Dairy, & Shellfish.. Those are the only things I use to feed her that have made her ill & nearly killed her last yr...

Now that she hasn't gotten sick in months, I'm researching new things. But the information online is not really helping me (I might be looking up the wrong thing & not knowing it), so any help would be appreciated.

When Digi's allergies strike her, they are easy to deal with, so I'm willing to test different meats on her. She'll get the test meat in a VERY small amount with no other food that day & I'll monitor her. If she vomits, runny poop then I know it's bad. She hasn't had an attack like last yr when shes gotten into beef or dairy (positive it was a buildup of always having those foods in her system daily). She just gets the runs & then I treat her for 24hr on Pepto & shes like new again.

But I don't want to test meats out before learning more about the proteins in Beef. Just to be cautious I've kept her away from all red meats, but is deer, moose, & rabbit protein even the same? She's had rabbit before (less then 2yrs ago) & wasn't sick from it. I would really like to use deer & moose, as I can get it cheap if not free. Also she can have bones to chew on (she use to chew all day long.

[kokopup]

Deer (venison) is not the same as beef when it comes to allergies. Most research I've read on allergies says to stay away from the most common sources like beef. Venison is one that is suppose to be less likely to cause allergies. Lamb is another that is also suppose to be good. My dog Koko gets sick every time she eats anything with beef. There are several dry dog foods that have venison as the protein. I had Koko on Dick Van Patten's Venison & sweet potatoes for a while and she tolerated it well. You might try Fish for the protein also.

[Karen]

Have you tried poultry?

[king2005]

Digi has no issues eating fish or fowl. Thats what shes eating right now. I make her home cooked meals as shes too sensitive to beef & Shellfish & most factories make all the diff flavours with the same equipment, so the lamb might have traces of beef in it & being exposed to it for long periods of time might almost kill her again, or kill her... Kibble is just simply too risky. She has no body fat, so when she gets sick its far more serious as she has no body fat to help nourish her while shes ill.

So dog kibble is banned from her diet.. Plus making her food is far cheaper & she likes it 100% better. She'll be going on raw soon, as shes now healthy enough for it.. But I wanted to explore deer & moose as possible meat sources, as I can get it cheap/free next yr. But I can buy small amounts of it now at the market downtown. I'm aiming more so towards moose, as thats what my friends hunt.

They will also get me duck if I want it for her.

I'm really really hoping for moose.

[king2005]

Deer (venison) is not the same as beef when it comes to allergies. Most research I've read on allergies says to stay away from the most common sources like beef. Venison is one that is suppose to be less likely to cause allergies. Lamb is another that is also suppose to be good. My dog Koko gets sick every time she eats anything with beef. There are several dry dog foods that have venison as the protein. I had Koko on Dick Van Patten's Venison & sweet potatoes for a while and she tolerated it well. You might try Fish for the protein also.

If deer is suppose to be different then I'll give dear & moose a try. Next month I'll go downtown to pick up small amounts of each for her to try

[MonicanHonda]

I have definitely heard venison is good for allergies. One girl was actually surprised that her dog was allergic to it and stated that of course her dog is like the ONLY dog allergic to venison. I would definitely try it. Delta does very well on venison. Lamb is also a good thing to try if you can, although I know in the U.S. it's pretty expensive.

Rabbit might have not given Digi a problem because, even though it is a 'red meat', it is VERY lean, so most consider it something like a white meat chicken almost. I am jealous. Lol I want a rabbit. My friend has one she's been meaning to give me.

[king2005]

I have definitely heard venison is good for allergies. One girl was actually surprised that her dog was allergic to it and stated that of course her dog is like the ONLY dog allergic to venison. I would definitely try it. Delta does very well on venison. Lamb is also a good thing to try if you can, although I know in the U.S. it's pretty expensive.

Rabbit might have not given Digi a problem because, even though it is a 'red meat', it is VERY lean, so most consider it something like a white meat chicken almost. I am jealous. Lol I want a rabbit. My friend has one she's been meaning to give me.

Thanks :D

I like the hind legs of a rabbit, the front end is NASTY!!! The smell of the raw flesh was almost enough to make me puke, EWWW! Not sure if wild rabbit smells or tastes that foul.. but farm raised sure does! Mind you Digi thought the front end tasted great LOL A local hunter gave me a new recipe to try with rabbit, so I "might" try it again. Rabbit isn't too costly, but I will have to drive 20km to get it fresh (never frozen) at TNT... TNT also has AWESOME duck!! Mind you it comes with the head & feet, ewww... Digi Loves those parts as a treat lol

OH!
When I try the wild meats with her, she'll be getting them raw, not cooked. Because when I'm hoping to get her onto RAW at some point.. I'm feeling more confident with it, as shes a much healthier dog now, then she was last yr.

Do you happen to know if raw salmon bones are safe?
I can get a frozen salmon for dirt cheap here (2' salmon for $3-$4), but I'm not sure if the bones are safe.. I see wolves on tv leaving a lot of the bones behind... so I'm unsure. Also how would I pick the bones out of a raw salmon anyways? Pliers? LOL :D

[bckrazy]

My dogs do SUPER well on rabbit and duck. Gonzo has a sensitive tummy, too... silly Border Collies.

Moose and Venison would be awesome. Bison is also good, if it's available around you. I find that my dogs don't do well on beef - it's pretty common. I've heard that beef is one of the dirtiest meats, though. Wild caught game is much more likely to agree with her, especially raw. I would love to get wild meats. I wouldn't have to add supplements like crazy, feeding butcher shop meat (albeit free range... it doesn't have all of those wild nutrients).

[MonicanHonda]

I have to go looking around more and ask a couple of my friends about the salmon. I know there is something about you HAVE to freeze pacific salmon for awhile because of a parasite... but I will get more info. Also, I will on the bones. I hate fish... so Delta hasn't had one yet. Lol

[Queen of Poop]

My cats eat raw. They get a pre packaged food that is a mixture of Rabbit and Salmon. They love it. It comes complete with bones in it. They can eat raw bones no trouble cause they're still soft, once the bones are cooked then an animal shouldn't have them because they will splinter. I tried them with Elk and Chicken and they wouldn't have any of it. But your pup might like those. I've also given them frozen herring, once it's thawed of course. I cut it up into "steaks" so they'd make less mess. There's a set of stores here called Tailblazers. On their website they have an ask a question section and they're really good at getting back to you. You might want to see if you can find them and ask your questions there.

[king2005]

I have to go looking around more and ask a couple of my friends about the salmon. I know there is something about you HAVE to freeze pacific salmon for awhile because of a parasite... but I will get more info. Also, I will on the bones. I hate fish... so Delta hasn't had one yet. Lol

the last thing she needs is a parasite ewww
All the fish I get her is frozen, as its way cheaper. As the fresh fish int he store arrive live & then killed on sight, so thats why they cost more. I have given her raw Salmon flesh in the past she loves, same with Cam.... I hope the parasite isn't in the flesh :(

[king2005]

My cats eat raw. They get a pre packaged food that is a mixture of Rabbit and Salmon. They love it. It comes complete with bones in it. They can eat raw bones no trouble cause they're still soft, once the bones are cooked then an animal shouldn't have them because they will splinter. I tried them with Elk and Chicken and they wouldn't have any of it. But your pup might like those. I've also given them frozen herring, once it's thawed of course. I cut it up into "steaks" so they'd make less mess. There's a set of stores here called Tailblazers. On their website they have an ask a question section and they're really good at getting back to you. You might want to see if you can find them and ask your questions there.

Digi eats cooked bones all the time, I cook them soft so they are harmless. Raw is still the best form, but I'm not sure if all raw bones are good for dogs, like fish bones

[MonicanHonda]

Cooked bones really aren't good because they splinter and the protein is denatured. But raw is very good for them. You just want to stay away from weight bearing bones like femurs of cows and such. Fish bones are great... and I've never heard of dogs not being able to eat them, that's why I wanted to ask someone. Bones I have heard of being eaten:

-Pork Neck (But Delta has a problem with these)
-Pork/Beef Ribs (If your dog is a hard good chewer, then these will be okay... may be too hard for some)
-All chicken, bird, and rabbit bones
-Fish bones
-Oxtail
-Pig's feet/hocks (again, some may not be able to finish)

I may add more later. Lol

And no, I think the parasite is in the intestines.

[MonicanHonda]

Okay, my sources (LOL!) say that you want to stay away from Pacific salmon. Altantic salmon is a okay though. If the package doesn't say where it is from, then they wouldn't buy it. No, Digi shouldn't have any problems with the bones. And if you feel the need to take some out, tweezers or pliers actually do work. LOL!

[king2005]

I was cooking the bones soft, so they cannot splinter. I wasn't after the protein in the bones, I was after the calcium.

Are raw fish heads safe?
I know some Brains aren't good/safe for dogs, so I'm unsure if a fish head is ok or not.

[MonicanHonda]

Oh, I know... the bones are the calcium part... but proteins denaturing causes splintering. But if they are soft... I guess there really isn't anything bad about it?

And yes, fish heads are a-okay. I know beef brains are okay (but I believe you can't feed them since they are beef) and I don't know of any other brains being available??? But fish heads are definitely okay

[king2005]

I'll be able to get my hands on wild game & the only part I'll be refusing is the brain, as I believe it's Deer brains that are bad for dogs.. I can't remember why, but it has too much of something in it... I also can't remember if its safe for humans either. Glad fish heads are good, cause I get my fish whole (guts n all)... Now I just need to know if eating fish guts raw is safe? or if there is any harm in not feeding them to Digi... If the fish is wild caught then I'm sure there wont be any beef in the gut... but if the fish is farmed, then there is a higher chance the fish have beef in their digestive tract somewhere.

[MonicanHonda]

Man, it's hard when you have a dog that is deathly allergic to something! It'd be so easy to just throw Digi a fish... but if there might be beef in there :( :( :(

[king2005]

Its a huge pain in the butt. Humans add dairy & beef to far far far far far too many things, esp things were they should never be!!

When I know I'm buying wild caught fish, I feed her the whole little fishie frozen.. SHe LOVES frozen fish as a treat.. she always chews off their heads first LOL I just don't find it funny when she plays with it & then puts the partly chewed up fish on my lap... ewwww!!

[MonicanHonda]

Lol, Delta can only eat on the towel. Lol There will be no throwing food around. :) Although I did give her a frozen mouse form our monitor and she threw that around.

[king2005]

LOL silly pup!

I have wondered if feeding Digi & Cam mice as a treat would be wrong. I know they are good for kitties to eat, & I know Digi IS blood thirsty for mice & rat pups, as she tries to RIP them out of my hand like a wild animal, every time I buy them for Axle. Just wasn't sure if I "should" feed it to them lol

I know a good place that raises them on healthy foods & the animals look very very very healthy when I get them. The rat pups are soooo cute I feel bad feeding them to the Bottomless Pit (Axle), But he needs live foods to stay somewhat active & healthy.

[MonicanHonda]

I've heard that as long as you know they come from a very good source, it wouldn't hurt. But it would take a million to feed Delta. Lol! But as a treat, I don't see why not. :)

[king2005]

Since they area all bred at the store, it'll be easy for me to find out if they do feed them beef or pork or dairy.. Hopefully they don't, as I know Digi would be the happiest dog in the world chewing on a mouse, & I darn well know she'll try to swallow it whole LOL

[MonicanHonda]

Lol surprisingly Delta chewed on hers. I think because it was a new object and because it was frozen.

[king2005]

Digi does that with Frozen Beets.. She'll throw them around & chase them all over the house, then she'll finally go to her bed & will eat it.

[king2005]

DARNIT!!

I bought 2 rat pups for Axle as its his dinner time & Digi snuck up on me & snatch one of the pups while I was trying to balance the lid, avoid the hungry monster trying to eat me, to safely toss the rat pup into the water. She snatched the rat pup & ran off with it. It was screaming until she dropped it. She was hunched over it, clearly showing me not to come near. I told her to move & she did. The rat pup started to run to go under my bed, I cussed & tried to stop it. Digi charged the rat pup & got it before I did. This time she flung it up into her mouth & chomped down on it quickly. It was very much dead. She then chewed hits head to mush & chewed the hell out of the body... all I could hear was the bones crushing... ewww... She dropped it & I told her to move, she hunched over it again, clearly telling me not a chance, MINE... She chewed on it more & chewed & chewed & chewed, then finally chewed it in half & ate the top half, then the lower have went down quickly after. SHe licked all the guts up off the floor & then charged in to the living room again & attacked the box with the other rat in it. Opened it, ripped out the rat, chewed it dead, then chewed it all over into a furry mush again... great... she then ate it in halves again.

Needless to say she was VERY pleased with herself & went hunting for more. Which I didn't have, as I only bought 2 for Axle... So now Axle has no live dinner... Which isn't the end of the world, as I have lots of fish for him, but he needs the live once a month so he'll get off his fat butt & move around a little.... he is sooooo lazy & fat.

From now on she'll remain locked in her kennel until I've finished feeding Axle. Then I'll let her out... argg...

I have NO idea what they fed the pups, so I have to assume they most likely ate beef & now I have to treat her for 24hrs with pepto.. :mad::mad::mad:

[Karen]

I have NO idea what they fed the pups, so I have to assume they most likely ate beef & now I have to treat her for 24hrs with pepto.. :mad::mad::mad:

Can you call them and ask?

[king2005]

Can you call them and ask?

I'll talk to them tomorrow, as I can't remember the name of the store. Digi will be fine with Pepto... *gives the evil eye to Digi*