# Raw diet and Skin allergies



## MyMaebiBaby (May 11, 2012)

Since I got my girl, she has had a compromised immune system. Kennel cough from the pound at around 8 weeks, demodectic mange at around 8 months, skin allergies since then. I have had her allergy tested and it shows no food allergies, mostly just environmental (but we know they don't show everything). I have a "serum" I have to inject her with every 5 days, which has become increasingly difficult and doesn't really help very much. I am completely over it.

Has raw helped skin allergies in your dogs? If they still continue, what would you recommend? Like I said, the shots haven't completely helped and it is SO hard giving them at this point, I completely dread them. Anyone have any opinion on giving small amounts of Claritin or other human allergy pills?

Also, any advice on raw feeding dogs with immune issues?


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## IslandPaws4Raw (Sep 7, 2011)

Hi, I have an allergy dog that has been on a raw diet for 6 months now. On a good quality grain free kibble she was itchy all over. And she reacted badly to anything that bit her ( fleas, mosquitoes, noseums etc) Now that she's been on raw she only has the environmental allergies which are managed with zrytec and an oil mix that I rub into the affected ares of skin......chest, armpits and the backs of her ears. When her eyes are itchy and swollen I use Tobradex cream.

I am hopeful that her immune system will get strong enough on the raw diet that the treatments will become less over time. Sometimes it can take a year for the full benefits of raw to be achieved. But at least I know that her flare ups are less extreme and can be managed easily enough.

Interestingly I also had her allergy tested. Like your dog she tested negative for food allergies, from experience this shocked me because she reacts to every food I've tried, including dehydrated raw. If I go by the test results, it's the storage mites that she's reacting to. But it does seem odd that every prepackaged food would be contaminated with mites, but here in our climate it's quite possible. And to me, it was also odd that she showed no reaction to flea saliva on the test. If I miss the flea treatments long enough for them to get fleas, she reacts horribly.

How long have you been giving her the serum? From what I've read the treatments can take up to a year to be effective IF they work.

The good news is the raw diet is very beneficial for dogs with issues. There are a lot more folks on here that can explain it better than me, and they have all helped me tremendously during the transition process and trouble shooting allergy issues! Good luck!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Many, many people have seen a big improvement on raw with these vague skin allergies where you really can't pinpoint an exact cause.

Some don't - but I'd sure give it a shot. What do you have to lose? 

Your dog has apparently had a weakened immune system since she was a puppy. One thing raw will definitely do is remove all the food items your dog doesn't need to survive and which can cause allergies, and replace those with the meat, bones, and organs which are vital to good health, immunity, etc etc. That is what gives your dog the best shot at a healthy immune system in my opinion.

Good luck! I know those allergies can just drive you (and your dog) crazy.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

MyMaebiBaby said:


> Since I got my girl, she has had a compromised immune system. Kennel cough from the pound at around 8 weeks, demodectic mange at around 8 months, skin allergies since then. I have had her allergy tested and it shows no food allergies, mostly just environmental (but we know they don't show everything). I have a "serum" I have to inject her with every 5 days, which has become increasingly difficult and doesn't really help very much. I am completely over it.


As IslandPaws4Raw has said, it takes 6 to 12 months for the serum to begin alleviating allergy symptoms (and is effective in about 70% of dogs who take it). There's also a sublingual formula available now, which comes in a tiny bottle and you squirt it under your dog's tongue. Much easier to administer than shots. Talk to your vet about it.


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## doggoblin (Jun 6, 2011)

Emma used to get a rash on her stomach when playing outside which we eventually put down to a grass allergy. We tried vet recommended allergy diets but eventually looked and changed to raw. We haven't had a problem with it since. The only explanation I an provide, as this was an environmental allergy, is raw feeding simply boosted her immune system to a sufficient level to defeat it.


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## MyMaebiBaby (May 11, 2012)

Thank you, I am hoping this works! Regardless, she will be healthier, but I want her allergy symptoms gone so badly. We have been on the shots for over a year, we both absolutely hate it. That sublingual formula sounds amazing, my vet never mentioned that to me and I will look into it!

Me + Strong dog + needles = No Bueno!

Thanks for the feedback.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Pictures always speak louder than words in cases like this. Casey's story is one that I will always remember...one of our long standing DFC members wrote us a wonderful success story with her skin allergy girl:



> Our Success Story starts with my girl Casey. Casey is the main reason why I decided to take the time and read up on RAW feeding. I knew she had to have an allergy to kibble. The vet was always saying, FLEA ALLERGY! I didn’t buy it, not when she didn’t have a flea on her.
> 
> This is my girl Casey before reaping the benefits of RAW.
> 
> ...


I highly recommend reading through the other success stories to read more stories just like Casey's! 

http://preymodelraw.com/raw-success-stories/


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

envioramental allergies are so much harder to deal with,my girls testing came back with only allergy to chicken and goat on the meat side,but dust mites i cannot keep her away from ,also dog dander flagged up,im giving her holistic drops at the moment and though shes been raw fed for 12 months now with no problem with poops the last few days shes done nothing but runny poops and sickness,ive decided to go back to scratch and only feed pigs heart and pork ribs just in case of contamination from chicken from the butcher i buy from,i doubt itd the drops that have made her sick as she has been taking them for 5 weeks ,but i feel your pain ,hopefully you can figure out the way forward ,karen


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## creek817 (Feb 18, 2012)

This thread might help as well:

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/holistic-alternatives-remedies/15683-natural-allergy-solutions.html


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## Malika04 (May 14, 2012)

DaneMama said:


> Pictures always speak louder than words in cases like this. Casey's story is one that I will always remember...one of our long standing DFC members wrote us a wonderful success story with her skin allergy girl:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am new here. First post. That success story inspired me to delurk!

I have an 8 year old dog ( Malika) who looks quite similar to the dog in this picture right now. 
From the dates on those 2 before/after pictures, it seemed to take about 5 or 6 months for that dog to redeem it's hair and shiny coat.

We are almost 2 weeks into raw feeding. We also have a 1.5 year old German Shepard /Bull Terrier blend. I started them both on Prey Model Raw on May 1st.
We also have a 15 year old Brindle Pit Bull. She is finishing up the rest of the kibble, but I will convert her to PMR after that.
I did read the Prey Model Raw manual already.

Malika is the only one with skin issues. She was doing fine 1 year ago, on a Pelican Bay kibble from Costco. But, they stopped carrying the brand, and she has been going downhill with itchiness and hair loss ever since. I tried Wellness, Blue etc...

Anyways, they seem much calmer these past 2 weeks on the raw. 

I live in an area with a lot of Ethnic Markets. 

We were spending $150.00 as month on premium dog food.

So far, the cost for 3 weeks is at $63.61 for sales on raw meats that I have stockpiled. I bought whole chickens, leg quarters, drumsticks, beef neck bones, chicken liver (for later on) and I might buy pork roast (bone in) for .89c/lb. at 18 lbs this week.
Each dog weighs 60 to 70lbs each
The reduction in poop is amazing too.

This is an amazing forum!


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

I have been feeding raw for eight months and really have not noticed a difference in my dogs environmental allergies, unfortunately. I posted about what we do in the link above about natural allergy solutions. Frequent bathing/water rinsing seems to be helping us more than anything.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

shellbell said:


> I have been feeding raw for eight months and really have not noticed a difference in my dogs environmental allergies, unfortunately. I posted about what we do in the link above about natural allergy solutions. Frequent bathing/water rinsing seems to be helping us more than anything.


When I started raw feeding, I think I expected it to cure everything! It did cure alot but not all.

One of the things I thought raw hadn't fixed was Snorkels' eye leakage - constant brown, crusty stuff running all the way down her face if we didn't clean it. 

Last month, after a year on raw, hubby and I realized no one had cleaned her face for awhile, and there wasn't any more brown gunk. We've had to clean one eye since then, one time. 

So maybe some changes just take time. I wouldn't have thought it would take so long for Snorkels' eyes to get better - and we are in the midst of allergy season right now. 

Perhaps their is still hope for your allergy problem.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

If I could figure out how to post my before and after pics of my dog with allergies you would be convinced. She had shots for a little over 12 months and then I quit them. The before and after is amazing it should be on something. Well when I changed to raw I just started with pre made, then I found this site and got brave that was some time ago.

So I would say yes that raw brings the immune system back from the brink so the dog can handle any bumps they might have from their environment. Her hair is so thick and wavy I can't believe it and everyone always complements me on the way her coat just shines.


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