# Dog Food Allergies out of Control



## ryanb4614 (Mar 7, 2008)

I have 3 dogs. Older to youngest (1 Chihuahua 1 Bichon & Yorkie Mix 1 Bichon & Cocker Spaniel Mix)
We have been spending a fortune on food since we have purchased the second dog. The dogs have constant itchy ears and occasionally will bite their paws. The VET said it can be an infection or food allergies. We got ear drops that did not help so we have decided to try different foods. We try to stay with a small kibble/small breed especially the Chihuahua These are the foods we have tried:
The following foods we have tried did not eliminate any of their conditions:
-Fromm Surf and Turf
-Natural Balance: Duck, Lamb, Salmon/Fish mix, and Chicken
-Blue Buffalo Small Breed Mix

We have also tried Blue Buffalo Basic Turkey mix which their ears for the first time were not warm to the touch and itching was very minimal but the Cocker Spaniel mix and Chihuahua started eating their feces!

So we went to a place that is supposed to be food experts. They said to stay away from starchy foods especially potatoes ingredients that this will feed the starch in their ears and make them more itchy. But then after reviewing the ingredients with Blue Buffalo Basic this has potatoes. They said the dogs are eating the feces because they are lacking nutrients from their food, to get a higher meat protein content. They recommended Nature’s Variety Instinct. Tried the duck and lamb formula- all conditions returned. I have tried to look at the ingredients but they all contain something the other does. I cannot narrow down the allergen. I have been reading pros and cons of a raw diet but I like the benefits of kibble food.

Does anyone have any advice? Anything else I can try…


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Well, I guess so far you found out that turkey ISN'T an allergen for them. So try another turkey-based food, or go back to the BB Basics and try giving digestive enzymes (poop eating is sometimes caused by incomplete digestion of the food so enzymes might help) or try any of the commercial anti-copophragy products. I think I'd rather deal with poop eating than bad allergies! 

Also maybe look into frozen pre-made raw foods. They usually have fewer ingredients than kibbles, so it's easier to eliminate the problematic ingredients.


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## TinyTails (May 16, 2011)

Have you tried the Nature's Variety instinct LID Turkey formula? Some dogs just can't be on kibble - I have a chihuahua that itches a lot, we mostly feed The Honest Kitchen (dehydrated) in my house topped with fresh meat and that has really done wonders for them. Their Thrive formula is pretty minimalistic and I've heard Zeal is great for allergies as well. If you want to rule out food allergies you need to start with minimalistic foods - one carb one protein. I've learned that my dog is actually allergic to peas and potatoes and not grains. If you pick a food with a bunch of stuff in it you can't tell what they allergic too. Here's a list of a few that have more limited ingredients:
Nature's Variety Instinct LID Turkey or Lamb, there's also Nature's Variety Instinct Rabbit
Taste of the Wild Sierra or Pacific Stream formula
Brothers complete allergy formula
California Natural
Canine Caviar Lamb and Millet
Earthborn Holistic Great Plains or Meadow Feast
Nutrisource grain free lamb or chicken

Otherwise try a dehydrated such as THK or Grandma Lucy's or premade raw  Good luck I know allergies suck


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

For these particular dogs, there don't seem to be any benefits to kibble. We have a lot of info on feeding raw, you should read it and see what you think. Raw feeding seems complicated, but I doubt every member of this board feeding raw is a NASA scientist, you can figure it out, too.

I don't feed raw due to access issues (it would very difficult for me to get to a butcher), but if I were having that many problems with kibble, I'd at least try it out for 6 weeks and see.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

How long were your dogs on the foods that you said didn't work for them? It can take up to six weeks to know if a food will work. That said, I suggest a grain and potato free food.


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

For the most part, dogs are allergic to the proteins. There are two approaches to dealing with food allergies: 1) feed a food with a single-source novel protein or 2) feed a prescription food which is made with hydrolyzed protein so that the dog's body doesnt recognize it as a protein. Protein has a molecular size of 10,000 daltons. Hydrolyzation breaks up the molecules without changing the amino acid profile so that the body doesn't recognize them as protein molecules. Hills' z/d, Royal Canin's Hypoallergenic HP and Anallergenic are foods with hydrolyzed proteins. RC's Anallergenic has the smallest protein molecule at 1 dalton. 

As your dog seems to be suffering I would suggest trying the Anallergenic or the z/d for at least 6 weeks. Nothing else other than the food must be fed during the 6 week trial. If the condition goes away, you can go down a level to Royal Canin's Hypoallergenic HP for another 6 week trial. If your dog is symptom-free, you can try the Royal Canin Hypoallergenic which is a single source protein (duck) food. Or try one of the limited ingedient foods like the ones suggested in previous posts. The only issue I have is that you need to know how and where the foods are made. For example, the Royal Canin (formerly Medi-Cal Royal Canin) cleans out their factory on the weekend and only makes their hypoallergenic foods on Mondays to prevent cross-contamination. Just like if a child was allergic to peanuts, you would make sure foods were not made where they came in contact with any traces of peanuts.

Raw is an option but again I would choose a novel protein and only feed that protein for 6 weeks at least. And you have to make sure that the meat doesn't come in contact with any other proteins. I have encountered cases where it has helped and cases where it did not. 

Dogs can be allergic to certain grains but it is usually the protein. I'm not a huge supporter of the rx foods but they have their place. They do work for many cats and dogs. And it sounds like your dog is in need of some relief.


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## roxiefoxie08 (Dec 15, 2011)

Willowy said:


> Well, I guess so far you found out that turkey ISN'T an allergen for them. So try another turkey-based food, or go back to the BB Basics and try giving digestive enzymes (poop eating is sometimes caused by incomplete digestion of the food so enzymes might help) or try any of the commercial anti-copophragy products. I think I'd rather deal with poop eating than bad allergies!
> 
> Also maybe look into frozen pre-made raw foods. They usually have fewer ingredients than kibbles, so it's easier to eliminate the problematic ingredients.


 I agree try enzymes and limited ingredient diet food such as california natural


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

My westie mix is allergic to most starches, so we limit the amount of that in her diet. We feed a potato free food. She's also allergic to grass, so we had to find an alfalfa freed kibble, as well (that's hard to do!). We settled on Evo Herring and Salmon (their only potato free food). It's a limited ingredient kibble that's grain, potato, and alfalfa free. It's not a cure - all, but it's been helpful. I also give her organic, virgin coconut oil. It's antibacterial, antifungal, and tends to help the skin. I'll try to post a link later. It won't open right now.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

I think its very odd that all 3 dogs are all of a sudden having issues? Would be unlikely that all 3 are allergic to the same things...I agree...go limited raw and add proteins over time, after no reactions. But be open to other issues. Have they been checked thoroughly for fleas etc?


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## NRobertson (Dec 18, 2012)

My dog has food allergies as well. The meats he is allergic to are lamb, turkey, duck, & rabbit. I've always heard that they have to be exposed to the food before they can be allergic to it but he never was & is still allergic anyway. I use Instinct dog food, they have many other flavors to choose from. Your dog is more than likely allergic to grains as well as some meats. (Just have to narrow it down to which meats). You also need to feed a variety for different meats (once you get on a set dog food) because if they eat the same thing too often they will become allergic. *That's what I've been told* I add unpasteurized apple cider vinegar "The Mother" to my dogs food & it helps with the itching. You can also apply it to the coat and ears. I'd suggest googling it & getting more info on ACV. Make sure we you get it that it is unpasteurized & is "The Mother". I love the stuff! It is the only thing that helped my dog, & I've been to the vet a million times on antibiotics! I've also added plain non fat yogurt to their food as well.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Are you absolutely positive it's a food allergy? A friend's dog has constant itching and such so she thought it was food. Turned out to be a dust mite allergy.


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## Stephie (Apr 29, 2010)

I am a big fan of Simply Nourish and their salmon and potato limited ingredient diet. It is not overly expensive, my dog loves the taste, and his food allergies are a thing of the past now. It does contain sweet potatoes, but as said above, it could be an allergy to a protein so it may be worth a shot. Their kibble is fairly small and they also have a canned version if they like a little wet food as well. And by canned, I mean it is chunks of salmon and potatoes. Might be worth looking in to for you as well. Good luck!


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## Fade (Feb 24, 2012)

you said Dogs...I am assuming all of your dogs have the same symptoms?
the chances all of them are allergic to the same food is very unlikely...VERY unlikely.
Chances that it is an allergy at all and they all have it...also very unlikely.

Even 2 dogs having the same symptoms decreases the chances of a allergy. it is more pointing towards something other than an allergy. 
an environmental factor most likely. Good food is a must for any sort of issue because it promotes skin health in general. but as for the cause I would be looking into other things besides allergies. 

I would recommend a skin scraping on the infected area. and also a ringworm / fungus test. We had a dog come in recently with dry flecks on the ears. and it looked like an allergy nothing suspicious at all. After treating it for a ear infection that did not respond well to the treatment.. we decided to test it for ringworm and amazingly it came back positive for ringworm! ( ringworm is NOT a worm at all actually it is a fungus. )

Try giving them really well filtered water. Even R.O.
Try giving them plain organic yogurt. Yogurt helps with a multitude of problems. and promotes good health and digestion. It boosts the immune system and helps the body to absorb other helpful vitamins. along with a lot of other helpful factors.
And also put them on a good pet vitamin. to help boost their immune system.
Give them baths using a medicated and anti-fungal shampoo.


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## rmpsbuttercup (Dec 21, 2012)

ryanb4614 said:


> I have 3 dogs. Older to youngest (1 Chihuahua 1 Bichon & Yorkie Mix 1 Bichon & Cocker Spaniel Mix)
> We have been spending a fortune on food since we have purchased the second dog. The dogs have constant itchy ears and occasionally will bite their paws. The VET said it can be an infection or food allergies.
> 
> Does anyone have any advice? Anything else I can try…


The paw biting suggests an inhalent allergy. I'd give your house a careful walkthrough to try to find something that could be causing such a significant reaction in three dogs. Do you use scented oils, candles or plug-ins? Are you renovating or doing any construction in the house? Is there a smoker in the house? Are you spraying anything into the air? Could your heating system be a problem? Check the filters on your furnace ... Has your house been damp? Is there mold anywhere?

It's unusual to have three dogs exhibiting food related allergies at the same time, but it is not so unlikely that there is an environmental issue. There's a good chance that something in your house is causing the problem.


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