Addiction Holistic Dog Food?

I'm a leetle leery of the salmon, only because the first time she broke-out along her back was when I gave her the Welactin-main ingredients salmon oil and soy oil.  The fish oil caps I take are a mix of sardine and anchovies.  She didn't react to that, just didn't help either.  I guess it could be the soy she had a problem with and not the salmon oil...

(I posted more about the her skin in an edited post above.) Although, when it comes right down to it, I can't peg her skin to the Welactin twice.  The second time she broke-out, she wasn't on the Welactin.

if the dog is allergic to potatoes, those foods aren't going to help. 
Why don't you buy Monica Segal's booklet on the topic?
 
[linkhttp://www.sitstay.com/store/books/health2.shtml]http://www.sitstay.com/store/books/health2.shtml[/link]
 
It's only $6, and her booklets are generally packed with good info and easy-to-follow diet plans.

Thanks, Mudpuppy! You just saved me a Google search.

Welcome to idog; Sorry your pap's having problems. When you said you had a blood panel done was it a blood test for allergies or a regular blood panel? I went the same route with my dog; tried different foods, all kinds of supplements including Moducare and Chinese herbs, and at least three different antihistamines but nothing helped; finally I took her to a veterinary dermatologist who did a blood and skin test and she was allergic to several pollens as well as dust mites. Since she's been on immunotherapy she is much better.  Please consider taking your dog to a veterinary dermatologist; they are much better at treating skin conditions than regular vets and as much trouble as your dog is having I think it's the best thing for her.
   The pustules she has on her back could easily be a skin infection caused by an allergic reaction to the pollen in the air this time of year; it hangs in the air longer because of the high humidity. Allergies change the ph of a dog's skin, allowing yeast and bacteria to cause infection easier than on a normal dog's skin.

Right.  The dermatologist just did a skin scraping, found yeast and was satisfied with treating that.  Thing is, we didn't do much other than a shampoo.  I think he was satsified and didn't feel the need to do further research.  Blood panel was just regular work done at regular vet's office. 
 
At the time, that dermatologist was the only game in town, but I think I may have more options now.  Thanks for your input!

  There is a food made by Royal Canin specifically for dogs with allergies; Jessie doesn't need it but it may help your dog. It is called Skin Support SS 21. This link explains the science behind its development;   [linkhttp://www.royalcanin.us/documents/SkinSupportNIP06.pdf] http://www.royalcanin.us/documents/SkinSupportNIP06.pdf[/link]
 
 It uses natural preservatives and the protein source is menhaden fish meal. Sorry I missed the part about the dermatologist doing the skin scraping. I hope you find the answer soon; good luck.

I'm laughing so hard the tears are running down over atomic soy bits.  I gotta remember that one.  It sounds awful but my little boy was on the human baby formula version of that for a little while and at least he wasn't sick.  I don't think whatever we were doing was made with soy, though.  Rice maybe?

Anyway, it sounds like you really, really, really need to enlist the aid of a veterinary specialist - and you might want to get a phone consult with a holistic vet, too (though if you can find a good one within driving distance that is infinitely better).

The pustules you describe sound like the seborreaic (just slaughtered that spelling, oh well) reaction that Ben gets when he's exposed to something he's allergic to.  He has it more or less all the time, but sometimes it is worse than others.  Managing this symptom means a good wash with Hylyt shampoo (or a tar shampoo - Ben's allergic to most of these though), followed by a soak with Aveeno (this is fun, you have to pour it over your dog and make sure they stand for at least 15 minutes), then a gentle massage and brushout with a really nasty stinky tea tree and almond oil combination I concocted myself (I use the Burt's Bees bath oil product which has some other nice oils in it, too).  The tea tree oil is what makes it gross smelling, but is essential for both healing and to discourage Sharky from chewing.  Don't soak the area - part the hair and apply it directly to the inflamed skin areas.  Finally, these flareups respond pretty well to oral antihistamines - consult your vet about trying Benedryl, or several other medications, many of which you can get OTC with dosage you'll get from your vet.

I think this itchy back is related to airborn allergens, but exposure to food allergens definitely causes flareups - probably due to the "overflowing bucket" effect.  By the same token, being scrupulous about dust in your home and putting your dog on an oral antihistamine during pollen season, can reduce food allergy symptoms.

On Ben's food triggers, four years ago I finally went with a completely home prepared approach from frustration with commercial foods.  We never had the yeasty problems, so we started with BARF, then went to prey model, then finally this year was able to re-incorporate commercial food when we discovered that thyroid problems and a chicken allergy were probably his biggest issues.  We still don't have many commerical options and I keep his exposure to the food low by supplementing with raw meaty bones and tripe (about 75% of his diet), and I switch off to all home prepared every so often for variety.

I feel your pain, believe me!  Good luck!

Jessie's Mom--RC SS certainly sounds like a promising product.  The pamphlet was very informative!  That and the NB Fish & SP are definite contenders. 
 
Becca--I've considered Tea Tree and am wondering what dilution you use on Ben.  You'd never know it, since she's on Temaril P right now, but I would love to handle this with a minimum of toxicity to her little self.  There was a lot of mental hand-wringing going on before I agreed with the vet to use it, but it's a temporary fix only.
 
It is a comfort to know that I'm not the only one dealing with this.  We all love our little companions.  Sharky's just such a sweet, smart and quirky little bug.  It is awful to see her so...uncomfortable.  I was going to say miserable, but even when her back was at its pustule and pock-marked worst, she was still the happy tail-waggin' little girl she's always been.  She's a constant reminder to me that a positive attitude is the only attitude to have, especially when things get difficult. 
 
Everyone's support is much appreciated!  []

I put about ten to twenty drops in a couple ounces of the Burt's Bees.  If you can smell it clearly you've got it.  It's not toxic - it just smells like moldy dirt and I dilute it to try to minimize that effect.  Ideally you don't want to smell it from across the room! [sm=crazy.gif]  I've used it full strength on myself for one-time applications.  It's really helpful if you can get a little vial with a dropper - then you can use the dropper to apply it directly to the problem spots.

SO sorry to hear about all the food problems. I hear you on your frustration! I have only had my dog for 2 months and have been struggling with food allergies and frustrated by not fully being able to tell what they are. I wanted to mention that if you happen to decide to go the duck and potato route again and don't have good luck with Natural Balance, Pinnacle by breeders choice has another Duck and Potato variety that also uses oats and Quinoa. I tried my guy on NB and it didn't sit well with him. He had horrible gas. . .I mean AWFUL and we all were miserable. So far innacle has been a lifesaver because he seems to react to rice (hard to find many non-rice options) and we are still trying to figure out what other things he is allergic to. Good luck with your efforts!         

This link helps you locate a holistic vet in your area;   [linkhttp://www.ahvma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=12]http://www.ahvma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=12[/link];  

I know of a holistic vet who does phone consultations; I've heard very good things about him but he's expensive. He will work with you and your regular vet; you will need to have your vet send him your dog's records and a blood sample. Here's his website;  [linkhttp://www.crvetcenter.com/index.htm]http://www.crvetcenter.com/index.htm[/link]

This is the link for the Chi Institute;  [linkhttp://www.chi-institute.com/]http://www.chi-institute.com/[/link]    A member of this forum who knows quite a bit about holistic medicine frequently recommends this site, there is a locator to find a practitioner in your area.

The veterinary dermatologist I took Jessie to is at Purdue Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She decided what tests to do based on Jessie's history, which was seasonal allergies progressing to year round allergies with worsening symptoms including infections at least once a month for the past several months before she saw her.  She did a careful examination of Jessie including swabbing her ears, paws, and other parts of her body to check for bacteria and yeast and she also questioned me at length about her symptoms ( when did she begin itching, what time of year was the worst, etc.) If your dog's symptoms are worse now than when the dermatologist saw her 4 years ago he may recommend different treatment options.
 
I like the science behind the Royal Canin formula and the pamphlet is a good primer on atopic dogs.

I like the science behind the Royal Canin formula

I do too.....have you started using the skin support ss yet?

ORIGINAL: Another Papillon

I'm a leetle leery of the salmon, only because the first time she broke-out along her back was when I gave her the Welactin-main ingredients salmon oil and soy oil.  The fish oil caps I take are a mix of sardine and anchovies.  She didn't react to that, just didn't help either.  I guess it could be the soy she had a problem with and not the salmon oil...

(I posted more about the her skin in an edited post above.) Although, when it comes right down to it, I can't peg her skin to the Welactin twice.  The second time she broke-out, she wasn't on the Welactin.

 
I think it's definitely a possibility that it was the soy oil and not the fish oil that caused the allergic reaction.

I do too.....have you started using the skin support ss yet?

 
  I talked it over with my vet when I took Jessie for her allergy shot and since she's doing well on the Eagle Pack Fish except for occasional dry coat and dandruff, she wants her to stay on it, but she said it was up to me. She had a lot of dandruff about 2 weeks ago and I used the Humilac spray that my vet recommends and it cleared right up. This was a few days after appplying Advantix, which I've never tried before; do you think that may have caused it? It's hard to decide what to do; I feel Eagle Pack is a great food but the SS 21 may be better for her. I think I'll try it and if there isn't any difference in her coat or she doesn't have the energy she has on Eagle I can go back to it.

Yeah, I don't think it would hurt to try.  The worst that could happen is you have to switch back to EP (not like it's a bad thing, lol).