Allergies and switching again!

IWe had her a year and she was fine. It was shortly after her first year that she started with the itching and redness. I took her to a special doctor who works with allergies. At that time, he told me to take her off the lamb and rice and put her on venison  and we tried 3 differant allergy pills--the one that worked best was benedryl.  The venison didn't help, so I put her on fish.  The vet we have now is great.He told me to first see if it was food related. Try one food and ONLY that one food, no treats, no nothing. If doesn't improve, try something differant. He told me they could do the allergy testing, but it was very expensive and would more than likely be the same-grasses,dust,pollen,etc.Than it's shots or pills and I know that's hard on the kidneys and liver. My daughter went thru that with her dal, all the money for testing and supposedly dust, grass,etc.  Poor Gypsy went thru all that and still was red. Finally her kidney failed and we had to put her down.   I can't go thru that again with Maizy and really try to avoid prednisone--only when she's really bad.

Again, forgot to add, the protein levels can't be too high either---they should be around 21%. Dals have differant systems and are prone to kidney stones, so I always keep that in mind when reading labels.  I have considered home cooked,but you know you always think a new food that comes out might do the trick.

maizysmom

I put her on Timberwolf OceanBlue and she seemed to be doing better. I ordered 2 more bags and she started getting worse.I am almost done with the second ordered bag, and she is terribly red  and itchy. I'm seriously thinking of putting her on a vegetarian food, like Avoderm?   Does anyone use this food and has it helped? 

 One thing that annoys me no end with the Timberwolf range is that they use Brewers Dried Yeast in all their formulas.
 That really is a no-no for sensitive/allergic dogs.

 I have had one bag of Avoderm (oven-baked Lamb & Rice). Can't say I was overly impressed with the quality, and the dogs weren't really keen on it either. Avoderm do one vegetarian formula - but otherwise their foods are pretty standard one protein + rice formulas. It's probably neither better nor worse than many other dry dog foods.

I would second the recommendation of Natural Balance Allergy formulas ... however, they all contain flaxseed. For many allergic dogs, flaxseed is a big problem and causes skin reactions.

Do you know whether Maizy is allergic to flaxseed specifically?

 

No, I don't. I didn't know they could be allergic to flaxseed too.I thought all the fish,salmon, and even flaxseed oils were good for them---guess I was wrong.

I've heard more than a few times that Flaxseed can be a problem. Still, I've had better luck with NB Duck & Potato than anything else. If my girl weighed less, I'd just go with home cooking, but at 75 lbs, it's just challenging to keep up and do it right.

maizysmom

 I've tried almost every food out there.  

Try a box of Abady Classic Granular, it will solve all your problems.  Your dog is beautiful and this food will make him thrive....trust me.

CC.

maizysmom

Anything with feathers-----forget it ----why do they always add poultry-fat.

Forget about all that stuff.  Feed accordingly, high animal source protein, low carb and fiber.  Whoever told you your dog is allergic to chicken (even if it is your vet) is steering you in the wrong direction.  Dogs are not allergic to the food I recommend.  Sometimes you just have to take a chance, this the absolute best there is, you can't miss.  Just do it and I give you my word you will not be disappointed.  Abady Classic Granular will solve your problems.

 CC.

maizysmom

   I can't go thru that again with Maizy and really try to avoid prednisone--only when she's really bad.

You try this and you will say goodbye to the meds, the nutritionist, and the vet....honest.  This food is all you need.  Your Maisey is a beautiful dog and this food will make it ALL RIGHT.  I know you won't try it, but if you do will probably will need 'digestive enzymes' to help prepare the stomach to digest the food until Maisey begins producing the strong enough enzymes on her own (it will help with potential diarrhea).

CC

Sometimes the tiny added ingredients in foods can cause the problem too; i..e Flaxseed (as already mentioned), sage, rosemary extract, etc. these are becoming a big problem in canines that are sensitive to these ingredients as more and more foods are adding these in.

My supposed chicken allergic canine is however do fantastic on Innova large breed puppy food, we thought for months he was allergic to chicken, cause he'd break out every time we fed it to him. But, I'm clueless now, cause he's doing so good.

My other dogs, one who is HIGHLY allergic to sage, and another who can not tolerate sunflower oil or flaxseed are both doing great on Primal raw pheasant mixed with homecooked. They get absolutely NO GRAINS, period.

Where do you get this Abady Classic Granular, I never heard of it?

maizysmom

Where do you get this Abady Classic Granular, I never heard of it?

Sales are mostly done through independent distributors.  The kennel keepers, show circuit people, training services, etc., are the common outlets.  So you call and ask if they have any on hand, if not pick me up a box on your next order.  They have to order I think a minimum of 10 boxes to get delivery, so they include you in on their next orders.  I'm running low now, about 2-3 weeks worth left so I start thinking about it now so I know they will have it when I'm ready for my next box (I have 3 people in my area).  You need to call the company (they have a website) and ask them for the names of people in your area that sell and call them to see who is has the best price.  Classic should go for $65 a box for a good price.  Looking at your Maisey, I'm guessing $25-30 a month to feed your dog.  Give it 30 days, you will not regret it, I promise you that.

O.K. thanks I may give it a try.

*sigh* please be careful -- "food switching" often does FAR more harm than good.  The dog stays in a high state of allergy crisis ALL the time and then every single solitary 'new' food literally becomes a new source of potential allergens.  Everything 'new' is more apt to react BAD than good.

 STOP the insanity ... do a tru elmination diet.  2 ingredients never before given.  Home cooked.  I've seen vets use odd stuff like peas and white potato ... not for long.  Just for the initial 3 weeks or so to get thru crisis. 

Then you add things ONE at a time.  That's all.  VERY VERY VERY slowly (taking weeks to adjust to each thing). 

food-switching can truly be such a huge problem because it builds MORE allergies than eliminating them.

maizysmom

O.K. thanks I may give it a try.

Despite the negatives you will hear, dogs are not allergic to this food.  It is properly structured and will solve all the issues.  Peak health through nutrition.  It is a 'holistic' approach and will work.  Trust me please, I would never steer you in the wrong direction.  I am so confident in this I would be willing to reimburse you the cost of the box if it didn't solve your problems...that is how confident I am.  Give it 2 weeks for transition (get digestive enzymes to be on the safe side for possible diarrhea), after that you're home free.  You will never need to search again for answers.  I've been feeding dogs for over 20 years, when I found this that was it, no more searching, problems solved and it will work for your Maisey.  Just promise me pictures of Maisey when she is thriving!  Just scoop out of the box and feed, provide water and your done, it is that simple. 

CC.

That is completely untrue.

Dogs can be allergic to ANYTHING. Just because your dogs do not have allergies cc431, that does not mean that Abady food is perfect for allergy dogs. It has a bunch of ingredients in it, all of which can be allergy triggers. 

Maizysmom I agree with Callie and think you should try a real elimination diet. That will actually see if the dog is allergic to food.