Any Vet's out there? (Allergies)

[phyl]

I had Corgan our Sieb Husky to the Vet about 3 months ago. Doc said he has allergies. He lost some hair inbetween his legs and he was in terrible pain.
He put him on "Prednisone". It worked! But now it's back again. I called and they said to start him on it again......Does this mean he will always have to take it?? Anyone have this problem? I really hate giving him this med. It makes him drink and eat alot. It can't be good for him. I'll have to take him back to the Doc. But thought I would get some input from some of you.....Phyl :confused:

[chazhound]

Hi Phyl,
Our dogs had 'allergies', so they say, and experienced hair loss..... we changed the dog food to a human grade quality and the allergies went away :)

This may not work for Corgan, but it is worth a try.

Chazhound

[Renee750il]

If Corgan is sleeping on cedar bedding, or any type of potentially treated bedding, get him off of it. My Mom's Aussie suddenly started itching and pulling out his hair and his bedding was partially to blame. The cedar and other shavings are made from chemically treated lumber scraps. Great, huh?

If he isn't already, get him on a natural dog food made with human grade, ORGANIC ingredients. I can't stress the organic part enough. Most dog foods are made of unspeakable parts of animals that have been injected and fed with all sorts of chemical and hormonal enhancements. It's a recipe for toxic soup and undoubtedly is to blame in so much of the increase in allergic reactions our animals have. Chazhound uses Flint River for his dogs; I use Innova for mine. If you will go to the website for Natura Pet at www.naturapet.com and use the product wizard, it will help you choose the right food for Corgan. It allows you to compare everything from ALPO to Karma. It will not only let you compare food, it also tells you about each ingredient.

That may be the single most important thing you can do.

It might be very worthwhile to see if there is a holistic vet or one who uses alternative medicine in your area, or even a veterinary specialist. There is one near me, in Knoxville, who treated my big cat, Gonzo, after he was diagnosed with FIV. Since we were there regularly over the next year, I got to watch the long term progress of some of Dr. Swarthout's "allergy" patients and it was amazing. She only got the ones that the regular vets had given up on, and I will absolutely say that the woman is a healer. Dr. Swarthout told me once that one of the main reasons most vets didn't have much success treating "allergies" is because they haven't actually determined whether the condition is truly an allergy or is caused by a bacteria or fungus growing on or under the skin. A veterinary college can be a good resource, too.

You're absolutely right to be afraid of the prednisone. It is a steroid, and although it has great short term benefits, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding long term use of steroids, or even short term over use, especially in veterinary application. We can tell our doctors when the side effects are getting bad, our pets can't, and by the time the effects are bad enough for us to see, it can be too late.

When did Corgan's reaction start? Was it sudden? What changed in his environment? Is it worse in the heat, and does it subside when the weather's cold, or is there no change? Does he spend a lot of time indoors with you? If so, his skin may be getting a bit dry, exacerbating the condition, especially if you have gas heat. I don't know if Huskies are like Malamutes, but I've been told the reason Malamutes don't have the typical "doggy" odor is because they don't have the oil glands in their skin that most breeds have; this makes them more susceptible to dry, irritated skin in home environments. If that is the case, perhaps a skin supporting supplement will help. Come to think of it, that's probably a good idea anyway!

Did your vet tell you what kind of allergies Corgan has? That's an important piece of information; what he's allergic to, is it a systemic allergy or a topical allergy? Did he swab any tissue samples of the affected areas for lab work?

I'll pull out some of my natural pet health books and see what they say, particularly on the subject of supplements to support skin health, and get back to you. Corgan looks like such a sweetheart, I just hate to think of the two of you having to endure this! It's no fun for either one of you.

[phyl]

If Corgan is sleeping on cedar bedding, or any type of potentially treated bedding, get him off of it. My Mom's Aussie suddenly started itching and pulling out his hair and his bedding was partially to blame. The cedar and other shavings are made from chemically treated lumber scraps. Great, huh?

If he isn't already, get him on a natural dog food made with human grade, ORGANIC ingredients. I can't stress the organic part enough. Most dog foods are made of unspeakable parts of animals that have been injected and fed with all sorts of chemical and hormonal enhancements. It's a recipe for toxic soup and undoubtedly is to blame in so much of the increase in allergic reactions our animals have. Chazhound uses Flint River for his dogs; I use Innova for mine. If you will go to the website for Natura Pet at www.naturapet.com and use the product wizard, it will help you choose the right food for Corgan. It allows you to compare everything from ALPO to Karma. It will not only let you compare food, it also tells you about each ingredient.

That may be the single most important thing you can do.

It might be very worthwhile to see if there is a holistic vet or one who uses alternative medicine in your area, or even a veterinary specialist. There is one near me, in Knoxville, who treated my big cat, Gonzo, after he was diagnosed with FIV. Since we were there regularly over the next year, I got to watch the long term progress of some of Dr. Swarthout's "allergy" patients and it was amazing. She only got the ones that the regular vets had given up on, and I will absolutely say that the woman is a healer. Dr. Swarthout told me once that one of the main reasons most vets didn't have much success treating "allergies" is because they haven't actually determined whether the condition is truly an allergy or is caused by a bacteria or fungus growing on or under the skin. A veterinary college can be a good resource, too.

You're absolutely right to be afraid of the prednisone. It is a steroid, and although it has great short term benefits, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding long term use of steroids, or even short term over use, especially in veterinary application. We can tell our doctors when the side effects are getting bad, our pets can't, and by the time the effects are bad enough for us to see, it can be too late.

When did Corgan's reaction start? Was it sudden? What changed in his environment? Is it worse in the heat, and does it subside when the weather's cold, or is there no change? Does he spend a lot of time indoors with you? If so, his skin may be getting a bit dry, exacerbating the condition, especially if you have gas heat. I don't know if Huskies are like Malamutes, but I've been told the reason Malamutes don't have the typical "doggy" odor is because they don't have the oil glands in their skin that most breeds have; this makes them more susceptible to dry, irritated skin in home environments. If that is the case, perhaps a skin supporting supplement will help. Come to think of it, that's probably a good idea anyway!

Did your vet tell you what kind of allergies Corgan has? That's an important piece of information; what he's allergic to, is it a systemic allergy or a topical allergy? Did he swab any tissue samples of the affected areas for lab work?

I'll pull out some of my natural pet health books and see what they say, particularly on the subject of supplements to support skin health, and get back to you. Corgan looks like such a sweetheart, I just hate to think of the two of you having to endure this! It's no fun for either one of you.
Renee.....You have given me so many tips....I will try a few different things. Corgan does not eat well. Very fussy. I think the chicken and rice has to go....I will look into the better food for him. Thank you.....PS.....I will also question the vet more this time Phyl

[phyl]

[QUOTE=chazhound]Hi Phyl,
Our dogs had 'allergies', so they say, and experienced hair loss..... we changed the dog food to a human grade quality and the allergies went away :)

This may not work for Corgan, but it is worth a try.

Chazhound[/QUOTE
I will try it. Corgan is a very bad eater. He eats chicken and rice. The vet told me to give him a "flintstone Vitamin" every day. I will start him on some dry food....much better for him. I think you may have a point. Do you know of any kind of cream I can put on it?? Thanks....Phyl :confused:

[phyl]

If Corgan is sleeping on cedar bedding, or any type of potentially treated bedding, get him off of it. My Mom's Aussie suddenly started itching and pulling out his hair and his bedding was partially to blame. The cedar and other shavings are made from chemically treated lumber scraps. Great, huh?

If he isn't already, get him on a natural dog food made with human grade, ORGANIC ingredients. I can't stress the organic part enough. Most dog foods are made of unspeakable parts of animals that have been injected and fed with all sorts of chemical and hormonal enhancements. It's a recipe for toxic soup and undoubtedly is to blame in so much of the increase in allergic reactions our animals have. Chazhound uses Flint River for his dogs; I use Innova for mine. If you will go to the website for Natura Pet at www.naturapet.com and use the product wizard, it will help you choose the right food for Corgan. It allows you to compare everything from ALPO to Karma. It will not only let you compare food, it also tells you about each ingredient.

That may be the single most important thing you can do.

It might be very worthwhile to see if there is a holistic vet or one who uses alternative medicine in your area, or even a veterinary specialist. There is one near me, in Knoxville, who treated my big cat, Gonzo, after he was diagnosed with FIV. Since we were there regularly over the next year, I got to watch the long term progress of some of Dr. Swarthout's "allergy" patients and it was amazing. She only got the ones that the regular vets had given up on, and I will absolutely say that the woman is a healer. Dr. Swarthout told me once that one of the main reasons most vets didn't have much success treating "allergies" is because they haven't actually determined whether the condition is truly an allergy or is caused by a bacteria or fungus growing on or under the skin. A veterinary college can be a good resource, too.

You're absolutely right to be afraid of the prednisone. It is a steroid, and although it has great short term benefits, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding long term use of steroids, or even short term over use, especially in veterinary application. We can tell our doctors when the side effects are getting bad, our pets can't, and by the time the effects are bad enough for us to see, it can be too late.

When did Corgan's reaction start? Was it sudden? What changed in his environment? Is it worse in the heat, and does it subside when the weather's cold, or is there no change? Does he spend a lot of time indoors with you? If so, his skin may be getting a bit dry, exacerbating the condition, especially if you have gas heat. I don't know if Huskies are like Malamutes, but I've been told the reason Malamutes don't have the typical "doggy" odor is because they don't have the oil glands in their skin that most breeds have; this makes them more susceptible to dry, irritated skin in home environments. If that is the case, perhaps a skin supporting supplement will help. Come to think of it, that's probably a good idea anyway!

Did your vet tell you what kind of allergies Corgan has? That's an important piece of information; what he's allergic to, is it a systemic allergy or a topical allergy? Did he swab any tissue samples of the affected areas for lab work?

I'll pull out some of my natural pet health books and see what they say, particularly on the subject of supplements to support skin health, and get back to you. Corgan looks like such a sweetheart, I just hate to think of the two of you having to endure this! It's no fun for either one of you.
Renee.....what is a skin supporting supplement? Do you mean a topical cream? The doc did not test him for anything....just said he had an allergy in his ears and that it was all connected. He shakes his head when it starts. No ordor though. My other dog Lady had an odor with ear mites. Who know....I'm new at all this stuff. Phyl :confused:

[Renee750il]

By skin supporting supplement I mean a food and vitamin supplement that is especially beneficial for the skin. When it's quiet tomorrow I'm going to sit down and go through some of my books to check to see just what is recommended. The first thing that comes to mind is vitamin E and C and some of the B vitamins, and I know there are others, but I want to check.

I'd steer clear of any creams or oils on the skin for now, though, because if it is being caused by a bacteria or fungus the cream or oil could just provide a better growth medium and make it worse.

You're probably right on target about getting him off the chicken. It's so full of hormones and chemicals it's scary. I try not to think too much about it when I fix chicken for dinner! My dogs have better quality food than is available to me! That might be a new diet fad - the Innova Dog Food Diet - six small meals a day with a cup of green tea. JUST KIDDING!

Back to serious stuff: Here is a link you'll want to go to and read the material: http://www.filadog.com/candida_albicans.htm#candida%20albicans

It's a very informative article that addresses a very common and overlooked cause of skin problems and offers some real solutions.

[phyl]

By skin supporting supplement I mean a food and vitamin supplement that is especially beneficial for the skin. When it's quiet tomorrow I'm going to sit down and go through some of my books to check to see just what is recommended. The first thing that comes to mind is vitamin E and C and some of the B vitamins, and I know there are others, but I want to check.

I'd steer clear of any creams or oils on the skin for now, though, because if it is being caused by a bacteria or fungus the cream or oil could just provide a better growth medium and make it worse.

You're probably right on target about getting him off the chicken. It's so full of hormones and chemicals it's scary. I try not to think too much about it when I fix chicken for dinner! My dogs have better quality food than is available to me! That might be a new diet fad - the Innova Dog Food Diet - six small meals a day with a cup of green tea. JUST KIDDING!

Back to serious stuff: Here is a link you'll want to go to and read the material: http://www.filadog.com/candida_albicans.htm#candida%20albicans

It's a very informative article that addresses a very common and overlooked cause of skin problems and offers some real solutions.Thank you....you have been a great help....Phyl

[Renee750il]

A FLINTSTONE VITAMIN! He's humoring you. There are vitamins formulated for dogs, and there are pet vitamins formulated for specific needs that would actually do Corgan some good. Their also full of synthetics - not something any dog, let alone one with an unidentified skin reaction, needs in his system.

Veterinary science has progressed so far now that there is no need for a young dog to suffer with skin problems. Prednisone is a quick fix, not a long term solution. I hate the idea of you and Corgan having to suffer through this. It's terrible. I've had to muddle through with aging dogs who developed skin problems for one reason or another back when all you got told around here was "it's allergies" or "use Sulfodene" and it's supremely frustrating. Now I use a vet who keeps up on new developments and does lab work when there's a problem that needs a specific answer. He's still an old fashioned vet; loving the animals and taking time to get to know them and play with them, but he also makes sure his patients have the benefit of new knowledge and techniques. It was hard to leave our old vet; he's a wonderful person and we really love him as a person, but it just came down to whether or not the dogs (and cat) were getting the kind of care they needed to live healthy lives. This is not to tell you to change vets, but sometimes you have to consider what's best for your animals, and after all, isn't that what a vet is obligated to consider?

As you obviously know, because you started this thread, information is your best weapon. I'm not REALLY crazy, it's just not in my nature to leave questions unanswered; guess that's why I ended up being a legal investigator/researcher! (lol)I really will do some research. And I won't send you a bill (LOL)!

Later, Renee

[chazhound]

Very Very Informative information Renee!
I can sure tell you are a research professional :)

Thanks much for sharing this information. Allergies always is a mistery to even the pros.

Chazhound

[Renee750il]

Here are links to excellent articles dealing with allergies with REAL information from a woman whose research has impressed me greatly. This lady knows her stuff! The amount of good information she's made available is truly amazing. I'd also like to encourage you to go to her home page and read a bit about her and her credentials. I was impressed, and I'm not easy!

http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/allergies.htm
http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/feed_program_for_allergies.htm

Chazhound, your comparison of allergies to a mystery is perfect, and, like all good mysteries, it's a matter of following the clues! Fortunately, the pros now have ways of getting to the real clues that weren't available before, even ten years ago - if they'll use them.

[phyl]

Thank you Renee.....Your the greatest!!! Phyl

[Manda0304]

I had Corgan our Sieb Husky to the Vet about 3 months ago. Doc said he has allergies. He lost some hair inbetween his legs and he was in terrible pain.
He put him on "Prednisone". It worked! But now it's back again. I called and they said to start him on it again......Does this mean he will always have to take it?? Anyone have this problem? I really hate giving him this med. It makes him drink and eat alot. It can't be good for him. I'll have to take him back to the Doc. But thought I would get some input from some of you.....Phyl :confused:
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Do you have any other animals? :) please reply thanks
Manda

[ch21526]

Yikes - I just bought a new townhouse and the previous owners used cedar saw dust as the main ingredient for the mulch for their dog. My dog is VERY allergic. I have shoveled out all the visible cedar chips/saw dust but my dog is still reacting. Anyone know how I can neutralize the oil? I have tried flushing out the yard with lots of water and topped with river rock and fresh mulch but it isn't working.

Thanks.

[Renee750il]

You may have to strip the topsoil and replace it in the area where the cedar was. You'll also need to get all the residue off your dog's skin. You might use a good quality shampoo that's made to strip residue off your hair, just make sure to put a good coat conditioner on your dog afterward. You might want to think about shampooing your carpet indoors, too, since the previous owners probably let their dog in and some of the residue might still be in the carpet.

[amaruq]

I have 2 dogs with extreme allergies.

The one was on predizone and it caused tumors. I can't stress enough to becareful with this medicine.

We have changed foods. I have them on Turkey and Barley. So far so good.

I give them Salmon oil and vitamin E also.

The one is allergic to Dandelions...not good when she runs in the fields.

[Debi]

what about cortisone? My cat lost all hair on her legs due to allergies. My vet wanted to do extensive testing..I suggested cortisone. One shot did the trick. She was fine within one week. Don't know if same is true for dogs..but I'd try it.

[Renee750il]

Prednisone is a steroid, as is cortisone. They both have essentially the same side effects, which are horrible. Neither one should be used except in emergencies for quick relief until a long term solution can be instituted. They are both just "quick fixes" and won't solve the problem.

Canidae is a dog food that I have heard has extraordinarily good effects on dogs with allergies. The same company makes feed for cats called Felidae. It might be worth a try.

It's very common for older animals to develop allergies to fleas as well, so that's always a good place to start looking for relief. Sometimes, just the bites from one or two fleas can irritate their skin to the point that it becomes inflamed and painful and hair falls out. It's difficult to keep any animal completely flea-free, especially if your pet spends any time at all outdoors. Fleas will hitch a ride into your home on your legs and clothes, too!

[Wireviz_lady]

As a groomer I deal with dogs that have allergies every week. I have a couple of recomendations. Temporary relief can be found with a dose of Benydryl. Make sure it doesnt have tylonal in it. Dosage is equivilant to a childs wieght. You hould pretty much know what your dogs wieght is if he hass been to the vet lately.
The other thing is local honey. Just put a tbls on your dogs food every day and it works like an allergy shot. The bees collect pollen from all the plants in the area and the honey will help build antiboties to the pollen. I swear it WORKS!!!!
I hope this helps.
Bec

[Renee750il]

Great advice, WireVis Lady, especially about the honey. An old man who keeps bees told me that years ago when I got hit with some annoying allergies from living here.

The dosage on the benadryl, according to my vet, is 1 mg per pound of bodyweight in dogs. I've always started with 1/2 mg per pound and have never had to give more.

[tl_ashmore]

Bula has been experiencing the same thing. She has lost a lot of hair on her back and tail. I think I am going to try to change her dog food too and see if it helps.

[TiggersDad]

Phyl, this sounds like a typical systemic yeast infection. Renee's advice has been on the right track. However you need to address this internally. Candida albicans is a very stubborn oganism to deal with, but it can be brought back under control with the right nutritional regimine and proper supplements. You must understand that antibiotics & steroids only address the symptoms, but not the root cause. Until the ROOT of the problem is dealt with, you'll never get out of the woods with this one. The allergy type symptoms you see are only the tip of the iceberg. The root of the problem is in the gut. Antibiotics kill off the beneficial bacteria in the GI tract, allowing Yeast, a fungus, to flourish. It then goes thru cycles of overgrowth releasing toxins into the system, resulting in skin infections, ear infections etc. Antibiotics only keep the vicious cycle going.There is a four step approach to resolving this situation.
1. Kill the yeast fungus
2. Cleanse out the dying yeast toxins
3. Re-establish good intestinal bacteria-Probiotics
4. Switch to a human grade, MEAT based dog food- Eagle pack is a great one www.eaglepack.com .
For the first three steps you want to go to www.nzymes.com . They have many success stories with this very problem. Oxy-drops and/or Black Leaf will kill the yeast. Nzymes treats or granules will cleanse the system., Bac-Pack Plus will re-establish the digestive flora. For a more in depth article on this, go to nzymes.com and look for their YEAST INSTRUCTONS page.
Another Great website that has articles on this and many other subjects is www.greatdanelady.com . Hope you find these things helpful. Good Luck.

[Renee750il]

TiggersDad ~

As I remarked to Chazhound on a different occasion: Great minds run in the same gutters. (lol) The link I originally posted for Phyl was to the article on candida at the Great Dane Lady site, it just ran through a Fila site that had cross posted it. I discovered it there and that's what led me to www.greatdanelady.com ! It's great to know that someone else was on the same track. The info there is unbelievable!

[agilitydobemom]

Phyl,
Get an opinion from another vet I was reading the posts and you said that your vet told you to give your dog flintstone vitamins?? (you mean the human kind?) if that is what you are talking about your vet is worng, wrong, wrong any vet would never ever suggest human meds for an animal never give your pets any human meds no matter what!!! no asprin, no peptobismal, anything!!!
as for the hair problems try switching foods (slowly), bedding, shampoos, everything and slowly elimninate stuff
What about fleas does your dog have fleas?? one of mine which never had fleas before got infested with them and he broke out in hives and started losing hair because he had "alergic flea dermititis" he is alergic to fleas
Good Luck with your dog!!

[Barb04]

Renee, I just want to say you gave me a good laugh this morning about an innova diet for people. It's true, there's a lot of things in our food supply that does us more harm than good. After reading several of your posts, I now have both my dogs on Eagle pak holistic food. I'm glad I made the change.

[isntsomeonemissingme]

umm r there any vets that could help me?

MY dog went through are garbage bag and it had used diapers in it. Will my dog die of ecoli or some other disease b/c of that?

[isntsomeonemissingme]

please help!!! :(

[JoAndGreytdogz]

I am new here but found this thread regarding allergies and had to respond. One of our greyhounds was very sick when we got him (needless to say he wasn't a good racer and retired young - to our benefit :-) ). After Muchresearch and investigating, we finally figured out it was food allergies. It took us the better part of a year, but we figured out he is allergic to most foods. He couldn't eat Any kibble (we tried most brands including the holistic, allergy formulas, etc...).
At first we went through our vet - who wasn't any help at all (sorry to any vets on this board) - they seem to know little about allergies, especially food allergies.
We also tried a holistic vet, who started us on the right track but in the end, we had to do our own research and investigation in order to get to the "bottom" of the problem.

It was the process of elimination that pointed us toward what he is allergic to exactly. We started with a Very plain diet (cooked sweet potatoe with skin, white fish, and another food that I can't remember at this moment)- no supplements. This was fed to him for 6 weeks minimum - until it appeared his symptoms were gone or on the mend (actually he was in such bad shape, it took many more weeks than 6 for him to even start getting better).
Then we very slowly started adding one food at a time, adding a new one every few weeks, providing he didn't react to the new addition. Because he is allergic to SO many foods, this took a Very Long time as we had to start all over again each time he reacted. But we eventually managed to figure out what he could eat (list is much shorted than what he can't eat).

In the end, we put him on the BARF diet (bones and raw food) and he continues to do exceptionally well. His diet consisted of raw turkey thigh meat, raw ground turkey, raw turkey necks, cooked white fish once or twice a week, and a mixture of specific vegetables, - ground up (only the veggies he isn't allergic to), and supplements.

It is now over 2 years later, and he still has the occasional bout with allergies but only very recently has been able to tolerate a little of Solid Gold Fish kibble and we have found a store bought "treat" that he able to eat, in moderation, without reacting.
We have found that if we give him too much of either of these in a short period of time, he reacts.
It is very difficult to find foods without wheat, rice, chicken, or any of the foods that he is allergic too....

His system is very delicate and we have to be very careful what he gets to eat. It has taken a few years, but it is much better than it was.

Within a year of mostly clearing up his problems, he became a very happy dog. He is such a character, smiles all the time (he has a huge smile), wags his whip of a tail at every possible moment...generally, a totally different dog than when we adopted him. Well worth all the work...

Good luck with your investigation.

[Renee750il]

Thanks for that post. You've outlined the best way to deal with a dog that's chronically allergic.

Most of the time, dogs with allergies tend to be allergic to grains, so by feeding an organic, grain-free kibble you can halt the allergy cycle, but every now and then you run into a dog with very chronic and extensive allergies and you have to use this method to find which foods are the problem.

It's no wonder your fast-guy is such a happy pooch; you've demonstrated how important he is to you and you've made his life infinitely better!

[chazhound]

Hi JoeandGreytdogz, welcome to the Dog Forums!

Thanks for sharing your experience. That is one lucky Greyhound to have such a dedicated master. Be sure to post his smiling pic :)

Chazhound

[PawsRanch6]

There are also a lot of "new" drugs that can be used as well. I have a dog that is alergic to grass! We have no option but to keep him on 1 Benadryl BID. Works! We also put him on a Lamb and Rice dog food with Omega's in it to help...figured it couldn't hurt! I can not keep him off grass! We live on 80 acres of yes you guessed it GRASS! lol Predisone is also a steroid and may cause him to eat more and gain weight! It did on several clients the vet I work for has used it on. Anyway you might want to try a different vet and food. If you have a pet store near you go read lables! Sensible Choice dog foods are great they are lamb and rice period or chicken and rice! always worked for us! Hope I helped as well! feel free to contact me with any questions too! You might also add a supplement called "missing link" you can get it at pet stores or at some stores that carry organic veggies and health foods (Henry's in So. CA). good luck

[Renee750il]

Prednisone causes more than just weight gain and increased appetite. It's finally been studied enough to link it to tumors in dogs and cats.

[EliNHunter]

When my golden was about 2, I took him to a dermatologist because of his hairloss, itchi-ness, and hotspots. He put us on a regimen to find out if it was food-born or air-born allergies. Turned out to be "air-born" -- and he got put on weekly shots for being allergic to wool, grasses, trees, cats, etc., etc. Anywho, flea preventative was just begininning to get popular. I had always treated him with chemicals (how HORRIBLE to think back!). But then got him on the monthly treatments for fleas. I noticed a GREAT improvement. So, I backed down his shots to bi-weekly. Then I did monthly. After some time I saw he was doing fine and didn't give him any serum. He's 12 now and has no problems for like 9 years. So, thousands of dollars later, I found out it was due to flea dermatitus (sp?). Thanks to the "experts"... :mad:

[Renee750il]

Flea dermatitis is behind a lot of "mystery" skin problems. Glad you finally got to help him. I think most of us had to resort to some of those flea dips back in the day. Even the flea shampoo used to make my hands itch for hours after I'd washed one of the dogs and I always cringed to think of how it must affect their hides, but they always seemed relieved to be done with the fleas for awhile. Now I can get the flea shampoo with Neem - wonderful, non-toxic organic stuff.

[ShihTzuLover62]

Just a little note to add, my Shadow has allergies too. We changed his dog food over to Old Mother Hubbards Wellness diet and I give my dogs cooked oatmeal 2 to 3 times a week. The antioxidens in the oatmeal really help, my vet couldn't believe the difference.

[showpug]

:) I am not a vet, but I worked in a vet clinic for 5 years and learned a lot over that course of time. Prednisone is a steroid and it has anti-inflammatory properties which help with the secondary inflammation and "itchiness" that is asscociated with allergies. Most vets will continue to prescribe pred. over and over again, but there are side effects! It makes them drink a ton and hence urinate a ton. Prednisone can be very hard on the major organs such as the kidney and liver, and can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding. It is always good to contact the vet when problems arise with our dogs, but in your situation, I would try a weekly bath with a medicated or cortisone anti-itch or anti-sebborheic shampoo (intended for dogs.) I would also consider a change in diet to something more natural. I have had a ton of good results with a "hollistic food" called Solid gold (any formula) and a product of theirs called Seameal. Canidae is also a very good food to try. I would also increase your dogs intake of essential fatty acids on a EVERY DAY basis. Examples are Derm Caps, Linatone, Vita Coat etc. These naturally help cut down on allergies and skin inflammation, hair loss etc. They work great and I sware by them. I have had no skin problems with my dogs since I have used these products. They have worked better than anything we ever prescribed in the clinic and they are well worth the money and saving your dog the discomfort of allergies!! Your vet may not be open to this concept as they have to approach everything from a strictly medical stand point. Here are some links to the food companies. If you decide to try this, make sure to give it six weeks to start new healthy cell and coat growth on your dog. I forgot to mention...allergic dogs always need good quality flea control such as Advantage or Frontline (nothing you can find in the grocery store!) One flea bite can start a whole reaction in an allergic dog.

Good Luck!
http://www.canidae.com
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com

[Renee750il]

Good advice, Showpug - just don't forget tumors on the list of side effects from Prednisone!

Karma (NaturaPet) is another good food for dogs with allergies, and dogs who have problems with grains do well on the Innova EVO formula.

[moe]

I have not read all the post in this discussion, but if your dog is suffering a pollen alergy, one of the best ways to help rid it is contact a local beekeeper, ask for some honey and give this honey each day, as the pollen is local to you and the bees make from local plants, the honey helps desensitize the dog, this actually works,

Mo

[mrose_s]

also, get advice from numerous vets, the extra opinions might cost you less in the long run

[picnicpo]

I have a dog who is part husky and had a lot of gastrointestinal problems and chronic yeast infections in her ears. I tried a lot of different foods over the years. She was also really fussy, but she always liked fish (we had to keep the cat food away from her) so I tried the Flint River Ranch Trout & Sweet Potato ("Fish & Chips"). Flint River Ranch is also made with natural human-grade ingredients. It's worked really well for her. The GI problems are gone and we haven't had any recurrences of the yeast infections in the ears since she's been on it. She's over 14 years old now and is really doing well. When people ask how old she is they can't believe she's 14!! Best of luck in finding a food that is healthy and that your fussy eater will eat.

[kathisi]

I'm new to this forum and found this thread when searching for information about allergies. I have two puppies. The younger one, a siberian husky mix, had a rash with a few blisters on her belly last week. My mother noticed and told me it looked like a side effect of hookworms. Well, the vet told me that she had hookworms, but we hadn't treated her because she was ill and the vet wanted to give her time to recuperate. After being treated for hookworms, the rash disappeared but now she has been itching chewing around her tail and near both hind legs. I changed the food this week to Eagle Pack. I typically add garlic and brewer's yeast to their food, but had run out of the brewer's yeast for about two weeks. I started the yeast back this week and have been putting aloe vera on her red spots. It seems to be clearing up, but she still seems itchy. Also, just FYI, I put some A&D diaper rash ointment on her when she seems itchy and that seems to soothe the itch.

I had another dog that died a few years ago and he suffered with allergies (the vet said he was allergic to fleas) his entire life. I had no idea that diet had such an influence on a pet's health. The vet at that time told me that Purina was fine for my dog. It wasn't until my mother took him in and started giving him brewer's yeast that he started to get better. I am doing things completely different this time with my babies!!

[chilover]

I am new here but found this thread regarding allergies and had to respond. One of our greyhounds was very sick when we got him (needless to say he wasn't a good racer and retired young - to our benefit :-) ). After Muchresearch and investigating, we finally figured out it was food allergies. It took us the better part of a year, but we figured out he is allergic to most foods. He couldn't eat Any kibble (we tried most brands including the holistic, allergy formulas, etc...).
At first we went through our vet - who wasn't any help at all (sorry to any vets on this board) - they seem to know little about allergies, especially food allergies.
We also tried a holistic vet, who started us on the right track but in the end, we had to do our own research and investigation in order to get to the "bottom" of the problem.

It was the process of elimination that pointed us toward what he is allergic to exactly. We started with a Very plain diet (cooked sweet potatoe with skin, white fish, and another food that I can't remember at this moment)- no supplements. This was fed to him for 6 weeks minimum - until it appeared his symptoms were gone or on the mend (actually he was in such bad shape, it took many more weeks than 6 for him to even start getting better).
Then we very slowly started adding one food at a time, adding a new one every few weeks, providing he didn't react to the new addition. Because he is allergic to SO many foods, this took a Very Long time as we had to start all over again each time he reacted. But we eventually managed to figure out what he could eat (list is much shorted than what he can't eat).

In the end, we put him on the BARF diet (bones and raw food) and he continues to do exceptionally well. His diet consisted of raw turkey thigh meat, raw ground turkey, raw turkey necks, cooked white fish once or twice a week, and a mixture of specific vegetables, - ground up (only the veggies he isn't allergic to), and supplements.

It is now over 2 years later, and he still has the occasional bout with allergies but only very recently has been able to tolerate a little of Solid Gold Fish kibble and we have found a store bought "treat" that he able to eat, in moderation, without reacting.
We have found that if we give him too much of either of these in a short period of time, he reacts.
It is very difficult to find foods without wheat, rice, chicken, or any of the foods that he is allergic too....

His system is very delicate and we have to be very careful what he gets to eat. It has taken a few years, but it is much better than it was.

Within a year of mostly clearing up his problems, he became a very happy dog. He is such a character, smiles all the time (he has a huge smile), wags his whip of a tail at every possible moment...generally, a totally different dog than when we adopted him. Well worth all the work...

Good luck with your investigation.

Thank you for your post, JoAndGreytdogz.
It seems I have to do the same thing you did with the elimination diet. I just got a Chihuahua from a rescue and he is about 10 years old and has allergies. His nose is stuffy and his ears are smelly and itchy. he also has some skin rashes which are not too bad, thank god, but itchy sometimes.
I want to do what's right for him, but it is so difficult to figure out what he is allergic to. The vet just said "Allergies!" and gave him some herbal chinese pills to take that didn't help at all. I started cleaning his ears with Maloseb flash and giving him a bath with Maloseb shampoo which are medicated but not steroidal. It helped with the smell already, but he still scratches his ears and nose. And his congestion is not going away.
I am feeding him all lamb Neura meat brand canned food. I hope it'll help, but so far no results. It's only been about a week since I switches him though. He was on Canidae Chiken food before that.
I just ordered some Lamb Crunchies from Foster&Smith cataloge for treats, since I can't give him anything else but lamb at this point. This is taking me so much time and effort to do all the recearch and find the food and treats! I hope I don't have to actually prepare his food because I just don';t know how I'm going to find the time for that. I just hope what I'm doing now will help. I'm also giving him fish oil supplements, probiotics and Prozyme.
He is a really sweet dog, but so skinny and he had worms when I got him. So they gave him broad spectrum dewormer. And he was given 2 rounds of antibiotics for his kennel cough and one for sinus infection. The worms are gone but so called sinus infection is still here and now they call it allergies.
And on top of that I now learned that kennel cough doesn;t even respond to antibiotics since it's a viral infection! He has yeast now due to all the antibiotics he was given! It is so frustrating!
:mad:

[aurorab]

I know that this is and old thread but I just wanted to add something. Actually my dogs don't have allergies but I do and I have to take pred. and I just wanted you to know a few things about it. Many of us w/ allergies find this out but Drs don't tell you and I doubt vets would either.
Pred actually lowers your immune system ability to work properly. SO it actually can cause more problems than what it is trying to help.
On pred your diet can really change. Food can taste different, you gain weight, you can also get cravings and munchies. Plus pred can affect you emotionally. I have known many people that can go from sad to happy back to sad so fast on pred. Anxiety is another fun side effect. Then there is the insomnia and tiredness. It's not fun being up until 3/4 in the am and so tired but not be able to sleep. Plus when you lay down you can't say in on spot and have to move around. There's actually more but this is already way plenty to deal w/. I know that this happens to people and I would think that it would also happen to pets onthis stuff and the bad part for them is that they can't tell us that they are going through this. I know that pred can be good and it does have it's place, believe me it has helped me so much but now that I know this and have experienced it I try to use it as little as possible and for as little as possible. I have also turned to alternative meds and therapy. Both have helped. I know I can never give up my meds, so this has helped.
I just wanted you to know this and I hope it helps! I would imagine that it also affects our pets this way and we really should be made aware of this, but of course they never tell us stuff like this.

[Old Dog]

Well I will throw my 5 cents of experience in. I have a sharpei and have had dobies.All have had allergies. Ruling out flea allergies which then development into secondary staph. Food........read your contents.....to much grain,soy in particular,chicken can also aggravate.........lower protein nothing over 21% . Hi protein over 21-22% aggravates skin allergies. I live in the south and with all our humidity and heat we have ALLERGIES..........I have seen the lower protein and lamb and rice work wonders on the itching and chewing themsellves..........especially in those breeds like terriers,poodles,shitzu's ect............doesn't cost nothing but change in food and watch the protein %. It usually takes at least 4 weeks for improvement.......chicken and rice is not the same and most has little rice but alot of grain.........good luck. I was a vet tech for over 10years and I agree long term predinsone has all kind of terrible problems that turn in to more serious health problems...........

[Whitedobelover]

I had Corgan our Sieb Husky to the Vet about 3 months ago. Doc said he has allergies. He lost some hair inbetween his legs and he was in terrible pain.
He put him on "Prednisone". It worked! But now it's back again. I called and they said to start him on it again......Does this mean he will always have to take it?? Anyone have this problem? I really hate giving him this med. It makes him drink and eat alot. It can't be good for him. I'll have to take him back to the Doc. But thought I would get some input from some of you.....Phyl :confused:


well im not sure if this well help... you can try a raw or holistic diet... that gives them alot of wat they need... though the raw diet is like being vegetarian... they also need other things in their diet other than meat... Holistic kibble though is great... you can get raw inside holistic kibble... which is awesome...

also take him off tap water... put a brita filter on or a filter of some kind as long as it is charcoal filter... then use that... water chemicals can cause problems with the skin...

also get some fish oil... salmon oil. or some other fish oil if you cant get that... use olive oil... it isnt as good but it will help... they need those oils in their diets... if they arent getting them they could have skin problems...

also dont give him a bath every other week... once a month then use baby wipes in between to keep him clean... this way he has his natural oils on his body to make sure that his skin is normal...

no im not a vet but i have studied skin problems alot... i work at a holistic dog food store we sell raw, holistic, oils and otehr things... i hope this helps out alittle

[Ilovegoldens]

Purina in my opinion is nothing but garbage... but that is my opinion.. some people my find their dogs are fine on it... a higher quality food will show you much less problems and will end up costing less in the long run because you use less and you have less problems.. Pred.. is not great to use excessively infact I would never give it to my dogs if I could avoid it at any given time... you could try a holistic vet.. as I treat my dogs very well with many herbs.. it might be what you need... but I really wouldnt' know.. good luck

[dogadvicer]

Hi,
Your dog has been subjected for steroid therapy. It requires treatment with the same drug with tapering dose for at least 10 without discontinuation. If you follow this procedure, definitely you will get good results.
Hope You might won in this game!
-dogadvicer
www.edogadvice.com

[shabess1200]

Allergies in all domestic animals have always been a mystery. However, after very extensive research on wild as well as domesticated canines and felines one thing becomes very clear. The so called diagnosed 'allergies' aren't really allergies at all, it all boils down to either a lack of something in the diet, or an overload. The lack stems from an inappropriate diet, and the overload comes from a sudden diet change that contains what the animal was originally lacking. In some cases the lack of certain vitamins and minerals in a diet effects the health, but never shows itself, eg., no outward signs at all. Sometimes however there are outward signs and because it is not known what the animal is missing the 'allergy' is diagnosed. Same goes for the diet change when the diet is more complete, however, this doesn't usually last long once the body adjusts to what was originally missing.
This comes from an animal nutritionist of 35 years experience and one that has done research on both wild and domestic canines and felines. If I'm allowed to post a website that gives more details I can supply it.

[ledoc]

There are certainly diet related allergies but to state that all allergies are a result of a dietary imbalance is I'm afraid way off the mark. There is just too much documented and prima facia evidence to the contrary.
What one can say is that sensitised animals, over time, may become reactive to more allergens and some of these may be contained in the diet. Remove that allergen by altering the diet and you reduce the allergenic load and hopefully the clinical symptoms.
It is misleading in the extreme for anybody to claim any single "cure" or cause of allergies - the interactions at cellular level are just too complex and interlinked to even consider such a claim seriously.

[Renee750il]

But, Doc, if changing the diet makes the "allergic reaction" stop, then you've essentially solved the problem.

Kinda like the guy who went to the doctor and said, "Doc, when I have my coffee in the morning I get a stabbing pain in my eye." Doc asked him if he took sugar in his coffee and the patient answered "yes."

And Doc replied, "take the spoon out."

[ledoc]

We need to consider a few points here. (1) What is an "allergy' in this case. In dogs and cats, the skin is usually the target organ for allergies (in humans it is the respiratory system). This means that allergies usually (but not always) manifest as itchy skin. (2) Even in food related allergies, you can add or subtract ingredients to your hearts desire, but if you don't eliminate the offending food type, the allergy persists. (3) No matter what you do with the diet, you will have very little impact on say, a flea allergy.
The point is that altering the diet may positively impact on a food allergy sufferer, but will have little direct effect on other types of allergies.Diet is not an all encompassing solution to every allergy.

[Renee750il]

No, but it's a great place to start looking, and good nutritional support is always a cornerstone of good health.

[rowdy ridgeback]

i would use a different dog food. I wouldnt use anything with corn or wheat in it. Puma my older Ridgeback would itch all the time on Science Diet. I switched her to Nutro Natural and it pretty much stopped. I looked and seen that Nutro has corn gluten in it. So I went to Innova and havent had any problems. It is also human grade. All my dogs react that way to Lamb too. And remember just like most other drugs, they just mask a symtom of a bigger problem.

[aelizilly]

My sister's Yorkie has had problems with allergies and skin reactions for several years. The summer months are the worst on him and I used to feel so sorry for him as he would have bumps all over his body, constantly scratching at them and they'd get irritated and infected.

A couple of years back her vet was advising on the shots very frequently and it got to a point where he wasn't getting any relief. Then a friend of hers suggested she change his food and would you imagine....whoala!! He cleared up and has been much better ever since.

It is truely unfortunate that more vets do not recommend a food change before subjecting these little ones and our pocket books to all of this medicine. It is just like our doctors, and most people for that matter, want to solve everything with a pill. It frustrates me.

Sorry for my rant...but I feel better now. ;)

[ledoc]

This is not a simple food allergy. As described, there was a seasonal aspect with him scratching more during the summer months. This would not have happened if it was a simple food allergybut is typical of flea allergies, atopies etc (at least initially).
The likely explanation is that he is allergenic to several things - e.g. a food type, fleas, pollens etc. By removing the food allergen, you have dropped the "irritation load" below the scratch threshold and so he doesn't scratch anymore.
However, if the other factors are not corrected, you might well find that as he grows older the itches return - simply because allergic animals tend to become allergic to more thing as they get older which in turn pushes up the irritation load.
A further interesting point is that generally speaking - food allergies don't respond well to cortisone therapy (while other allergies do - although it is not a cure but just relieves the symptoms). So that would support a food allergy diagnosis while the seasonality does not.

Makes life interesting (+sometimes frustrating!)

[patience2]

Hi everyone , :) I just wanted to share my experience with you.
My german shepherd was scratching constantly! causing bald spots
It was really bad. I tried all kinds of cream, shampoo, rinses, ointments,
took her to the vet with no help. I cooked her home made meals.
Nothing worked till I put her on Purinas Beneful Healthy Radiance Dog
Food. It made a world of difference in her. If your dog has this
problem, give it a try. It cant hurt.

[labdoglover]

After more thab 30 years of owning and rescuing dogs and cats I have found that natural is best.
Allergies could be complicated and your vet will almost always recommend chemicals because he/she gets great perks from makers of drugs for doing so.
I personally have found great results with natural produces that work just as well or even better, I am so elated that I have found these treatments and cures.
Read this article http://www.supernaturaldog.com/
Good luck to you..:)

[bubbatd]

I agree to a certain point .... I personally would go to a Canine Dermatologist first ....save a lot of $$ and anguish in the long run .

[Vylula]

Was your old vet Dr. Butler??? I live near you. Can you tell me about the holistic vet you go to???

Thanks!!!

[DogTreats]

Here's a post I made on another forum. I took the freebie link out cuz I don't want you to think I'm selling something. I just hate it when any dog has an allergy that is difficult to remedy.

This recipe works for many dogs because they haven't been exposed to fish and after using if for about a week you should see results, mostly in the lack of itching, but also in the coat becoming brighter.

The key of course is to eliminate various food items one by one to find out what is causing the allergy. Sometimes it's not food and this is when you need a GOOD vet to tell you what to do.

Here's a hint on finding a good vet; your friends recommendations AND when you go to a vet who sells ANY brand of dog food, (don't let him look at the bag) ask him what the first ingredient is. Chances are he won't know, even though he's selling it. Then ask him what the protein percentage is; he probably won't know that either.

If he doesn't know the answers, get another vet.

WHY? because he is pushing a very important product that affects your dogs life and he doesn't even know what he's selling. This should cause you to ask yourself, do I want to put my dogs future in this persons hands? Especially if he is going to give my best friend a powerful drug?

Here's my response in another forum to a serious food allergy;

My brother Panda is lot like you. Just about everything gives him the itches!

Panda has driven my human almost mad, and believe me it was a short trip.

Fortunately for Panda he writes dog health and natural home made dog food recipe books so I eat really good all the time.

He feeds Panda (my brother) whitefish, rice and potatoes and it seems to work better than most foods whenever he has an "allergy" outbreak. I seldom get them anymore because I only eat the food my human makes me. Panda is allergic to everything, sometimes even me I think.

Here's how my human makes it;

Panda's Favorite "Yucky" Food (He calls it yucky cuz he only gets it when he has the yucks.

3 medium potatoes (skins included)
4 filets whitefish (or salmon)
1 cup white rice
1/2 tsp salt

Boil potatoes in 3 qt sauce pan or larger

+ Cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces and boil in 3 qt saucepan
+ Add rice when potatoes are 3/4 complete (potatoes firm but not soft)
+Add fish when rice is just beginning to soften (it takes only about 3 minutes in boiling water to make the fish tender and really good)

When the fish begins to break up add salt. Do not over cook (potatoes should not be overly soft, but somewhat firm)

Drain and mix but do not "mash" the potatoes (leave little chunks - great for chewing).

The rice should not be soft and the fish will have broken into small pieces.

Let cool and serve. My master says it's good enough for him to eat!

Depending on how big you are, this should make about 5 to 7 servings.

My human feeds Panda a normal serving in the morning and at night. He leaves the rest in the fridge no longer than 4 days.

It usually takes Panda about 5 to 7 days to get back to normal and then he puts him on his normal home made diet, which he changes every three weeks or so to keep all of us from getting bored and keeps us healthy and happy.

He said you could have this eBook to try some of the other great tasting natural home made dog foods. I like them all.

Here it is;


Junior

PS. Let me know how you liked the recipe.

[LareP]

You're right LEDOC.

I know you aren't surprised by the number of people who
think food is the allergy problem, but you might be to know
that many of the so called "experts" at well known pet stores
say and think what you're feeding your dog is causing the
allergy.

Here's a small portion of a post I recently made to my blog
that says the same thing...

Dog Allergies are very frequently misdiagnosed by those
who have no actual medical training. This is especially true
of dietary allergies, which are relatively uncommon, but
very frequently "diagnosed" by sales people in pet stores.

These sales people are taught that dietary allergies are
common by their sales managers because that makes it
easier to sell pet foods. They are sincere, but are often
poorly informed.

The facts about allergies in dogs and cats are that about
15 percent of them may have seasonal allergies, with an
intermittent occurrence similar to hay fever.
Dietary sensitivities and allergies probably only occur
in about 2 or 3 percent of these pets and are characterized
by nonstop, year-round problems...

[nica]

Yes u are right lare, totally agree with you. Before even considering paying the vet hafty amounts for food allergy tests on your dogs, test for seasonal and environmental allergens that your pet may be susceptible to first, this you can simply keep your pets off these possible allergens and observe any improvements.
Only when we have ruled out environmental causes can we consider dietary allergy as possible causes.....

Check out my blog, i shared about environmental allergy here.

www.dogcarezone.com/blog

[adoptacanine]

If your dog has symptoms that are abnormal for a healthy dog, one of the most common causes may be dog food allergies..

Allergies in dogs are often associated with the following symptoms

Hair loss
Dry skin
Loss of appetite
Itchy skin
Inflammations of the ear
Hot spots that are persistent
Chewing on paws, legs or other parts of the dogs body
Lack luster, dull coat
Upset tummy and or diarrhea
Itchy Anus
Rubbing Face

There are in fact many different kinds of allergies such as those caused by fleas, bacteria, inhalant and contact allergies. But the most common allergy is a dog food allergy ....

You can get more information on this at :
http://www.dogs-4life.com/dog-food-allergies.html

Hope this helps

[dogs_rox]

to keepyour dog allergy free, its good to bathe him often with a good conditioner and shampoo. also make sure your dog doesn't have an allergy to something he is eating coz that can be pretty tough to diagnose. to find out which food he has an allergy to, you'll need to eliminate particular items from his meal one at a time and eliminate possibilities.

get more info on treatment of allergies at:
http://largedogbreedz.com/your-large-dogs-health/dog-medicine/dog-food-allergies---treatment.html

[sundog]

My dog has had hair loss. Quite a bit. Poor baby. She's just a pup. I've noticed that she does scratch some, chews on her back paws some, rubs her face some, but not a lot. Her fur is kind-of course. She doesn't have a whole lot of fur left on her tummy. My girl is a 17 week old Westie. Super, super precious!!! I took her to the vet earlier today and he gave her an allergy med. The vet has asked for my pup to return in a couple of weeks to check her coat. I think the allergy meds. will tell us if she does indeed have an allergy. If my dogs coat has not improved, I guess we'll do some tests to see if perhaps there is something else going on.

I guess if it is an allergy, I will start by switching her dog food. I don't want to keep her on meds. I want to get to the root of the problem! I'm keeping my fingers crossed it's nothing serious. I sure love my dog!

[K9Obedience.com]

I have been reading these posts on allergies with great interest. My Border Collie suffered with terriable allergies, itchy skin and constant scratching, hair loss, vomiting, weeping eyes and so on. I cannot tell you how many times his food was changed at the vets recommendation or how many creams and potions were prescribed. I drew a line at the vets insistance that my poor dog should take prednislone and instead I decided to switch his diet to a BARF (bones and raw food) one. I can honestly say that I noticed a difference within three days. The first was that he didn't pant as much, then his eyes cleared up and after a few weeks he stopped scratching and his coat ceased moulting.

We have never looked back and now all of my dogs are fed as naturally as possible. At first I was unsure as to what and how much I should feed them so it was a bit trial and error. I have learned to balance their diet to include the whole range of nutrients that they need and to vary the diet. I buy blocks of frozen raw tripe, (fresh tripe stinks to high heaven) chicken or lamb. I purchased a second hand freezer which is kept in the shed as this enables me to buy in bulk. I supplement the meat with grated or chopped vegetables and kitchen scraps. My butcher saves me meaty bones and all of this combined with plenty of fresh water has resulted in all the dogs, even the border collie full of health and vitality.

Of course there are times when there are not enough hours in the day for me to feed them a natural diet and I do resort to feeding commercial food so I only buy organic kibble with no additives or preservatives. I am often complimented on the condition of the dogs especially the Doberman whose black coat is like sheer gloss.

For anyone whose dog has allergies I would say try and change the diet as much as possible to avoid commercial food even if this is only done by substituting one meal a day with raw food.

marion

[john and sam]

If your dog has symptoms that are abnormal for a healthy dog, one of the most common causes may be dog food allergies..

Allergies in dogs are often associated with the following symptoms

Hair loss
Dry skin
Loss of appetite
Itchy skin
Inflammations of the ear
Hot spots that are persistent
Chewing on paws, legs or other parts of the dogs body
Lack luster, dull coat
Upset tummy and or diarrhea
Itchy Anus
Rubbing Face

There are in fact many different kinds of allergies such as those caused by fleas, bacteria, inhalant and contact allergies. But the most common allergy is a dog food allergy ....

You can get more information on this at :
http://www.dogs-4life.com/dog-food-allergies.html

Hope this helps

Thank ^_^

[DaveF]

My dog Tucker had a rash kind of like hives and the vet told us to use Benadryl and it worked id call your vet first before doing this. Hope this helps

[Renee750il]

Man, looking back at this old thread . . . it's amazing how many spammers we had using this one thread to post links to their not terribly reliable info sites :rolleyes:

Before you give any credibility to some of these posters, check out their post count . . . You can feel safe disregarding the ones with only a few posts. They are only here to hit and run spam with their sites. :mad:

[Buddy'sParents]

Can those be deleted? Or maybe a fresh thread can be made.... I'll gather all of the info if need be.

[noludoru]

Wowwwwwwww.

I am really slacking.