Rook's refusing to eat her TOTW

[Heather]

A couple of weeks ago, my 7 month old mini goldendoodle refused to eat her TOTW High Prairie puppy for about a day. She was her normal, playful self and still ate treats when offered, and went back to eating her food the next day, so I chalked it up to being a fluke. Yesterday and so far this morning, thouh, she's refusing it again. I make sure to wash her bowl every night, and she also gets food out of a Buster Cube sometimes and she won't take TOTW from that now either. In May she had blood work and x-rays done for some vomiting, but they didn't find anything wrong. We give her Pepcid now to keep her stomach calm, but she doesn't seem nauseated because she will gladly take treats. Does she just not care for TOTW anymore? Or could this be a sign of an underlying problem?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The vet is talking about hydrolyzed protein. That's only available in Rx formulas.

With hydrolyzed protein, the protein source is already broken down into the individual amino acids, so the body doesn't recognize it as chicken, beef, duck, or whatever and therefore doesn't have an allergic reaction to it.

The alternative is to go with a protein source that the dog has never eaten; if there's never been any exposure to, say, venison, there can't be an allergic reaction.

Grains are a common trigger, too. The conventional wisdom is to use a protein and a carb source which are both new to the dog, and therefore can't cause an allergic reaction. This is why you see formulas like Kangaroo & Red Lentil; both are novel to most dogs. It's also why the Natural Balance LID formulas are mostly Sweet Potato and Whatever...Sweet Potato is not a common ingredient in most dog foods.

I would not go with grains, but that's up to you. Blue Buffalo uses turkey in almost all of their LID formulas, which is fine, and they have some that are grain free.

But if you introduce a new food while the inflammation is still present, the likelihood is that the dog will develop an allergic response to that protein, too.

[Heather]

Karen, you vast knowledge always amazes me! Thank you so much, I feel so much more informed because of you!

I'm hoping that when we do switch to a LID it may help her itching, too - the internal med doctor saw how much Rook was itching and suggested I call her husband, who's a dermatologist. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackdoodle has both IBD and Atopic Dermatitis (inhalant allergies), and also has a veterinary dermatology specialist and an IMS. Both diseases are immune-mediated diseases, and JD's IMS feels that they are related. IBD seems to flare seasonally in many dogs who have it, just like the allergies. Jack's IBD first showed up immediately after a very bad allergy flare last fall. His dermatologist puts it more simply:"He just has a screwed up immune system."  

Most of what I know about all of these issues is due to JD's screwed up immune system, and my having to research all of this for years. The information was not out there in the doodle forums, and the advice I got was slim to none and not helpful, plus it always helps to be able to compare notes with someone else who is going through the same thing, especially when it comes to a choice of treatment options. It's so much easier to choose if you can talk to someone else who tried A or whose dog is on drug B. Anyway, even though I wish I didn't need to know this stuff, I'm glad to share and try to help someone else who's going through the same thing. :)

I sincerely hope that Rook has neither of these diseases, but the treatment for the allergies is a walk in the park compared to the IBD. And prednisone helps both of them.

[Heather]

I wish you didn't need to know this stuff, either, but I'm definitely very grateful that you do! I'd be lost without it! I just found out that everything came back normal. "Everything" is Cortisol, Superchem, CBC, UA-Antech... (Don't know if there's more,but that's where the description on my invoice cuts off.) I'm supposed to give 3 days of Panacur just in case she has giardia again, and 7 days of Metronidazole.  If things flare up again after that, I'm supposed to call back for more tests. (She also has a dermatologist appt. next week.) 

My father-in-law said he was looking into what might be making her sick and suggested it might be the ingestion or even inhalation of grass fertilizer. Does this sound like a possibility to you? We live in an apartment complex, so I have no idea what/how much they use. I always immediately pull Rook away when she occasionally attempts to eat grass, but I'm really not sure how to stop her from smelling the grass without reversing her potty training. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't know for sure, but I don't think that just smelling the areas that were fertilized could cause these problems. Eating the grass would be a different story.

Whenever anyone mentions allergies, especially if they call them "environmental" allergies, someone suggests that it could be from chemicals in lawn fertilizers, carpet cleaners, etc. This was suggested to me, too, but I have not found one drop of real evidence to support it, and the specialists say no, too.

I hope the new meds help.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

The more I read this the more I think about when Taquito got sick from the chicken tenders. They were tainted and a part of the recalls, so I doubt that you are going through the same thing. BUT I just wonder why this all happened to start after the himalayan chews. Probably just a coincidence, but if your doc is ruling out all sorts of other problems, I just don't know.  I have no other advice in addition to what Karen has provided, except, I think all treats and chews need to be cut out right now until you figure out what food she can tolerate.  Keep us posted, I know it is so frustrating.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think there were epsiodes of diarrhea and other GI issues even before the Himalayan Chew.

[Heather]

Karen's correct that Rook had intermittent tummy issues even before the Himalayan Chew, but yeah, we've definitely tabled all treats and chews until we know what's going on. Thanks for your support!