Allergies..can anyone recomend a food or vitamins

[Catlady711]

Make sure not to switch foods too often. Relief from food related allergies can take 2-3 months to show up after you switch food. If you aren't waiting at least this long, you aren't giving time for any change to take effect, and are possibly exposing your dog to even more allergens each time. Tracking down food allergies is a trial and error process. It's best to restrict anything but the food you're feeding (no treats/snacks) and wait at least 2 months, if no change, then you can try a different food. Takes patience.

If the itching continues in the meantime or if your dog gets raw areas from scratching/chewing see your vet.

[Aspen and Misty]

If you aren't waiting at least this long, you aren't giving time for any change to take effect, and are possibly exposing your dog to even more allergens each time.

He was on his Nature's Best for 5 weeks, it took 2 weeks for him to start itching like crazy and his stomach to break out in red bumps. So I decided to switch him after only a month since he had an out break (before this he was on RAW so he was absolutely fine). However, this food wasn't Hypoallergenic so I did decide to switch him before he was on it for very long and got worse.

Angelbow- While I'm willing to get Allergy testing and I'm willing to get it done; I am hoping I can find him a temporary solution before I go this route. I will want to know what he is allergic to though so that I can avoid it in the future just right now I'm trying to get back on my feet after the last vet emergency with the puppies.

Rachel - For some reason while on RAW and when we lived in PA I was able to feed him anything and everything and he never had a problem. I'm hopeing that if his main food is made for dog's with allergies he will be able to go back to having some treats and such.

I bought him Pinnacle Duck and Potato, I'm hoping that this will help him. He is still in transition from his old food to his new food and will be for probably another week or two. So hopefully we will see results in maybe two months or so. Cross your fingers and I will post if anything happens!

Ashley

[dragondawg]

Your approach of changing or trying a different meat in the dog food is a sound approach. Between the usual chicken, lamb, or duck, fish, turkey you should be able to find something.

If the allergies tend to be more severe in a given season, then you have a contact allergy involved such as leaf mold in the Fall. It was a problem for my previous dog once she hit 7 yrs of age.

In order to relieve any continued itching the common dosage numbers published for benedryl 1-2 mg/lb. The clear gel caps smeared with a little peanut butter or wrapped in cheese are yummy. My prior dog of 74 lbs received 25 mg of Benedryl at night, and 12.5 in the morning. It usually took 3-5 days for the itching to completely stop. If the skin is irritated or red in appearance then there is a good chance you have a staph skin infection, where a short course of Cephalexin should help clear it up.

[iamgobsmacked]

First of all changing to a food with less overall ingredients is essential. Foods like Natural Balance, Wellness, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Try alternating them from time to time in insure greater nutrition.

Also try offering some organic live bacterial culture yogurt daily. Two tbsp daily. Also purchase some whole organic flax seed and start with 1 tbsp daily for one week then increase up to 2 tbsp. The omega fatty acids along with the lignans help to support the immune system, joints, bones, skin, heart. Alternate from time to time with a good quality cod liver oil. I usually do three weeks in rotation.

500 mg natural source vitamin c daily broken down into 2 250 mg servings. Helps to support the urinary tract and assists with the absorption of other nutrients. The best way to deal with skin conditions is from the inside out.

Also look to the drinking water, many animals with skin conditions have a low tolerance to the inorganic minerals in tap and bottled water. Offer distilled water instead. Also simple flea allergy cannot be ruled out. With some unfortunate animals, a single flea bite can create a systemic disturbance and severe allergic reaction. If you think it is possible your pet could be exposed to even a single flea bite in this situation it is imperative that monthly flea control be instituted with a control such as frontline.

There is nothing more distressful to a pet owner than watching our beloved pet suffer with itching burning skin. Frequently we head to the vet for that injection of steroids which unfortunately undermine our pets immune system further and create a revolving door to chronic illness.

Start with the supplements and one new simple ingredients food like Wellness. No other foods should be offered. That includes raw hide bones that are chemically treated with toxic chemicals to remove the hair etc. No box treats. Just basic simple food. Watch out for the common allergens in food. Corn, Wheat, brewers yeast. white potatoes (sweet potatoes are fine)

I recently consulted with a woman who's pet has suffered for years with itchy skin conditions. In just weeks she has noticed marked improvement. Oh, and also, keeping the skin free of moisture that contains bacteria is essential in the first few weeks.

A good oatmeal shampoo from a health food store or general nutrition outlet would be helpful. It does not need to specifically to be a pet shampoo. There is one ingredient you want to see listed however, colloidal oatmeal. There is one ingredient you do not want to see. Sodium Laurel Sulfate, added as a lathering agent in most commercial soaps and toothpaste.

And finally, purchase some essential oil of Lavender and a spritzer bottle. Add approximately 300 ml of warm water and 5 drops (drops) to the bottle and shake well. Mist the skin several times daily. The oil is antibacterial, and will greatly soothe the itching in the interim. (never ever however, use any essential oil in any dilution on a cat) they are unable to metabolize and a single drop can be fatal. The more dilute hydro sols can be used for felines.

There is a company in Canada that has essential oils in much larger volume for far less expense that what you can purchase retail. Even with shipping you will get 3-4 times the amount for less than a single little bottle at the store.
http://www.canwax.com/page/page/251748.htm

[lwds]

^ Earthbath and Buddy Wash are two great shampoos.

I know bee pollen has helped dogs that have inhalant allergies and dogs with weak immune systems. My dogs get it daily along with me, I swear by it. Fish oil (+ vitamin E) is another good supplement for skin/coat (among other health benefits).

If Pinnacle doesn't work out, I would give an elimination diet a go. But have you considered a prepackaged raw diet such as Nature's Variety (love the stuff and it's easy to feed)? I haven't been here that long, but have you talked with experienced raw feeders for information on an appropriate raw diet? If that was what helped him, you might want to seriously reconsider going back on it. I see the best results with dogs who have allergies (both food and inhalant) on a raw diet VS a simple kibble.

You also might want to address any potential environmental allergens... washing bedding weekly (and not using strong scented detergents or any fabric softener + running the rinse cycle twice), vacuuming on a regular basis and rinsing/washing his paws/legs (depending on how tall he is) after he goes outside are a few ideas.

[wolfsoul]

What foods did you feed him on raw? Atleast you know he's not allergic to those foods.

I recommend trying California Natural. It has very few ingredients. Chicken Soup has ALOT of ingredients so it's no surprise he is allergic to something in there -- not only are some of the formulas 3-4 meat sources but there are milk products in there as well. There is a chicken as well as a lamb formula of California Natural.

Usually the more exotic the meat, the better. Beef is generally the most common meat allergen, followed by chicken and then lamb, as these are the three most common meats used in pet foods. Beef is definatly one to stay away from but use your judgement on chicken and lamb as these aren't nearly as common of allergens. Rice is the easiest grain to digest and usually dogs won't be allergic to it but stay away from everything else, especially wheat and corn. Also keep away from by-products, colours/dyes, etc. That's one reason California Natural is nice, all it basically has is chicken and rice (even if it has way too much rice in my opinion).

For the skin, try getting a soothing shampoo. If his skin is moist and he has hot spots (or welts, anything with moisture) I recommend a coal tar shampoo. Nova pearls has an awesome formula because it takes the moisture out and basically adds it's own "good" moisture in. As far as I know it is the only shampoo that does this. Don't use Coal Tar unless the moist -- typically tar is quite a harsh treatment and should only be used in very bad skin conditions. Sulphur ans salicylic acid is better for dry skin, don't try it for moisture. Lavendar, aloe vera, wheat grass, calendula, etc are all things that are good for the skin and are added to alot of different shampoos. Oatmeal is typically for soothing dry skin and I don't think this is his problem. Avoid any and all chemicals -- just look for nice, soothing, natural shampoos. Nature's Specialties, Cain and Able, Wags, and Ikaria all have some very good all-natural skin-healing formulas.

My vet sells a spray called Allergex that you spray a few times into the dog's mouth a half hour before it eats -- it's all herbal and quite safe. I believe it's only $20. I can try to find a website for you, but if you can't find it in your area I'd be willing to send you some.

[Aspen and Misty]

Jordan - It tends to take him 2 weeks to devlop an allergy. I'm assuming that while on RAW he was fed so many diffrent meats and nevr had one for to many days in a row if it made it so he did not have allergies. I fed him beef, chicken, turkey many other kinds of meats. Basically anything and everything the grocery store sold he ate.

Right now Konnor is on 3 pills a day, twice a day along with a spray for his tummy to clear up his bumps. There have been significant improvments, however I do not want to medicate him for the rest of his life. So I will take him off his meds once he is fully on his new Duck and Potato food. If he does not have a reaction while off his meds then I will consider the food a success. If he does have a reaction then I will continue to do more research and try feeding him RAW again.

Thank you everyone for your help! I really apreciate it. I know I havn't responded to all of your post, but I am reading them all and learning from them all. I greatly apreciate the help you guys are providing for me and Konnor.


Ashley

[lwds]

First of all changing to a food with less overall ingredients is essential. Foods like Natural Balance, Wellness, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul. Try alternating them from time to time in insure greater nutrition.

With a dog with allergies, I would be very careful with rotating. Not that I think it's bad, I do it for one of my older dogs that does best on 50% kibble (and 25% canned + 25% water), but only with foods I know my dog can handle. The trick is to see what your dog can handle and can't, and it can be more trickier with a dog with allergies as the progress can go down hill quickly.

btw, I know a lot of dogs that have had issues with Wellness since they changed (LOTS of poop problems).

Alternate from time to time with a good quality cod liver oil. I usually do three weeks in rotation.

I would not suggest cod liver oil if someone feeds kibble, the vitamin A + D can build up to toxic levels.

Offer distilled water instead.

I don't think I would want to offer distilled water all of the time (instead every once in awhile and rotated with filtered).