Allergies

Please don't let the vet give steroids for allergies.  Try an antihistamine FIRST.  food allergies are possible but the problem is that Hills allergy food is actually loaded with stuff that can be allergens,... but it 'works' because the molecular size is small enough not to be well absorbed.  But I generally hate Hills because they use BHA, BHT and ethoxyquin as preservatives (they are known carcinogens).
 
If the allergic reaction is high sometimes you have to use a bit of steroid to calm down the inflamation but long term it is BAD stuff (kidney failure, etc.).  But there are SO many antihistamines dogs can take that's truly the best 'first option'.  But for each trial of allergy med (and Benedryl is easy) -- you have to dose it right (dogs often need more than humans because of their metabolism but EVERY anthistamine is different so it needs to be dosed properly) and give it the right number of times a day.  But a month trial is normal -- it can take days for the allergen to come out on the skin and it takes a while to get it all worked thru enough to know if you're really seeing progress or not.
 
The other thing, since this IS a cocker (I love one too!) is to have the thryoid checked.  Not just the T3 or T4 -- but a full thyroid panel done (preferably sent to Dr. Jean Dodds directly, or at least to Michigan State where you will get a far more definitive answer that is breed sensitive).  Thyroid problems can be typical in a dog that age -- we battled allergies with my Billy for two years before I finally got the thyroid properly done and THEN we got somewhere in treatment!!!

Well the Vet said he didn't want to keep him on the steroids and gave me benadyrl for when the cortizone was done. I was very skeptical about the food. I have been giving Vash solid gold- and he really likes it. And then the doc said to try the Hills for 10 weeks. But I told my fiancee I didn't feel comfortable with HIlls at all. ugh.. My best friend recommended an animal hospital in Red bank (NJ) and they have a specialist for skin and allergies.. But they recommended science diet for her dog as well. Anyway, I'm rambling.. I know that all dogs are individual cases, but I must ask.. what has worked for you dog as far as food?

I'll tell you this now before putting your dog through this- No Science Diet! All science diet, even canned, is made out of peanut shells. It is terrible, so don't feed it!
 
As for my dogs, I feed only raw. I can help you out with raw if you want to consider it. Dogs aren't allergic to meat, since they're carnivores.Corn and grains are the allergens in dog food. Because of this, raw diet suits the dogs allergenic needs.
 
When we fed our malinois Knox kibble, he was on Wolf cub. We thought he had demodectic mange (he did) but the hair loss on his face was also contributed to his allergies to grain. We switched him to The Honest Kitchen, which is a dehydrated raw.
[linkhttp://www.thehonestkitchen.com]http://www.thehonestkitchen.com[/link]
That worked great for him, clearing up his allergies, but it was a little to expensive (30 bucks for a five pound bucket), so we switched to full raw.
 
HOPE THAT HELPS
 
 

HI, Thanks for the feedback. I am so worried about this dog food. Vash used to be on raw food. I wasn't an expert at it but of course he loved it. I processed veggies and mixed it in with raw beef. I was always scared about trying the chicken and turkey though. (salmonella) I will definitely be picking your brain about raw food. I think his skin was the best on the raw food.