Need food for highly allergic dog.

[oriondw]

Could anyone throw some suggestions for a good food, that is known for having low allergic reactions?

Have a dog here with huge amounts of dandruff. Vitamins, fishoil, etc doesnt help. But I noticed that switching foods has effect on reducing or increasing the allergy reaction.


Anyone know of a good hypoallergenic food?

 

[RD]

What's he allergic to?

 

[Bobsk8]

I went to a vet dermatologist and what they use to eliminate food allergies as a possiblity is a fish and potato diet. I alternate Smokey on NB Sweet Potato and Fish or Venison and Brown Rice and she has no problem with either one. They also make a Duck and Potato. The dermatoligist thought that these foods were very good to try if you suspect a food allergy.

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/SPFish.html

 

[showpug]

What food is your dog on now? Is it just dandruff, or is the dog scratching as well?

I think the Natural Balance foods would be worth a try, or switching from what you are currently feeding to a more simple food like California Natural or Canidae Chicken and Rice etc. It just really depends on what the dog is allergic to. The Natural Balance foods have novel proteins so they may help more...

 

[dr2little]

I agree with the NB foods. I tried everything, including a raw elimination diet (my first choice) but the only thing that has worked for Sophie is the NB duck and potatoe and NB fish and sweet potatoe.

She seems to have a problem with lamb, beef and chicken but it's so hard to tell. It could all be environmental but all things considered, she does very well on her current NB diet.

 

[Herschel]

What kind of dog? How old? What are you currently feeding? Any specific allergies?

 

[oriondw]

He's on Innova Evo red meat stuff for evening food and Chicken/Duck or cow hearts on night food.

It does itch but he's trained not to scratch it, scratching only makes things worse. Ill try the potatoes diet.

 

[DanL]

He may have a reaction to beef? Are those real hearts or some kind of dry food with heart in it?

 

[Bobsk8]

Many dogs are allergic to both beef and chicken..

 

[oriondw]

He may have a reaction to beef? Are those real hearts or some kind of dry food with heart in it?

Yes, real hearts. Real chicken

When he was little he didn't have any allergies but as he got older they got progressively worse.

The only thing that I can put my finger on is the dry food.

I doubt he's allergic to meat or chicken, just from family history, etc. Plus I did try to take him off the meats and try only dog food for a few months, and dandruff did not decrease at all.

 

[Saje]

You might have to try an elimination diet to see exactly what he's reacting to. From there you can look for a kibble that accomodates. I think summerriot's riot has allergies that sounded similar. You might want to look up her posts.

 

[LargeDogBreedz]

Eliminate the possibilities one ingrediant at a time, unless your doctor has pinpointed the ingrediants.

If symptoms begin to improve during the elimination period, you can then reintroduce each of the eliminated food items one at a time. Each food should be tested for a week before another is introduced. This will allow you to pinpoint which foods may be causing problems if symptoms resurface.
Once the offensive food is discovered, then reading dog food labels should help you pinpoint a food that meets the needs of your dog. Although there are many hypoallergenic dog foods on the market, be sure to read the labels carefully.

 

[oriondw]

Eliminate the possibilities one ingrediant at a time, unless your doctor has pinpointed the ingrediants.

If symptoms begin to improve during the elimination period, you can then reintroduce each of the eliminated food items one at a time. Each food should be tested for a week before another is introduced. This will allow you to pinpoint which foods may be causing problems if symptoms resurface.
Once the offensive food is discovered, then reading dog food labels should help you pinpoint a food that meets the needs of your dog. Although there are many hypoallergenic dog foods on the market, be sure to read the labels carefully.

Yeah, i think ill do this. Ill make a base diet of raw natural organic chicken, which I pretty sure know that he has no allergy to.

We did have allergy testing done in a lab, they found 18 different things he's allergic to, but all of those were external factors with 16 of 18 being so uncommon in my area only dust mites and mold were the one's that were common.

My house is clean from both, did testing and cleaning just in case.

Ill try the elimination.

 

[Kathy29]

Loppi is allergic to chicken. I agree with the Natural Balance foods -- it's worked wonders for her.

 

[gia's stepmom]

we switched to natural balance potato and duck dry about a month ago and mix a little of their canned foods in for variety--no problems since. I do watch portions as 2 of them are seniors and I go with a little over half of the recommended amounts on the bag.

 

[Red_ACD_for_me]

Yes, real hearts. Real chicken

When he was little he didn't have any allergies but as he got older they got progressively worse.

The only thing that I can put my finger on is the dry food.

I doubt he's allergic to meat or chicken, just from family history, etc. Plus I did try to take him off the meats and try only dog food for a few months, and dandruff did not decrease at all.

My boy has not had normal stools since he was about 7 or 8 months. I had tried Nutro natural choice, Innova, Evo, and regular Natural balance and not one of those foods seemed to help him. I even tried raw for a few months to no avail. My boys family history has no history of allergies and he is from a reputable breeder. But about 1 month ago I tried the Natural balance Venison and Brown rice and I can't even believe the difference in him. he is now 18 months old. He has stopped itching and doesn't shed as much. The allergy formulas only have one protein source and one carbohydrate source and it is just amazing how well it has worked. within just a few days his stool was nice and firm and his eyes were clear (the whites of his eyes always seemed to be bloodshot) and he only itches occassionally. It is all a process of elimination and some dogs just can't handle the regular meats that are found in most dog foods ex. chicken. Good luck and check out the natural balance line!