Dry Food Allergies?

[Roy]

Hi everyone,

I brought Nickie to the vet today because she feels itchy even though she has no fleas. The vet took a look at her and he said that she doesn't have any abnormalities with her skin other than it's slightly pink. Nickie has been itching nonstop the past few weeks. The vet told me that we should try switching her dry food.

Nickie is currently on Earthborn Puppy Food. The vet recommended to find a different dry food that doesn't have Chicken Meal, Whitefish Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice as the first 5 ingredients since those are the first 5 ingredients in Earthborn. 

Does anyone have any recommendations on what brand of puppy food to go with? What ingredient normally causes allergies for dogs? I've been searching through the food group and I thought about going with Fromm.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Unfortunately, most GP vets are not well-versed in allergies. Nickie is extremely young to have any kind of allergy. At her age, she hasn't been eating any particular food long enough to have developed an allergy to it. Here is some information about food allergies in dogs: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/facts-a...

Food allergies are actually the least common type of allergy in dogs, following flea allergies in first place and Atopic dermatitis, which is also called seasonal allergies, environmental allergies, or inhalant allergies, in second place. The latter is 10 times more common in dogs than food allergies. Nickie is awfully young for Atopy, too, but it's more likely than food allergies, especially at this time of year. This is the time of years when people with inhalant allergies have runny noses and dogs with inhalant allergies are itching. 

Here's some information about Atopic dermatitis in dogs, with tips on how to help keep them comfortable: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

It's fairly easy to switch foods if you want to try that and see if makes a difference. But I prefer to make food recommendations in the Food Group. If you want to start a discussion there, I'll be happy to help you find a food that might work. You should definitely go grain free if allergies are suspected.

[Roy]

Hi Karen,

Thank you so much for your reply! Reading those threads gave me a better sense on the issue. We've bathe Nickie once every week for 3 weeks straight. I'm wondering if that might have caused the issue. Here skin doesn't seem flakey but her coat does seem a bit dry and brittle at the ends. I think I will stay with Earthborn due to the information you have provided me.

I don't know if this matters but her stool is normal. She itches about 2-3 times in 10 minutes while she's awake. It's still allergy season here in San Francisco.

What do you suggest I do? Do you think giving her Omega 3 would help out?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Omega 3 almost always helps, a great deal. Use human soft gels (I like Nature Made minis) and give them as a pill, don't puncture. You need the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish, not from flaxseed or other plant sources. 500 mg evening primrose oil softgels are also a great help for itching as well as dry coat. It's the GLA that helps. Many people here whose dogs have no allergy issues at all use EPO for dry skin & coat. 

Stool is usually normal when there are allergies. The number one sign that you are dealing with allergies besides just being itchy is paw licking, biting or chewing, and that applies to both food and inhalant allergies. 

The tips for keeping them comfortable in the second link I provided you all come from a veterinary dermatologist, and they really do help. 

[Roy]

Thank you Karen. I will go out today to get both the Omega 3 and Primrose capsules. What MG do you suggest and how often should I give it to her a day? Nickie is about to be 4 months on the 28 of this month. Thank you so much!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Don't start both the Omega 3 and the EPO at once. When you are dealing with any kind of issue and trying to figure out the cause, the number one cardinal rule is that you must not make more than one change at a time. That goes for feeding changes, too. Never ever introduce more than one new thing at a time. 

If you choose to start with the EPO, give just one 500 mg softgel per day.

If you choose to start with the fish oil, keep in mind that it can cause loose stools, so I'd go easy with it. There's no exact recommended dosage for every dog, but one of the Nature Made minis per day should be enough to start. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You know, I just looked at the G.A. for the Earthborn Puppy formula, and it has an absolutely gorgeous Omega 6:3 ratio of less than 3 to 1, so I think I would start with the EPO over the fish oil. You won't see the effects immediately, but unless a dog has a seizure disorder, they have no side effects and are well-tolerated. 

[Roy]

Thank you for the information, Karen. I'm definitely confused as to what the cause might be. Earthborn seems like a well balanced food and I'm giving Nickie the NuPro supplement daily (itching started before NuPro). 

I will give the EPO a shot as well as giving Nickie allergy medication. 

Do you think bathing Nickie with one of the allergy shampoos would be a good idea?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm not sure why you're giving the NuPro supplement, but I don't see anything in it that is necessary or beneficial. 

Using a good allergy shampoo for bathing is a good idea. Be sure that you are rinsing well, drying thoroughly (but not with a hot dryer), and don't use any kind of cream rinse, conditioner, or leave-in products. 

Is she scratching any certain parts of herself more than others? Any licking, biting, or chewing of paws? Rubbing her face or eyes, that kind of thing? 

[Roy]

I use it because Nickie doesn't like the taste of Earthborn. She would eat only 1/3 of her kibble. I could try stopping NuPro to see if it helps.

Is there a shampoo that you recommend, Karen?

She seems to be itchy everywhere. She doesn't bite or lick her paws or rub her eyes/face.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

More and more this doesn't sound like allergies to me. You might ask the vet to do a scraping for mites. 

In place of the NuPro, try adding a couple of tablespoons of plain unflavored nonfat yogurt to her food and see if she'll eat that. It's better for her than NuPro, and way cheaper. 

The shampoo I recommend is the one I mentioned in the link, Douxo Calm. You have to leave the lather on for 5-10 minutes before rinsing. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh, and the ingredients most likely to be causing allergy symptoms are simply those the dog has eaten the most and for the longest period of time. 

[Roy]

Thank you for the recommendation. I did give her a bathe today and she seems to be itching a tiny bit less. I noticed that her skin was a bright pink all over but no wounds. I'm going to the store to get EPO in a few minutes. I am honestly a little stumped on what the cause might be.

When I took Nickie into the vet yesterday, he looked for ringworms or other skin issues and couldn't find anything abnormal. He ruled out mites for some reason (didn't go into detail why).