# Does anyone understand Hypoallergenic?



## Catahoula (Jul 13, 2011)

I have this food question that has been eating away at me. My vet doesn't seem to know the answer (but is trying to look it up and get back to me).

Does anyone understand how hypoallergenic diets work?

My dog's allergy tests indicate that she is allergic to soybean. The hypoallergenic diet the vet wants me to put her on has soybean oil in it.

How does that make sense???


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

to me, it seems that if your dog is allergic to anything in that family it should be avoided.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Catahoula said:


> I have this food question that has been eating away at me. My vet doesn't seem to know the answer (but is trying to look it up and get back to me).
> 
> Does anyone understand how hypoallergenic diets work?
> 
> ...


It doesn't make any sense to me. Chelsy is horrendously allergic to salmon. If she eats any food with salmon OR salmon OIL in it, she gets sick. Really, really sick. One of the dog food companies tried to tell me that the proteins in the oil were too small for her to react to and therefore salmon oil would be safe for her. They are only suppose to react to big proteins. Tell that to my little dog with the bright red skin and the bloody diarrhea and the caked over ears and eyes!


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Hypoallergic means that something is less likely to cause allergy. However, if your dog is allergic to something that is in that food, I wouldn't consider it hypoallergenic to your dog!!??


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## Catahoula (Jul 13, 2011)

Well, I did finally find a food that doesn't contain ANY of the allergens Sonia was tested for. But, my vet isn't convinced I made the right choice. 

How long should I try the new food to see if there are any improvements in her symtoms?

She does have environmental as well, so for now I'm trying to eliminate the food allergies so I can work on controlling the rest.


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Catahoula said:


> Well, I did finally find a food that doesn't contain ANY of the allergens Sonia was tested for. But, my vet isn't convinced I made the right choice.
> 
> How long should I try the new food to see if there are any improvements in her symtoms?
> 
> She does have environmental as well, so for now I'm trying to eliminate the food allergies so I can work on controlling the rest.


What kind of environmental allergies? Poor thing.  Hope the food works!


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## Catahoula (Jul 13, 2011)

minnieme said:


> What kind of environmental allergies? Poor thing.  Hope the food works!


Dust mites (my hardest challenge), Bahia grass, tea tree (oil), Timothy hay (I live on a farm)...her tests came back with 23 allergens. I'm just trying my best to figure out what to do to help her. It makes me so sad, I cry almost everyday, but I'm hoping to make some progress soon.

I have a few options. I just can't try them all at once or I won't know what worked...


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Catahoula said:


> Dust mites (my hardest challenge), Bahia grass, tea tree (oil), Timothy hay (I live on a farm)...her tests came back with 23 allergens. I'm just trying my best to figure out what to do to help her. It makes me so sad, I cry almost everyday, but I'm hoping to make some progress soon.
> 
> I have a few options. I just can't try them all at once or I won't know what worked...


Wow, the poor thing....both of you! That would make me cry too.....no mama likes to see their babies like that. That is quite the laundry list of allergens.  BUT, you were absolutely right to find your own food -- that makes NO sense that you should feed her something she's already proven to be allergic to! Pardon me if you have a close relationship with your vet, but shame on him/her for not praising you for reading the ingredients and finding that out. That is his/her job..to guide you about the best choices, and that most certainly was NOT a great choice. Kudos to you for doing your homework -- the sign of an EXCELLENT mama.

And you're also right that if you try all your remedies you won't know which one really worked. I think the food will be a step in the right direction. I think you should also check out the raw food forum on this site JUST to see what it's all about. There are a lot of dogs on here who have had debilitating allergies and a change in diet (a simplification in diet, really) has done miraculous things for them. It's worth it just to know all your options at any rate.  No pressure here, just want you to know all the cards you have to play with!

As far as the environmental allergies go, I apologize because I'm not too knowledgable in those areas but it might be worth researching about neem oil and diatomaceous earth. I know both can be used for flea treatments, but I believe I've heard them in connection with environmental allergies (particularly DE) with good results.

Best of luck and keep us posted. And don't cry -- do you know how many dog owners would say "eh, don't wanna deal with this anymore" and drop your dog off at the pound? So many people take the easy way out..but it's clear you love your dog immensely. Just repeat this over and over: "I am a good mama, I am a good mama, I am a good mama!"


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

You do have quite a bit of a challenge with both food and environmental allergies for your dog.

As for food: I'd try a very simple, limited ingredient food if you're feeding kibble. Ones that come to mind (most simple listed 1st) are:

Nature's Variety Instinct which has a single protein and a single carb: Nature's Variety Instinct: Limited Ingredient Diet: Turkey Meal Formula for dogs | Nature's Variety

California Natural formulas which have a short ingredient list: Healthy Pet Food Search – Hypoallergenic Dog Food & Cat Food – California Natural Pet Food

Canine Caviar Chicken and Pearl Millet: Chicken And Pearl Millet Adult

I also invested in a room air purifier for the bedroom for one of my sensitive dogs.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

Catahoula said:


> I have this food question that has been eating away at me. My vet doesn't seem to know the answer (but is trying to look it up and get back to me).
> 
> Does anyone understand how hypoallergenic diets work?
> 
> ...


it makes no sense...and good for you for reading the label....

hypoallergenic means a diet that doesn't contain the common allergens....after you've been tested and your dog comes back with 23 allergens.....

then i don't know what food won't have an allergen in it.

have you considered an elimination diet or a home cooked diet?

as to the environmental allergies...usually the only solution, if there is such a thing, is medicine or live in a hyperbaric chamber.....

i don't mean to be glib, but dust mites are everywhere...so carpets are no good, you'd have to change out pillows, buy leather...clean really often, your dog would be wearing a clean cotton tee shirt....

i think if you have found a food that does not have the allergens in it then you try it. you'll know soon enough....don't make any changes until you've tested the food. if that works.....then you can move on to environmental....which can actually be even trickier.


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## lily (May 16, 2011)

its so hard having a dog with any kind of allergy,mine started 4 months ago ,she was kibble fed so i switched to raw,she still has an allergy but i beleive its contact,im in the middle of elimminating things and at times i really struggle all our spare time is used up thinking what we can do to help our dogs,and as migrice said environmental/contact can be harder to sort than food,i would start with food first ,i know my dog still scratches but i do know what shes eating so thats 1 problem out of the way,karen


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

In the dog food world, there are many words that have no meaning. One of them is "hypoallergentic". Others are "Premium", "holistic", "human grade", "natural" and others I can't think of this early in the morning. Any of these words can be used to describe any dog food.


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## Catahoula (Jul 13, 2011)

Thanks all. I did find a food that doesn't contain any of her KNOWN allergens. It's Wellness, Simple Solutions. They have 3 formulas, but for right now she's on the Duck one, because that's a protein she's never had before. If this doesn't seem to help, I think I'll have to bite the bullet and move her to a raw diet. I'll keep researching that way I'm ready for it if that's what needs to be done.

I'm going to take Sonia off the "hypoallergenic" treats the vet SOLD me that has soybean oil in them. I don't care how someone tries to justify to me that she won't react to it EVEN THOUGH she's been shown to be allergic to it. There are plenty of all natural treats out there I can give her. It just doesn't make any sense.

I'll keep you posted on Sonia's progress. If anyone has anymore suggestion, feel free to keep them coming.


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## Jack Monzon (Jul 25, 2010)

Use her food as treats. 

It can take 12 weeks to see results. If you don't see progress after that, it's probably not the food.


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