# Is there a dry dog food for a dog with severe food allergies?



## BULLTLOTT (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm currently feeding raw, however- It's so hard to mix in all of the nutrients she needs.

She was fine on the BARF patty diet, which just got way too expensive. She's not allergic to these ingredients:

Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Finely Ground Bones, Chicken Liver, Egg, Broccoli, Celery, Spinach, Carrot, Ground Flax Seed, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Apple, Pear, Grapefruit, Orange, Dried Kelp, Cod Liver Oil, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide. 

Is there a dry dog food out there for us? Thank you! :tongue1:


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## Boxers&Pom's Mom (Jan 17, 2011)

What about real RAW like real chicken, real liver, real beef and real lamb? She do not need any vegetables. She is a Carnivorous, not Omnivorous. You can check here and in the Yahoo Groups. Out there are very cheap suppliers.


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## cast71 (Sep 16, 2010)

There are limited ingredient kibbles, but they usually don't have alot of protein. Nutrisca doesn't have too many ingredients and the protein content is decent. http://nutrisca.dogswell.com/images/nutrition.jpg


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## BULLTLOTT (Dec 7, 2010)

Boxers -That's what she's eating now. It's just not working out. I'm missing something in her diet, and I can't figure it out. Her skin is dry and hair is thin. She's allergic to fish oil as well. Just wanted to see if there was a dry food alternative just to give it a shot. She gets plenty of variety in her raw food diet- but I can't seem to pin point what's missing.

Thank you Cast!


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

Is she getting her organs (liver + kidney)? 

+ Hmmm, Nutrisca looks really good for a kibble.


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## BULLTLOTT (Dec 7, 2010)

Yes. She gets fed organs weekly. I'm going to look into Nutrisca.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I don't think anything is missing in the diet. Other than pork meat and bones and beef liver, I'm not feeding anything you aren't feeding. If you are still feeding all those other things listed in your OP, I would cut those out for a few months and see if you don't see an improvement.

I honestly don't think there is a food problem. All the nutrients are in the diet you are feeding. You might figure out a way to get more O3's in the diet but thats the only thing I can see MIGHT BE lacking and you have to be low in O3 for a real long time before any symptoms appear. I suspect an environmental problem.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

Interesting! Usually people who have dogs with severe food allergies find that a raw diet is much less likely to trigger any allergies than a cooked kibble. It truly is rare for there to be any allergies in a raw diet...Especially if your dog was able to tolerate a pre-made patty which has TONS of extras added. 

Another vote for environmental issues.


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## jiml (Jun 29, 2010)

without looking at the ing list Natural Balance comes to mind


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## jiml (Jun 29, 2010)

I honestly don't think there is a food problem. >>>>

If the dog does well on barf but poorly on raw Id say it is a "food problem"


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

jiml said:


> I honestly don't think there is a food problem. >>>>
> 
> If the dog does well on barf but poorly on raw Id say it is a "food problem"


If the dog does well on BARF but poorly on PMR, there couldn't be a food problem because there are no foods in pmr that aren't in BARF. A diet deficient is something wouldn't show symptoms this quickly. Thus, not a food problem.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Environmental or not I'm interested to know if all carbs were cut out of the diet and how long the dog has been off of the patties and on PMR...If PMR is what is being fed. It was mentioned that things like skin problems can take a little while to show up if it's something caused by a nutritional deficiency so if you haven't been on PMR for long it's kind of feasible(at least in my mind, correct me if I'm wrong) that the symptoms you are seeing could be from all the time your dog spent on patties which may not have given her everything she needed. Maybe adding in more omega 3s would be beneficial for now. I wouldn't give up on PMR! I think if you give it more time you'll see results. Like it's been said it could be environmental, dogs can be allergic to alllllll sorts of things. You might even have more issues if you switch back to kibble. :[ Kibble is way more complicated in my opinion...

I'd like to know why Cayenne pepper was in the patties? That doesn't really have anything to do with this though...


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## Nani (Apr 14, 2010)

Have you had your dog's thyroid tested? A lot of times dry skin and thinning of coat are signs of thyroid issues. 

Stick around and you can learn a lot about raw feeding. You said your dog's allergic to fish oil and I see there is cod liver oil in your list of food she can eat. If you are just feeding raw patties I doubt there is a sufficient amount of fish oil to work the way it should. There are a lot of good threads about how to feed your dog cheaply and without buying pre-made patties. It is much cheaper and you control everything they eat and know exactly where it comes from. There are other sources of omega 3's that aren't from fish sources they just aren't superior but if your dog's allergic....One more thing, Could it be seasonal allergies causing the dry skin and hair loss like others have mentioned? Maybe try a bath in good oatmeal shampoo followed with an oatmeal conditioner making sure to rinse everything out really well.


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## jiml (Jun 29, 2010)

If the dog does well on BARF but poorly on PMR, there couldn't be a food problem because there are no foods in pmr that aren't in BARF.>>>>>

really?? If the only variable that changes is food (assumption) its the food.


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## BULLTLOTT (Dec 7, 2010)

I honestly don't see it being an environmental problem. Spring is here in Morro Bay, but she is indoors with advantage in a (I try at least) allergy "free" house. It can't be our grass, because her feet are fine- and if it IS environmental, what else am I supposed to do? I'm doing everything I can.  
She just went for a vet checkup and blood test 2 months ago, everything seems fine. 
The only thing I can do is supplement sardines or other fish into her diet. I was just curious about trying kibble as it seems more balanced to what I'm providing her now. Nothing looks too bad, it just her fur is a wee bit dry. I try not to bathe often, only when she smells terrible. She swims a lot (in fresh water not salt) maybe that is making things worse?
The water here is terrible quality, you should see MY hair and how dry it is! Hahah!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

BULLTLOTT said:


> I honestly don't see it being an environmental problem. Spring is here in Morro Bay, but she is indoors with advantage in a (I try at least) allergy "free" house.


I don't know where you are but most places, spring means pollen. You can't keep pollen out of your house.



> It can't be our grass, because her feet are fine- and if it IS environmental, what else am I supposed to do? I'm doing everything I can.


IF it's pollen, you wait it out. It doesn't last forever.



> She swims a lot (in fresh water not salt) maybe that is making things worse?
> The water here is terrible quality, you should see MY hair and how dry it is! Hahah!


Why are you worried A LOT about your dogs dry skin and hair and not your own? What are you doing for you? I suspect you just solved your problem. :biggrin:


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

The BARF patty adds vitamin E, manganese and zinc. Perhaps supplementing them would help. Interesting that she is fine with cod liver oil but not fish oil. You could use a different fish oil, maybe it is the species of fish that is the problem in the oil you tried. It is super easy to overdose vitamin D and A using cod liver oil if you also feed liver, not sure it would be a good idea to use it on PRM.

I balance Max's diet to NRC levels which have very low requirements of zinc and iron compared to the AAFCO levels the BARF patties are balanced to and I noticed an improvement in his coat. To reach NRC levels I add in magnesium, manganese, zinc and vitamin E.


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## Khan (Jan 17, 2010)

I have a "problem child" of my own. Khan has allergies both food and environmental. The food problem has been solved by going raw. The environmental are just starting up again. We treat it with daily doses of benedryl. Right now we are using otc zyrtec. This keeps them at bay. He has been off these for about the last 6 months; but with spring trying to emerge, so has the pollen. Luckily I do not have allergies; but my husband does; and he is starting to also feel the effects of spring. My guess is you too are dealing with these types of issues rather than food. Remember it's not just pollen, it could be fabric softener, carpet cleaner, dust etc. Before switching back to kibble, I would maybe try treating with an otc allergy pill. It's cheap, effective, and really easy. JMO.


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## Gia (May 29, 2009)

I just thought I'd add that carpet cleaners and fabric softeners are pretty bad for everything...my dermatologist said that they are high on the list for causing allergic reactions. I don't use them, but used to, my skin has been great ever since I stopped! Also, my dogs get itchy when we go hiking and they run willy-nilly through the brush, sage, weeds and ever other kind of wild bushes! A good bath calms down the itchies. Now, in the spring when the plants are all producing pollen is when I notice the most reactions from the outdoor activities, not to mention all the ticks. Yuck!


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