My dog has food allergies

[kermit]

So about two months my JRT developed a rash on his belly and red, itchy feet that he could not stop chewing on. I took him to the vet and she determined he has food allergies. One month on prednisone and she told me to bath him with a special shampoo and completely change his food. After much research and trail and error, I have found Naural Balance by believe it or not **** Van Patten. I have put him on the all vegetarian, and hes been on it for about one week. Thank god he's a good eater but I am hoping that this fixes the itching. I have completely taken away all corn, wheat, soy, and animal proteins. He seems to be healing and not chewing as much. Does anyone have experience with this? How long before I know that this food is working? I've read it can take 6-8 weeks before you really know? Is that true? I use topical creams and have given him a benedryl a couple of times. My poor little man, his name is Rebel by the way. The guy is the photo.

[wildhawk]

My little corgi had allergies too - we put her on an all natural vegetarian food by Nutro and started added fish oil to her food. Her allergies are gone. Your little fella will respond to the change in diet - a couple of weeks I would say. And add the fish oil - he will like the taste and his skin and fur will look and feel better.

[andtckrtoo]

Good luck to you and your buddy, Rebel! Food allergies are such a pain to deal with. Sounds like you're doing the right thing. Personally I don't feed my dogs anything with corn, soy or wheat anyway. I just don't think it's good for them. And my little eskie has cushings and diabetes so I home cook her food. Yeah, by dogs are spoiled.

[OakLeaf]

I would worry about a vegetarian diet that excludes soy. Be careful there's enough protein.

Two of my dogs had allergies, and they did well on California's Natural and Wellness brand foods.

[Aggie_Ama]

Mine are allegeric to peanut butter. The fish oil does help but watch out, mine's breath smells well fishy!

[BethG]

My understanding is that it does take 6-8 weeks to determine if a food source is working, but you should probably check with your vet, especially if he's still itching.

Did the vet talk to you about introducing new food sources once Rebel's itching calms down? (I'd worry about the lack of protein, too)

You might also ask here: http://www.dogwise.com/forums/

I would research any advice you get, off course, but it's a good way to get started. In fact, I sometimes find it more useful to ask for sources of information, rather then just advice, when looking for info on health issues.

[tc1]

Don't forget the flea control. My experience with an itchy scratchy dog was that she also would get flea dermatitis. No matter how clean your house is, the dog is still gonna get fleas when he goes outside to do his business. Hope Rebel feels better soon.

[kerryhb]

My terrier has a perpetual mild itch..nibbles on his feet too. The vet has suggested changing his food, which we have...he also gets Missing Link supplement, but I would like to try the fish oil. Is it people fish oil from the vitamin section, or special veterinary fish oil? Can you get the liquid in a bottle, or do you squeeze the capsules over their food? Thank you!

[TxDoc]

I give mine fish oil capsules and vitamin E capsules. They both come for the pharmacy and are for human use
He does not like them though - he chews on them for a while with a very disgusted face...

[kermit]

Thanks everybody. I have a sleeping Rebel in my lap as I write and he appreciates the help. I think I will keep things status quo and see what happens. I know that the last food he was on when the allergies surfaced included fish so I will wait on the oil. Cyclenewbie08, when you had your dog tested was it blood work or the actual spot testing? I was told that the blood work is a hit or miss. You guys are the best. Knock on wood that fleas/ticks have never been an issue. I have a K9 with the police dept. as well, a belgian malinois (a bomb sniffer) and the yard gets sprayed courtesy of the county. One less thing to worry about.

[Aggie_Ama]

My terrier has a perpetual mild itch..nibbles on his feet too. The vet has suggested changing his food, which we have...he also gets Missing Link supplement, but I would like to try the fish oil. Is it people fish oil from the vitamin section, or special veterinary fish oil? Can you get the liquid in a bottle, or do you squeeze the capsules over their food? Thank you!

Mine get the capsules which they chew and therefore smell fishy. Their little beards (schnuazers) have the fish oil in them, yuck but necessary.

[BethG]

Both my guys get human fish-oil capsules, whole, with each meal. They love it - I've even seen Augie pick his out of his kibble and eat it first.

I haven't noticed a particularly fishy smell from either of them.

[kermit]

I have some reservations about the fish oil since his original food had salmon and fish oil in it. I did give him some flaxseed which he ate right out of the bag. I think thats safe for right now with the veggie food. I know that that fish oil tablets I used to take would haunt me for hours.

[Nia]

My girls doesnt have allergies, but my old pup did and we went trough a lot of trial and error with him...i found it normally took between 2-3 weeks to really make a difference with his food, but he was quick to repsond once we found the right one! Also, i noticed that with him it was not about one particular food to avoid, really think it had more to do with the preservatives that are used.
Hope you're little guy is alright!! i know it's difficult. Benadryl works welll, so does an oatmeal bath and for sore spots i used diaper rash cream (zinc cream) on him...it stopped him from scratching!!

[Dogmama]

After one year of painful allergy shots, my shepherd is not any better. Yesterday, we saw a vet who also does alternative medicine. Here is what he suggested:

Probiotics - helps heal leaky gut syndrome.
Vitamins C & E
Fish Oil - if your guy reacts, try salmon oil. Always get the capsules because the bottled stuff can be rancid. Do not use cod liver oil because you'll overdose vitamin A.

Food - when I did the food trial, I got IVD rabbit from my vet. I wanted to be absolutely positive that the protein source wasn't contaminated. Since you have to do it 6-8 weeks, it pays to do it once. Watch all treats, even rawhides, etc.

Douxo calm shampoo - leave on 10 minutes & rinse
Hylyt bath oil spray - daily. Can be diluted if he gets too oily.

Food - I home cooked for him. Vet said a food called Orijen is excellent. It is made in Canada & all parts of production - from fish catching to final product is done in one place. Nothing is out sourced. It's a small company.

Stay away from grains. Read labels.

I went the alternative medicine route because I couldn't stand him being so miserable. The allergy shots were painful & he hated going to the doggie dermatologist. They didn't help at all & often made him worse. My regular vet suggested that I consult with this guy (who does allopathic and alternative medicine).

Keeping fingers - and paws - crossed!