Dog Community

Special Food for Dogs With Allergies

Posted : 7/14/2006 1:28:18 PM

It's a prescription diet by Royal Canin called Skin Support SS 21; [linkhttp://www.royalcanin.us/documents/CanineSkinSupport.pdf]http://www.royalcanin.us/documents/CanineSkinSupport.pdf[/link]

     It is supposed to help prevent bacterial infections in atopic dogs and also help them recover from skin infections. It has a " skin cocktail" which includes aloe vera and curcumin (comes from the from tumeric root) and doesn't have artificial preservatives. The first ingredient is menhaden fish meal.
       This link describes how allergies affect a dog's skin and how the ingredients in Skin Support SS 21 work. It also details a clinical study in which SS 21 was proven to help atopic dogs;
        [linkhttp://www.royalcanin.us/documents/SkinSupportNIP06.pdf]http://www.royalcanin.us/documents/SkinSupportNIP06.pdf[/link]

   I know some of you won't like some of the ingredients like cellulose powder but for anyone with an allergic dog with skin problems that are difficult to control this diet could provide some help. I like the idea of using natural ingredients for the skin and also using natural preservatives; that's a much different approach than Science Diet and Eukanuba have with their prescription diets.

cakana

Posted : 7/14/2006 1:47:21 PM

I totally agree with the point you're making Janice. As you and I know, if you've got a dog that's suffering with allergies, it can be very frustrating. Having a food like this might be the answer for some people, at least in the short-term. I appreciate that some manufacturers are recognizing how much the allergy problem is growing with our dogs. The more who look into it and research it, the better off we'll all be and so will our dogs.

brookcove

Posted : 7/14/2006 1:57:10 PM

Arrrrrrgggggghhhhh chicken fat. Oh well. It sounds really great otherwise. I never thought of turmeric - sometimes people with eczema have gotten some relief using turmeric (I feel like I'm spelling that wrong but I'm feeling too lazy to look it up - trying to get my leisure surfing in before getting the sheep up [

] ).

jennie_c_d

Posted : 7/14/2006 2:15:32 PM

*dies* Chicken fat. I'm with Becca[

]

It does look like a great option, for those of us whose dogs aren't violently allergic to anything chicken.

jessies_mom

Posted : 7/14/2006 2:20:08 PM

Arrrrrrgggggghhhhh chicken fat. Oh well. It sounds really great otherwise. I never thought of turmeric - sometimes people with eczema have gotten some relief using turmeric (I feel like I'm spelling that wrong but I'm feeling too lazy to look it up - trying to get my leisure surfing in before getting the sheep

From a nutritionist at Royal Canin:

" Dogs that have food sensitivities are generally sensitive to the protein portion of that ingredient. Chicken fat is isolated from the protein, and should not pose a problem, even to pets that have a chicken sensitivity"

Jessie doesn't have any problems with EP duck or lamb even though they have chicken fat and she's allergic to chicken. Since both of us spelled it the same way it probably is spelled wrong. [

]

brookcove

Posted : 7/14/2006 2:26:19 PM

Ben reacts to chicken fat. I can't ignore that fact, in spite of what the nutritionists say. Possibly the fat is not 100% free of chicken proteins, I don't know. I can only work with what Ben "tells" me!

I do agree that it's a huge step ahead though. I've been amazed at what passes for "allergy" diets in other brands - common sense says that simplicity is the key.

Royal Canin really does some good stuff. I've mentioned how well my allergic Siamese did on their breed specific cat diet. She'd still be on it if she hadn't reacted to the chicken in it.

Melissa Camiel

Posted : 7/14/2006 3:10:32 PM

I was looking into this formula a while back for Jetta. It looks great to me, especially since Jetta needs more than just an allergy formula, she actually needs something that will help her skin heal. The only problem is that you can only get it by a prescription from the vet, and my vet doesn't sell it!!
Does anyone know of another way I can get this food???

jessies_mom

Posted : 7/14/2006 3:38:34 PM

Does anyone know of another way I can get this food???

Here is a link for locating vets that do sell it;
[linkhttp://www.royalcanin.us/retailer.html]http://www.royalcanin.us/retailer.html[/link]

Your vet should be able to order it for you though.

jessies_mom

Posted : 7/14/2006 3:42:48 PM

Ben reacts to chicken fat. I can't ignore that fact, in spite of what the nutritionists say. Possibly the fat is not 100% free of chicken proteins, I don't know. I can only work with what Ben "tells" me

I've also heard of dogs that are allergic to artificial colors in dog food and that's not a protein either. It's hard enough finding a food without chicken in it somewhere; even animal digest has chicken ; finding one without chicken and chicken fat is really tough.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 7/14/2006 3:50:29 PM

You know, I've always thought that if your going to feed a prescription food, Royal Canin is the best prescription brand out there.

Margaret Tyler

Posted : 7/14/2006 3:55:06 PM

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom

From a nutritionist at Royal Canin:

" Dogs that have food sensitivities are generally sensitive to the protein portion of that ingredient. Chicken fat is isolated from the protein, and should not pose a problem, even to pets that have a chicken sensitivity"

Jessie doesn't have any problems with EP duck or lamb even though they have chicken fat and she's allergic to chicken. Since both of us spelled it the same way it probably is spelled wrong. []

In my nutrition class I took in college it is the amino acids in the protien that cause allergy problems, so the chicken fat will not cause a problem with dogs allergic to chicken.

Actually, when I used to work at a pet store, customers would come in with their allergy lists and they would always ask that question - "But my dog's allergic to chicken and this food says chicken fat." Even the list of foods the dog could eat contained foods with chicken fat.

sooner

Posted : 7/14/2006 4:13:13 PM

LOL! I looked at this in Petsmart today and wished it wasn't prescription.

Does anyone know if Royal Canin's fish meal is preserved with ethoxyquin?

brookcove

Posted : 7/14/2006 4:45:08 PM

It was ages before I realized why Ben couldn't eat one single kibble that was sold out there, even if it had no grain, which is what I thought his major problem was. For a while I thought maybe it was a cross-contamination problem (it may still be part of the problem). but when I tried the Natural Balance Duck he did beautifully on it for a long time. He recently started reacting to it - and to his whole ducks, so I'm afraid we are going down the "allergic to all poultry" path. Meanwhile other companies have come out with similiar, viable options with no chicken at all - fish and potato based diets - that I'm going to explore as winter approaches (so hard to keep weight on them in the winter with limited carbs).

Egg is another one that a lot of foods contain. A lot of canned foods have that one.

papillon806

Posted : 7/14/2006 4:52:01 PM

Does anyone know if Royal Canin's fish meal is preserved with ethoxyquin?

I honestly don't know for sure, but if you go to www.royalcanin.us, they have a webforum--you can ask there. I am curious as well....

Jessies_mom,
I have a friend who's doberman has horrible allergies (at only a year old!) to the point where it almost looked like he had mange. She started feeding him the RC Skin-support and he looks amazing now!! I am not 100% sure of what he is allergic to, but I *think* it was chicken (among other things).

cakana

Posted : 7/14/2006 5:27:39 PM

So, do you just ask your vet to write a script and then take it in to PetCo or whatever store? I think I might just give this a try with Sassy. Is it just me, or does it seem like there shouldn't be a need for a perscription?