Topic: Dog Q ?

[Don R]

I got this half English Mastiff half bloodhound pup, he has been an itchy boy since we got him, it subsided over the summer but has returned with a vengance. Yesterday he got a few lumps and by this morning he was covered in hives. The vet says it's an allergic reaction, 80 dollars later he is mostly smooth and sleeping like a baby.
 I'm thinking he has always had  an allergy of some sort. We fed him holistic food for the last few months, it seemed to help for a while but I really can't say it cured him. Tonight I got some Purina pro one large breed puppy food, the first ingredient is meat, hoping that helps.
 Has anyone had similar problems or any ideas?

[333]

He may need a gluten free diet.  And you should really see this, even if gluten isn't the problem.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

[mono]

i worked in a pet store for a long time when i was a kid.   Purina is OK food, but i also worked as a butcher and we used to sell our meat trimmings to the Purina factory.  it's "meat",  mostly....

a lot of people like Nutro brand food for dogs with allergies.  it's a little more expensive than Purina products, but it's supposed to be made with all-natural ingredients and no dyes (people and dogs can be allergic to red food dyes).  either that or Science Diet, but that's the big bucks.

Diamond brand dog food is good too.  a lot of people used to rave about it.

other ideas - try putting Linatone oil in the food.  it's supposed to help with dry skin/coat and has a lot of vitamin E i think. 

good luck!

[mono]

i agree with 333 --- i've never seen a dog threshing wheat.  i think it's strange that we feed them such things.

rice, though, is apparently good for them.  everyone needs carbs. 

[socalenduro]

1 you can and should just give him benedryl when he gets hives.... dogs take about double the dose the same sized human would.  Keep the doses consistent and it take as full day or so to really help. I keep dosing until a day or two after she completely stops itching.

2 my dog had been thru this three times in 8 years. we switched to another brand of food the first time and were fine for 2 years or so. the most recent time it was a bag of snausages. she has been eating those since she was a puppy. so im not sure if she developed an allergy or if it was a bad bag.
My point is dont assume your dog has some crazy allergy that may or may not be real even in humans. Start small (eliminate one food) vs. assuming you dog can only eat clover grown on the happy side of a west facing tree (a total wheat allergy or needing to be gluten free).

If he has hives its not dry skin. Its a systemic reaction to something.

[dave500]

does he go into long grass or weeds?some grasses have a sticky substance thats irritating?

[Don R]

We don't let him into the timber or tall grass. The holistic food he has been eating was gluten free, that's what we tried first. The food cost is not an issue, my wife will buy him whatever he needs. I, however do not want to spend extra without knowing if I need to.
 My sister has japanese chins and they realized soft treats have BHT and every time she fed them to the dogs some would have siezures. She avoids BHT and has stopped the problems without medication. When our retriever had siezures we gave him his meds in a snausage. Geez.
 I worked at a pork plant and repaired the piping on the dog food product, everything left over is ground up,  steam cooked and pumped into trucks for transport to the dog food plant. I didn't see which parts go into the grinder but I'm thinking it's everything they cant sell elsewhere. it looked a lot like dog food already.

[Duanob]

There are some 'evolutionary' type dog foods out that don't contain any grains at all. The theory is that dogs ate meat and vegetables/fruits but no grains and their systems don't handle it well. Makes sense to me we've been feeding it to our lab for the past 5 years and she is as healthy as she's ever been. Tootsie roll poop, no gas, no itching, lot's of energy for a 10yo, still sheds but not as bad as she used to.

Corn is used as fillers in a lot of dogfoods and is not supposed to be good for dogs as well.

As far as itching, we live close to saltwater and take our dog swimming as often as we can. It's nature's flea bath. She's never had a flea on her that I've ever seen.

[socalenduro]

Im just saying ive had 4 dogs in my life and never had a prolonged problem with any food....
start small to solve the problem just like you would with you bike
dont try to rebuild the whole engine and fuel system because you got a backfire

[dave500]

our dog gets human meat,hes never had a canned dog food but gets those dry dog foods as well,ill look for corn on the packet.

[Duanob]

our dog gets human meat,

I guess nobody sets foot on your property!!!!

[vames]

A lot of dogs may be allergic to one or more types of protein. Surprisingly, it's very common for dogs to be allergic to beef and chicken proteins which are present in most brands, and lamb protein tends to be one of the least allergenic. 

My old Aussie Shepherd used to get a terrible red flakey rash on her belly. The vet was very cued into allergies and told me to switch to a food brand (Nutro) that has versions which supply single proteins. I started her on the chicken version for two weeks and there was only a slight improvement, then moved her to the lamb and rice version and the rash was gone in two weeks.

[Don R]

Thanks, now I've got more info to work with. I'm heading to the pet store in the AM. taking my reading glasses.  I started to wean him off the benadryl and he has started scratching again. We tried to eliminate wheat first without any noticable result. I think it will take time to see a change too.

[Don R]

A breeder told me to watch the ingredients list for beet pulp, she used it to make her show hogs swell up for shows so they looked more filled out. Some of the companies use it to slow the digestion so the dog will digest more of the food. It's usually there just make sure it's way down on the list. It helps make smaller poo.

[dave500]

our dog gets human meat,

I guess nobody sets foot on your property!!!!

we have a one legged mailman.

[Don R]

The vet says dog allergies are usually caused by the form of protein in the food. IE, Lamb, Pork, chicken etc. I was chasing the grain side of it.

[vames]

Exactly -- it's the proteins in their primary diet. Try Nutro lamb and rice -- it's a pure play on lamb protein and did very well for my beef/chicken-allergic dog.

That said -- I'd still give her some steak or a chicken or pork here and there and it didn't cause the rash -- this is more about their primary day-to-day protein that you have to be careful about allergies. 

[Don R]

Thanks everyone, and mr itchy says thanks too.