# Dog Allergies



## sallbritton (Apr 18, 2011)

New to this board. Been reading some of the articles and threads, but seem a little overwhelmed.

Our 1yr old lab seems to be allergic to everything. Every tree, grass, and shrub in our area. She was also tested for food allergies. The vet said that it will be easy to find food, but I am having problems finding food without any of the known allergies.

She is allergic to beets, carrots, chicken, corn, oats, peanuts and venison.

Has anyone else every come across a dog with these allergies? Seems that food either has one or two of these or all.

thanks in advance


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

I've never ran across a dog with that many personally but i've known people that have had dogs with many allergies as far as food goes, it seems that you will have to have one thing for another essentially, carrots seem to be in most Innova products, but the best you can do is at least have the main protiens something she isn't allergic to.

Meat-Based Pet Food – Premium Dog Food, Cat Food, Ferret Food, Dog Treats – EVO Pet Products
Carrots are the only thing in this that she would be allergic to.
Orijen
This is another option this seems that it would get by all her allergies it is on the expensive side but the ingredients are wonderful.
I'm not sure how much you're looking on spending a month for food but for the money i would go raw with all those allergies.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

Testing for food allergies is a controversial topic, I've learned. I have taken my do to an animal allergist who refuses to test for food allergies, because she maintains that there are way too many false positives and false negatives. That said, lots of people do them, and I think they've pointed lots of people in the right direction, inaccuracies or not.

Based on your list, California Natural Lamb & Rice would work. 

Did you test for environmental allergies too?


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## sallbritton (Apr 18, 2011)

Thanks for the quick response. I will definitely take a look into. A few of the items are "borderline" according to the vet. I wish it was more black and white. I know beets, chicken, oats and venison are not borderline. So I will have to look through the paperwork when I get it. They seemed to be shocked at the amount of allergies she has. We were told most have one or two pages worth. Our poor thing has a file. I've heard of the raw diet as well. Need to do some googling on that one too. Thanks again.


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## sallbritton (Apr 18, 2011)

Normally we would not have tested for food, but she is scratching herself raw. We first noticed about 6 mths ago. But they said that they could not test for allergies until she was a year. So we had her tested for everything rather than having to keep going back. Most of her allergies are to outside stuff. Basically every tree found in our area, grass, shrubs, etc. The ironic thing about this is when I moved here a long time ago with my first lab, she was never allergic. A few months later, she too was allergic to everything in the yard. Had to give her shots for six months of a concoction of everything she is allergic to. After that though, it was better. Cortizone shots work well, but they do not give those out to often. I am guessing repeated cortizone shots are bad.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Long term cortisone is bad for animals and people. You can give dogs allergy pills to help with their environmental allergies and you can search it here, you can also search the raw diet info here. Lots of raw feeders on this board. Good Luck!


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Also, as was pointed out to me when I started feeding raw food, and seems to have turned out to be true, allergies to cooked food doesn't mean they will be allergic to it raw.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

It would be a safe bet that your dog is not allergic to chicken or venison. That would be like a cow being allergic to grass. Allergy tests are notoriously inaccurate. Personally, I think they are a waste of money. I also doubt very seriously your dogs are allergic to trees, grass or shrubs. She MAY be allergic to pollen from some plants but thats a seasonal thing.


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## sallbritton (Apr 18, 2011)

You may be right. But I can only go on the information I have. But we might feel a little different about it, if we did not just sneeze when we get allergies. If we scratched areas till they were raw. It's not really a seasonal thing. It definitely gets worse during the spring and fall. Plants are in full bloom. But it never goes away. The scabs are still on her chest and the hair is missing from her rear legs, and the licking of the paws continues. Fortunately, she does not scoot her butt along the carpet like another dog I used to have. She does the belly crawl down the stairs.


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## maplewood (Apr 14, 2011)

Sall my old lady Mastiff that passed away in Dec tested out that she was allergic to Lamb, however after much trial and error we wound up putting her on a lamb based food by accident (long story) She did wonderful on it. The only thing I could figure was it was how the meat was processed.

My big guy has also been allergy tested and is allergic to pretty much everything according to the test. Checken, lamb, beef, fish as well as grains and veggies.

What are you feding now? What food brands do you have access too? There are quite a few decent allergy formulas out there or you could alway's try raw.


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## sallbritton (Apr 18, 2011)

Currently, she is on Evolve Puppy. Evolve Dog Food | Review and Rating I switched to it bc when I first thought of food allergies, I thought of corn and wheat. Plus is was available at the grocery store. So convenience played a part. Turns out, if the test are correct, she is allergic to one of the main ingredients and a few others. My mother-in-law started feeding her Blue when she was in town one week. Why she switched the foods, is still unexplained. That made it worse. She also started rubbing soothing lotions on the hotspots. A+ for effort. With the advent of the internet, I guess I have access to most brands. The vet is drumming up a list of foods that she should be able to eat. I really think the allergies are most affected by the outside influences. One food that I was reading about was the Flint River Ranch Lamb, Millet, and Rice Kibble Dog Food. Seems to have nothing that she is allergic too. I have found a few others, but they have carrots in them. So I am waiting on the paperwork to see if they give a scale as to how allergic they really are. In all honesty, I would prefer to find something locally. We have most of the major stores plus some local feed stores as well. Just gotta get to the outskirts of town to get to them.


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## sallbritton (Apr 18, 2011)

She is currently on Evolve Puppy. When I originally started thinking allergies, I though of wheat and corn. When I looked that one up it seemed to have none. But it seems to have everything else. Plus it was available at the grocery store. The vet is sending off for some cocktail that we will have to give her injections for. Had to do this on one of my other dogs that has passed away. Seemed to work. We have most major pet stores and some local feed stores. Just have to drive a bit to get to feed stores.


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## sallbritton (Apr 18, 2011)

I have started looking into the raw food diet as well as just cooking extra for the dog as well. We pretty much cook all of our meals. Basically staples. Rice, meats, fish, vegetables, etc.


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## maplewood (Apr 14, 2011)

You will find better quality food at the Pet specialty and feed stores. I personally like the feed stores better, the price is generally cheaper and if you find a good one they will sometimes order in special food for you.

What I would do is take your list of suspected allergens and go visit some stores and read labels. I've done this and found it's easier for me to compare foods if they are right in front of me vs trying to compare them online. It also gives you a better idea of cost if that is a factor.

If you are going to stick with kibble look for one that is meat based. The first 5 ingredients are really what is in the food. Meat meals provide more protien per pound than "meat". Maybe a Lamb and rice formula or a fish based food would be the best pace to start looking.

Good luck I know how frusterating it is!


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## Savage Destiny (Mar 16, 2011)

How often are you bathing her? Environmental allergies are unfortunately quite common. Bathing regularly washes off all the pollens and other allergens, making their skin less irritated. You can use a medicated shampoo from your vet, or a natural option like Bark 2 Basic's Skin Remedy shampoo. I use the B2B on my allergy-ridden Pit Bull and it really helps when she has hives, and even if she doesn't have a current breakout I bathe her at least once a week. 

You can also use hypoallergenic grooming wipes (Earthbath makes nices ones) to wipe her down with day to day. Calendula gel (found at places like Whole Foods) helps soothe and heal hot spots as well.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

Coming from someone who just switched their itchy, hot mess of a dog to raw, I really think it'd be something to consider.

I got Murph almost a year ago (in May). Since then, he's had four ear infections, his paw pads are so red and ouchy looking, he's been dull and just blah looking. 

I imagine it's a combo of both environmental and food allergies, but nothing seemed to work. 

I just started him on a raw mixture I get from the local holistic dog food store. He's been on it for less than a week and he's already looking wonderful. I was seriously at my wits end with him and his condition. Not in that I was going to give him up, but I was just SO frustrated that I would cry about it sometimes.


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## Foxy (Jan 21, 2010)

Taste of the Wild : Dealer Locator
Taste of the Wild is a great food, it doesn't contain any of the foods you listed. 

I have a dog with food allergies, his big ones are eggs and turkey. I've been feeding Taste of the Wild fish for a few months now and he does really well on it. The fish (pacific Stream) formula is a good one to start with and the lamb (Sierra Mountain) is good also.
Wetlands and High Prarie have chicken in them.


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## Kimber (Apr 9, 2011)

*salbritton*

Allergies are my puppy's problem too.
You HAVE to check out this website:
Truth4Dogs I learned about it reading these forums.
I am shocked to learn about how vaccines affect the dog's health. So much of my pup's issues seemed related to the time I got her vaccinated.
She is 5 mos old and we've only had her 2 months. 5 times to the Vet for scratching - he thinks she is having an allergic reaction to flea bites. I can't tell you the pesticides he's given her. I feel lucky at this point, that she is alive.
We are 10 days feeding raw - as of yesterday, her eyes began clearing - and there is less scratching on the abdomen - so I am hopeful. I don't know if this is the entire answer, I can only hope it helps.
Good Luck


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