Posted on 10/02/2007 6:51:50 AM PDT by HairOfTheDog
When I pet him he would scratch his back leg fierce anywhere I touched him when he normally never does, even between his eyes and the side of his nose.
My vet said this time of the year he is flooded with dogs that have allergies just like his, if you haven't changed his food recently is most likely a mold/pollen environment problem. My dog got one allergy shot and in 1 day he was as happy and playful as could be. I had to kick him out of our bedroom because his scratching and licking all night drove us nuts. Now he sleeps through the night without a single move.
I recommend getting a shot and seeing if it stops over the winter. If it does it will save you a lot of money in food costs when it isn't really the problem.
Flavor. I’ve heard garlic is good but did not know about the onion.
It occurred to me (after awhile - sorry) that you might want to try the food we got when Shelley had the itchies. Breeder's Choice AvoDerm It has avocado meal and fish meal in it as well as brewers yeast and vitamins, you can also buy a supplement from the same folks with more vitamins and probiotics in it.
Shelley had a lot of dander, the itchies, and yukky ears -- this food cleared it right up. We asked the vet recently about switching, and her attitude was, "If it ain't broke don't fix it" so we just put Ruby on the same stuff and she loves it (and her coat is simply gorgeous).
Huh - well I don’t know that you need to add flavor to hamburger and rice, I think that would taste pretty good. :~)
My horse vet got out of small animal practice because he was tired of itchy dogs. It’s practically all they see.
I don’t think allergy shots last that long??
Well, I’m just tired of switching dry foods and wanted to try something else. But then cooking food seems complicated, a lot more complicated than scooping kibble out of a bag. I haven’t tried that brand... it’s not one our feed store carries or we’d have given it a shot. Petsmart or something like that?
My little chihuahuas are finicky though. Now they each get one half of a carton of Little Caesar Sirloin Tips. And they like a bit of parmesan cheese grated on top. :)
Once a day.
I see ;~) Well carry on!
Don’t know about homemade dog food. Three rat/chi’s and one big yard mutt. The first three have been on Purina-now Red Flannel-since they were weaned-10,9, and 7. No problem with skin or coat/weight. Yard dog is @ a year old-beautiful.
There is something around here-the vets call it Carteret county crud. I have no idea what it is, but it causes severe itching and chewing. Often changing the dogfood to Purina helps, add some cod liver oil and vit e.
The dogs have a bad smell, like mange. Prednesone doesn’t help-benadryl will help with the itching but it won’t do anything about root cause. The dogs that get it seem to be the ones that spend a lot of time running ditches or in the water. I wonder if some of them are allergic to nutrias? I know nutrias can cause skin problems in humans-just a thought.
Doesn’t seem to be contagious, as I know people with multiple dogs. One out of five might have it. Changing the diet does something. Maybe something lacking in some of the dogfoods?
If you go to the Breeder's Choice website, they should have a list of stores that carry their products. They are California-based, so I'd think you could get it locally.
Scooping it out of a bag is DEFINITELY easier!
Well, they say Petsmart has it... but then they say my feed store has it.
I don’t think they do. I’ve read every label in their store.
Oh well. :~)
Email the company. I’ve Emailed them with silly questions, and they answered!
I really think the easiest way to start “eliminating” is going to vegetarian, as I ended up doing per dermatologist vet recommendation. That eliminates like no other. Then you could try some animal proteins.
http://www.royalcanin.us/vetdiet/
Royal Canin now owns IVD, but apparently doesn’t bother mentioning it any more on the website. In their sites, you’ll find the various kinds of food they offer. In this case, you needn’t go to “Atopy” (which IS allergy), but to what they list as “adverse reaction”. Vegetarian, e.g., is listed, along with rabbit, venison, duck, etc.
This is just an example; possibly you could try readily available foods off the shelf if the dogs like it. IVD usually needs special access.
Of course, this is all in case it really is food allergy!
Well, we’ll see what we actually decide to do. Still mulling it over.
I feel like with any National Brand we’re just one screw up away from the next recall. That’s part of my fatigue is with national large scale distribution of not just dog food, but all our food. Food should be local, larger factories, bigger batches just aren’t better for any one.
So that’s part of my issue.
And my instinct is not that it’s the meat they’re allergic to. Yours is, apparently, but I just don’t have that instinct about mine. Dogs are supposed to eat meat. I think it’s the wheat and corn and gluten and meal and ~whatever~ that’s in all the kibble foods.
The one he gave my dog lasts a month, and that was a month ago. He hasn't itched since he got the shot, and I didn't change his food at all. Everyone told me it was food allergies because his paws were licked raw, but I guess it must have been environmental problems because I am still feeding him out of the same bag of food as when he started itching.
You won’t find corn, wheat gluten in my IVD. They are aware these are typical allergens so avoid them.
Basically, what I do is feed 2/3 ground meat to 1/3 fruits and vegetables. To make the vegetables more easily digested for our 12 1/2 year old, I steam some of the vegetables (broccoli for instance). The rest I just grind, mix, and freeze in ice cube trays.
Some of my favorite sites for raw or BARF feeding are
http://www.njboxers.com/faqs
http://www.diamondpaws.com/health/barfadult
There are also already prepared raw foods.
http://www.bravorawdiet.com/products.html
http://search.onlynaturalpet.com/search.aspx?searchterms=Raw-Food-Dogs
http://www.omaspride.com/index.htm
http://www.stevesrealfood.com/
These lists are by no means all that there are. Do a search for BARF feeding for canines.
Hahahaaa!!!
I have a friend who feeds raw whole chicken parts to her big Great Pyrenese. She tosses him a neck and a back in the morning, frozen, and he gnaws on it throughout the day. That method wouldn’t work for me I know. He’s an only dog, no one to bicker over his bones with.
With the raw ground meat, do you grind it yourself or you buy regular ground beef/turkey/etc?
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