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Old February 17th, 2008, 02:51 PM
Mia101 Mia101 is offline
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Allergy friendly food

I'm going to do this in stages. I'm not jumping straight to a grain-free food or homemade.

Canidae Lamb and Rice was suggested. Well, turns out there is nothing inherently allergy-friendly about Lamb. That used to be suggested because it was a novel protein source, which of course is not the case any more.

She doesn't like it anyway. I'm wondering if there is any value in getting the regular Canidae - after all, if her allergy is wheat, corn, soy, or artificial junk, it would be solved with regular Canidae.

Or is there something else about the Lamb and Rice Formula that allows it to be called 'hypoallergenic'? (Canidae only makes that claim about L&R, not it's other formulas).
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Old February 17th, 2008, 03:22 PM
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rainbow rainbow is offline
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I think you basically answered your own question. Lamb has been around a long time and is no longer considered a novel protein. If there is nothing in the regular Canidae that your dog is allergic to then there's no reason why you can't feed it.
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Old February 17th, 2008, 03:38 PM
Mia101 Mia101 is offline
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Well, that's what I started thinking. Of course if chicken is the culprit then it won't help. And I don't know every ingredient of both - I thought there may be something else 'hypoallergenic' about L&R since they advertise it that way.

I don't even know what she's allergic too - and there is no way to know without a real food trial. That is REALLY hard, so I thought I'd take a shot at eliminating common allergens, and the crap that's in most foods, and see if it helps!
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Old February 17th, 2008, 03:41 PM
Mia101 Mia101 is offline
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(since she doesn't like the L&R I was thinking maybe the regular canidae might work if I eliminate all treats and table food. She was on Canidae regular before with the same allergy issues, but I was a bad Mom and fed busybones and treats with wheat and gluten and stuff. Also my leftovers sometimes).

It's a crap shoot I guess - what a mess!
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Old February 17th, 2008, 03:54 PM
Mia101 Mia101 is offline
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more info

The main problem is yeast infections in her ears. She does scratch too much also, but not enough to hurt her skin. The main problem is the ears.

I clean them twice a week with Malactic Otic.

On yeast infections past, she would stop scratching everywhere after getting oral steroids. This time, even though the infection has cleared, she is still scratching, so 'm giving her benadryl.

I wonder if it's because the new vet gives half the amount of steroids as the old vet.

Old vet insists that until the allergic reaction is halted, no progress will take place. I'm wondering if he's right, seeing the results of less prednazone,,,,,
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Old February 17th, 2008, 03:54 PM
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Tommysmom Tommysmom is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mia101 View Post
I don't even know what she's allergic too - and there is no way to know without a real food trial. That is REALLY hard, so I thought I'd take a shot at eliminating common allergens, and the crap that's in most foods, and see if it helps!
We were in the same boat with Tommy. I tried several foods and ended up knowing some of his allergies, but I'm sure there are more... I gave up trying to figure it out! What we did was to look at the main protein and carb sources in the foods he had eaten before, and look for a food that had totally different sources - he'd had chicken, lamb, beef in his foods, so I stayed away from anything with those at all. The only thing that makes a food an allergy food is if it is something your dog hasn't been exposed to. We tried foods with venison, bison and fish since he'd never had anything like that, and it really worked, we just had to fine-tune it to what he really liked and did best on. Canidae is a great food, but I found it had so many ingredients in it that it was hard to figure out what he was reacting to, I needed foods with less stuff in them.

I know you said you didn't want to jump into grain free, there are lots of foods out there that aren't grain free but can be good allergy foods provided they are novel to your dog. Natural Balance makes a venison and rice, a duck and potato, and a fish and sweet potato - those can be a good place to start if your dog hasn't eaten that stuff before. Lots of brands offer different protein sources from bison to rabbit to kangaroo!

Just be very careful to read the ingredients closely - I thought Tommy might be allergic to more than he is because he didn't do well on certain foods, but reading the ingredients they had chicken fat or chicken cartilage buried in them somewhere and he IS allergic to that. I just never thought that so many foods had that in there, and most of them do, so he wasn't reacting to the main protein, he was reacting to the chicken they slipped in!

Good luck! Allergies can be sooooooo frustrating, eh!

* While I was typing this you added that you've had problems with yeast infections in her ears - that was one of our symptoms too! One infection straight after another over and over. They didn't really stop until we got his diet under control, and now he hasn't had one in about 9 months.

Last edited by Tommysmom; February 17th, 2008 at 03:57 PM.
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Old February 17th, 2008, 04:44 PM
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mika140 mika140 is offline
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Quote:
Just be very careful to read the ingredients closely - I thought Tommy might be allergic to more than he is because he didn't do well on certain foods, but reading the ingredients they had chicken fat or chicken cartilage buried in them somewhere and he IS allergic to that. I just never thought that so many foods had that in there, and most of them do, so he wasn't reacting to the main protein, he was reacting to the chicken they slipped in!
I'd second that! And it would be my concern about Canidae if your dog is allergic/intolerant to soy. I believe that is what my younger dog has a problem with and in my quest to find a stable diet for him, I learned that lecithin is sourced from either soy or egg usually. And since egg costs noticeably more, most companies use soy lecithin. But the ingredient lists just read "lecithin" and don't include what it is sourced from. I haven't checked with Canidae, so I'd suggest you write/call them first and ask what their lecithin is sourced from. I do know that the lecithin in Wellness products comes from soy, in case you are looking at anything of theirs that includes this ingredient. However, the lecithin in Orijen 6 fresh fish comes from egg.
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Old February 17th, 2008, 04:55 PM
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Chicklet Chicklet is offline
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I have 3 dogs at the moments,
2 shih-tzu's and one lab.
They have been getting straight home prepared meals
I buy ZERO store bought dogfood

Problem started with my Male Shih-tzu
First swollen glands, Vet said something he ate disagreed with him,
Well I thought I figured it out, Brewers yeast.
All was fine for awhile, Then it came back, with Drooling and a really pacing frantic unsettledness about him, then the rubbing of the side of his face feverishly along the floor, Then the last straw, I knew I had to do something,
The tummy noises, Very loud it scared him, Nearly every day. I started food elimination, Well geezes he can't seem to tolerated anything besides lamb,
This ain't possible, Yet here it is in front of me.
What to do, Well i noticed about the only good days he had was when I gave him raw meat, and I never had to beg him to eat either!
I did what I felt was the only thing I could do , I started him on a raw diet,
It's amazing the difference in him, Been about 2 weeks now and he's a new little boy, No more swollen glands, no more drooling, pacing or best of all No more pleading with him to eat, He loves his food.

Since it went well for him, it got me thinking, I found a site, about dogs and food intolerances, They mentions ear infections, Again A bell went off,
My lab, when I got him he had severe ear infections, I have done many vet trips with him over it, Yet within days he was back to crying and digging at his ears again, REVELATION, I'm so stupid when I want to be. I changed him to Raw too. Thats been just over a week ago, Can you believe it, he's all better, He has never gone over three days without scratching his ears till they bleed!.
Raw is the way to go. Thats all I got ta say about that,
And my little Black shih-tzu, he's like a puppy again, He runs and plays, dances like a little bear, It does my heart good to see him so content and happy again, YAY for RAW!

Last edited by Chicklet; February 17th, 2008 at 04:59 PM.
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  #9  
Old February 17th, 2008, 05:08 PM
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Goldens4Ever Goldens4Ever is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mia101 View Post
The main problem is yeast infections in her ears. She does scratch too much also, but not enough to hurt her skin. The main problem is the ears.

I clean them twice a week with Malactic Otic.....
That is a WONDERFUL ear cleaner. But, may I ask, exactly how do you clean her ears? There is a right way & a wrong way.

Also, you should consider the following products, which are extremely beneficial for yeast-related problems:
a) Nzymes Ox-E-Drops
b) Nzymes Bac-Pak-Plus
http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/dog_s...r_problems.htm

I cannot say enough about how influential these two products have been in helping my clients dogs who deal with the same issues.
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Old February 21st, 2008, 01:48 AM
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gypsy_girl gypsy_girl is offline
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I use GO! Naturals Salmon and Oatmeal, as it has one protein one carb and one oil, like an elimination diet. Salmon is still considered a novel protein, at this point in time!
Good luck!
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  #11  
Old February 21st, 2008, 03:07 AM
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rainbow rainbow is offline
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California Natural also has a Herring & Sweet Potato formula for allergies...

http://www.naturapet.com/brands/california-natural.asp

And, Acana has a Salmon & Potato formula for allergies...

http://www.championpetfoods.com/dogs/salmonpotato.aspx


Has your dog ever been tested for hypothyroidism? Chronic ear infections are one of the symptoms.

http://www.siberianhuskyhealthfoundation.org/health.asp

http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0079.htm
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Old February 21st, 2008, 12:12 PM
CHATeau_CHIEN CHATeau_CHIEN is offline
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Allergy Formulas

Our French Bulldog had allergy problems for the longest time, he would get ear infections and red rashes on his belly. We have finally found that chicken is the culprit and possible corn and wheat as well. We currently feed his a mix of Orijen 6-fish and Solid Gold and he is doing much better. We like to switch foods every three months, and mix two or more foods together so it can be hard to find foods with no chicken sources. Here are A few allergy alergy formulas we sell in our store:

Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish
Orijen 6-Fish (Does contain egg sources)
Wellness Simple Solutions Venison and Duck

In my opinion raw food would be the best option, but its not for everyone and can get pricey. I always tell our customers that you pay for good quality food now and less on vet bills later.

E-mail me or PM me if you what more information.

Graham
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Old February 21st, 2008, 12:30 PM
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luckypenny luckypenny is offline
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We ended up going the raw route as well. I was too lazy to do the elimination diet for Penny's skin and ear problems . After making the switch, we had Penny's ears treated with an anti-fungal medication and she's had no problems since.
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Old March 27th, 2008, 05:43 PM
Mia101 Mia101 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Goldens4Ever View Post
That is a WONDERFUL ear cleaner. But, may I ask, exactly how do you clean her ears? There is a right way & a wrong way.

Also, you should consider the following products, which are extremely beneficial for yeast-related problems:
a) Nzymes Ox-E-Drops
b) Nzymes Bac-Pak-Plus
http://www.nzymes.com/Articles/dog_s...r_problems.htm

I cannot say enough about how influential these two products have been in helping my clients dogs who deal with the same issues.
Liquid into the ear. Enough to hear a 'squish' sound. Massage base of ear, ensuring it goes all the way into the ear canal, for at least 20 seconds. Allow dog to shake out excess. Wipe the rest of the excess with tissue.

I've now switched to Zymox, though, and either it or the food change had made a difference.
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