Allergen free food

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

My parents golden retriever in Bermuda has severe food allergies...gets hot spots and everything. His vet in Bermuda has him eating ONLY Hills Prescription diet z/d (not even allowed to eat treats with by-products and stuff)...is there something equivalent that they could feed him that is better quality? He is my first baby before Parker and it kills me that he is eating this crap food...not to mention my parents are paying $110 for a 25lb bag of this junk!

I attached his list of allergies from his testing too

[Jennifer and Jack]

I sincerely am not a fan of answering food questions because we have food experts on here so I like to leave it to them. I will just say that I am also allergic to Aspergillis and it is not any fun, it makes me quite sick, I have it in my lungs... but it is not a food.....

As far as allergen free food, I don't believe there is any such thing as one person's allergies don't apply to the next dog.

I would look for a limited ingredient food like Dick Van Pattens that does not have any of the food Tucker is allergic to. I know several other companies that are reputable also sell limited ingredient diets as well, I am sure you can find one that excludes the things on his list.

That is the extent of my knowledge sorry.

[Jennifer and Jack]

It looks like he is non reactive to fish and potatoes, Maybe try that... again, when ever I say anything about food, I usually have to stand corrected but that is my best guess.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Blood panels are notoriously inaccurate for allergy testing. The only reliable way to test for food allergies is with a 3 month food trial, and a skin test for inhalant allergies.

However, assuming that this test is even correct, there are a ton of much better quality, much less expensive foods that don't contain beef, wheat, yeast, and the few other things that the dog is supposedly allergic to. Lots of fish based grain-free foods, limited ingredient foods as Jennifer mentioned, etc. All they have to do is use our Food Group recommended list (why isn't this discussion in TFG, BTW?-jk) as a guide to brands and then read labels and eliminate those foods that contain the items he's supposedly allergic to.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Just FYI, here are the ingredients in Hill's z/d dry food:

Ingredients

Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid, Taurine, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Here's what The Dog Food Project has to say about BHA and Propyl Gallate, both of which are on the list of Ingredients to Avoid:

BHA: Butylated Hydroxysanisole - a white, waxy phenolic antioxidant, C11H16O2, used to preserve fats and oils, especially in foods.    

      Banned from human use in many countries but still permitted in the US. Possible human  carcinogen, apparently carcinogenic in animal experiments. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity.    

Propyl Gallate: Also known as Gallic Acid or Propyl Ester. It is made from natural Gallic Acid, which is  obtained by the hydrolysis of tannins from Tara Pods.    

      Used as an antioxidant to stabilize cosmetics, food packaging materials, and foods containing fats. I have not found conclusive evidence either for or against the safety of this product, but it is suspected of causing liver diseases and cancer, so once again personally I prefer  to err on the side of caution. Mixed tocopherols, citric acid and rosemary extract are effective, all-natural alternatives - just more expensive.    

 

Given that Golden Retrievers develop cancer more than any other breed, I would strongly suggest your parents get this dog off this food ASAP.

There are hundreds of foods that don't contain beef, wheat or yeast.

Also, eliminating the foods he's "positive" for isn't going to cure the hot spots or relieve any of the allergy symptoms which are caused by the inhalant allergens he tested positive for. He's going to need immunotherapy for that. And since this food has no source of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are crucial for any type of allergic inflammation, he's going to need a supplement for that, unless his food is changed.

Is it possible for your parents to take him to a veterinary dermatology specialist?

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

Bermuda's resources are limited so the basic vet is the only thing that exists...no specialists. And he is on prednisone to suppress his symptoms as well. I know he wont be cured by different food but I figured he should at least be on a better quality food that wont aggravate his allergies more.

I just made up a list of some limited ingredient foods that don't have his food triggers.

- Natural Balance: Alpha Dog trout, salmon meal & whitefish grain free dog food

- Natural Balance: Limited Ingredient (L.I.D.) Sweet potato and venison

-Natural Balance: Limited Ingredient sweet potato and fish

-Nature's Variety: Instinct Grain Free L.I.D. turkey meal formula

-Nature's Variety: Instinct Grain Free L.I.D. salmon meal formula

-Blue Buffalo Basics: L.I.D. Salmon and Potato

-Blue Buffalo Basics: L.I.D. Turkey and Potato

-Wellness: Core Ocean formula

-Wellness: Simple Food Solutions Rice and Salmon

-Avoderm: Natural Grain Free Salmon and potato

Hopefully these will be better for Tucker and that Bermuda offers these brands and formulas!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Anything will be better than the z/d. There are many more besides these, but these are all fine. Canidae has some grain-free limited inghredient formulas, too.

But allergies cannot be cured, they can only be managed. Prednisone cannot be used long-term without serious side effects. That's why you have to go with one of only two treatment options: Cyclosporine, which is a powerful immunosuppressant drug, also very expensive, or regular immunotherapy injections. Antihistamines (NOT benadryl) and 500 mg evening primrose oil capsules twice a day would help, too.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

I will mention the evening primrose oil to my dad...but with my mom not able to work anymore and him doing everything for her...there unfortunately isn't the money for expensive treatments for Tuck, so basically we are trying to manage is as much as we can.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Evening primrose oil is a human supplement and not at all expensive. It can be ordered from Puritan's pride very inexpensively. It's certainly a lot cheaper than Hill's z/d.

I understand about costs, but it is inhumane to allow a dog to suffer from allergies. Imagine the kind of intense itching that would cause you to scratch, bite and lick yourself so much that you developed an infection. That's what hot spots are. Jack has rubbed himself raw, stripped away the fur on his feet, etc. For some of these dogs, it's likehaving fire ants under your skin constantly. I have seen dogs try to chew their own feet off , they were in such agony. I have seen dogs put to sleep because of it. 

I guess if the vet feels the prednisone can be continued indefinitely, that would be the way to go if there are no other teatment options in your parents' area. But they should be aware that it will cause liver and kidney damage and muscle wasting over the long term.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

I will look into the evening primrose for them. But yah, the vet has given them a low dose  of prednisone and they are aware of the long term side effects but like I said...not much else to do. They keep an eye on him and he doesn't have hot spots and raw skin all the time and and he is certainly not suffering and scratching and gnawing on himself. I think they will leave the putting him to sleep discussions when there are no other options for Tuck and he is beyond helping. For now, he's a happy, sweet boy and hopefully he will do better on new food.

[Denise & Hunter!!!]

Since I have gone back and read a ton of past discussions about food allergies I am realizing that food allergies in dogs are not that different from people. It seems the majority I have researched on food allergies for people I can cross reference back to dogs. Of course it's much easier to find a ton of info on human food allergies. One huge common misconception about food allergies in people, just like dogs, is most people think they are more common than they truly are. Intolerance of a food or preservative is often classified as an allergy. With a human food allergy you have to be exposed twice before you can react but each reaction after that will progressively be worse, I haven't found that mentioned in dogs, is that true for them as well? I have a treenut allergy, anaphylactic shock on a ventilator allergy. Has that happened in a dog that anyone is aware of? I really hope not :-(

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A dog has to have been exposed to the food or substance at least once to develop an allergy to it. With food allergies, it's usually a food the dog has been eating regularly for a long period of time.

True food allergies in dogs are pretty rare, and very different from intolerances. 

And it's true that food allergies in people are much less common than people think they are. In fact, one study showed that 60% of people who think they have a food allergy in fact do not. "Allergy" has come to mean anything that bothers you in any way. If someone gets an upset stomach after they eat tomatoes, they say they're allergic to them, that kind of thing. In fact it's a very specific and measurable immune system response, in both people and dogs. And the allergen must be something organic, it must get into the blood stream either through ingestion or inhaling. Things like carpet cleaners may make you sick, but they're not allergens.

Dogs can have anaphylactic allergic reactions, but they're very rare, and usually triggered by drugs or extremely high doses of antigens.

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

It is true for any animal that they have to be exposed to an allergen before they develop antibodies, which then cause allergic reactions on subsequent exposure. Food allergies, to nuts, and shellfish are quite common, although I guess it depends on the definition of common, but of course food intolerance is another issue.