Talk to your vet or other vets- talk to some breeders of goldens and see what they recommend and also about the ears
I suspect a diet with more meat and perhaps rice instead of wheat would be less allergenic
During the chinese dog food scandal I made dogfood out of rice, carrots, green beans, a few eggs and ground meat seasoned with garlic powder, no salt
On that web page, there is a very long break from the text. So keep scrolling, there is more text after the long break.
Our last GR had food allergies also. California Natural helped a lot - PetCo has it.
Natural Balance or Wellness Sweet Potato and Fish.
33 bucks or so for a 15 lb bag. Thing I noticed is it lasts alot longer than regular dog food. Better made, not all that filler crap so dog doesn’t get hungry as often. Try one of those two. Should be able to get them in your area. I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and they are notorious for food allergies.
How did your vet determine it was food based? Usually, that can only be determined through extensive testing.
We have a 4 yo German Shorthair who has had allergies most of his life. He’s on Prednisone and Benadryl twice daily. We’ve served Science Diet allergen free ZD. It didn’t help. We now serve Science Diet Large Breed Lamb & Rice formula and that seems to help. But he still has his itching and rashes. We’ve come to the conclusion that it’s likely not food based, but the only way we could perhaps find an answer is through very costly testing which in the end may not provide an answer.
Great dog food, much cheaper than the rip off vet stuff.
My silky terrier is doing much better on this food.
Just make sure there is no corn in the ingredients and the less additives the better.
I have noticed the ears and feet chewing have pretty much stopped.
I tried Dynovite but the dogs hate the taste. It is supposed to work, but if you can’t get them to eat it then it can’t work.
Our last GR had food allergies also. California Natural helped a lot - PetCo has it.
My lab mix had bad allergies when I got him from the pound 7 years ago. I switched him to the b.a.r.f. diet (bones and raw food) and he cleared up right away.
Consider raw feeding your dog. There’s a great raw feeding group on Yahoo.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/
I switched about two years ago and will never go back. And get rid of the tennis balls. That fuzz stuff will wear down your dog’s teeth, besides maybe being part of the problem.
My Schipperkes had the same problem. Turns out they were allergic to the cornmeal in their food. Switched to salmon based food and all is well. No more gnawing paws.
I agree with the information provided by “grace”. Having had the same problem with a bull mastiff, after much research I settled on Sojourners (SoJos.com)a mixture of grains to which I add the protein. It worked well. But like the article said, nothing works for every animal.
Mine is now taking a daily pill and things are bearable. I wish I could tell you what that pill is but I am in Las Vegas not at home. I can get the name of the pill if you want it.
Sorry to be so negative, I hope your journey goes easier.
For years, we used Eagle Pack, and it is a wonderful kibble.
However, to buy it, we had to travel nearly 50 miles each way. More recently, a pet food store opened up a mile away and they specialize in Innova EVO, which a even better. Because of the formula, we can feed about half the quantity to give our Golden more nutrition and about the same calories.
His coat was shiny on the Eagle Pack, but it’s gotten shinier on the EVO.
Side benefit: Less pooper quantity to pick up in the backyard.
Our dog has had bad allergies since we got him at about 9 months old. We have to stay away from food that contains a lot of wheat. He gets more lean poultry and rice now. We also use benadryl, plain OTC kind as needed.
Screw that canned food and dry crap,too. Put your dog on a raw diet; chicken,beef,pork and throw some eggs and yogurt in there once in awhile.You can give the bones to the dog just don’t cook them, it will make them splinter.
Dogs are carnivores ,they’re not meant to eat cereal which dry food has as fillers.Our chihuahua’s skin irritations disappeared a week after going on the raw diet and our great dane has the whitest teeth you ever saw for a dog! They’re both in excellent health.
It could be over vaccination also. You don’t get vaccinated every year, why should your dog? Studies have shown the rabies vaccine to be effective for 7 years, possibly longer.Can you say money?
Give the raw diet a try. I’ll bet you won’t be disappointed.
Also, try rinsing off your dog's paws just before he comes inside. Just some cool water from a hose or a container you keep for that purpose. It helps my dog when she starts biting her paws with seasonal allergies.
There are links on the Eagle Pack web page that take you to some very good people that handle dog problems, you might find this helpful. Good luck.
Yes, dogs don’t usually develop allergies till they are adults, I have a 5 year old German Shepherd who also began with the itching and foot chewing. She also developed Pannus in her eyes, another immune system problem.
But she is doing MUCH better after we switched her food to Taste of the Wild brand. They have one that is bison and one that is salmon. We also give her and our other dogs two important supplements that I believe has helped them all to thrive - Fresh Factors from Springtime, Inc. is superb, and Zinpro treats, since many dogs are low in zinc which directly affects their skin and immune system.
At really bad pollen times she still gets some itchy feet and eyes and for the season the vet gives me some prednisone pills that I give her one daily for a week, then every other day, till gone and this usually helps her through.
But I wouldn’t buy food from the vet it will be much more expensive. There are many good new commercial foods that are for pets with allergies. Just be sure they have a protein source that your dog isn’t used to, no wheat and no corn.
Please check out the raw food diet. Commonly called BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods or Bones And Raw Food). We have had all five of our dogs on this diet for several years. The younger ones have never been on anything else. They thrive on it.
I started our dogs on it because my blue heeler lab dog was showing signs of allergies and joint problems. The dog’s allergies did lessen and he was able to move about better after going on this diet. The dog (now deceased from old age) was able to spend his last months not scratching and in pain.
Our five dogs have abundant energy, very healthy teeth, no dog breath, are not overweight and (except for one hot spot on one dog) no skin problems. A bonus of this diet is that their scat because of the high calcium is dry and crumbly.