Teddy has allergies and a sensitive stomach

[Heather Martinez]

Hi Everyone, 

I could use some help and a recommendation for Teddy's food. Today, Teddy was diagnosed with a yeast infection in both ears and a bacterial skin infection. He's been licking his stomach, feet and rear end. The vet thinks Teddy is allergic to chicken and this is causing itching and the ear infections. He is on NutriSource Grain Free Chicken right now. I've kept him on this because he is very sensitive to changes in food and he will vomit if his food is changed. He has episodes of vomiting every few months even on this food. Teddy doesn't get any other food or treats, other than the occasional banana. When he vomits, we take him to the vet for an anti-nausea pill and to be sure there is no other condition causing the vomiting, and then put him on a chicken and rice diet for a week and slowly introduce his food back in. 

Teddy has been on several foods in the past. He was originally eating Acana (chicken) and I switched him to California Natural Kangaroo and red lentil on the advice of our groomer. On this food he had fewer ear infections. Then California Natural had a recall and I switched him to a different brand (totally forgot which one), but the food was chicken. This food was recalled. So I switched him to the NutriSource. 

Teddy is very allergic to both lamb and duck and will vomit if he eats these things. So I try to make sure the food only contains a single kind of meat. I was thinking of switching him back to the California Natural Kangaroo and red lentil (changing the food very slowly to avoid issues) but not sure if there is a better alternative. I appreciate any help!! Thank you!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Heather, the odds are 10 to 1 that if Teddy does have allergies, they are inhalant allergies (also known as environmental or seasonal allergies, the correct name is Atopic Dermatitis) and not food allergies. A sensitive stomach, vomiting, etc is usually unrelated to allergies and is usually indicative of an intolerance to some particular food.  

This week alone, we have had 5 new discussions started here by people whose dogs are itching, scratching, have ear infections, etc. It is not a coincidence that this is the peak inhalant allergy season, i.e. ragweed season. 

Here's some information. Please be sure to read thru it:

Facts About Food Allergies

Facts About Allergies in Dogs

The above linked discussions will help you to understand the issues and give some tips on what to do about them. 

Regarding his food, you need to switch him to a limited ingredient formula that utilizes a "novel" protein, meaning one that he has never eaten before. A dog (or a person) cannot have an allergy or a sensitivity to something to which he has never been exposed. This is why the kangaroo/Lentil formula was a good choice, and is often used for food allergy trials; very few dogs have ever eaten kangaroo, lol. You must not feed any other protein source for 8-12 weeks, and that includes treats, chews, etc. 

There are a lot of good LID formulas from brand we recommend, but I need to know what animal proteins he has had in the past besides chicken to recommend a specific formula.

If salmon or turkey are novel for Teddy, I highly recommend Wellness Simple Solutions Salmon/Potato or Turkey/Potato formulas.

If duck, lamb or pork are novel proteins for Teddy, Acana's Singles Line would also be a good choice.

You should also give him a 500 mg evening primrose oil softgel or a good fish oil softgel (human supplements) daily to help with the skin issues. If he is on antibiotics for the infections, you also need to order a bottle of Proviable DC capsules and start those ASAP.  

You will find lots of tips in the second article I linked to help keep him more comfortable with the itching, licking, etc.

GP vets, no matter how good, are not allergy specialists. If Teddy continues to cause himself bacterial infections from the allergy symptoms, I strongly recommend that you consult a veterinary dermatology specialist. Allergies get worse as a dog gets older, and the most effective, safest treatments are more successful the earlier you start them. 

[Heather Martinez]

Hi Karen,

Thank you so much for your quick reply! That definitely makes sense that Teddy might be suffering from an intolerance to some foods and not necessarily a food allergy. Teddy has never had pork or turkey, so I think I'm going to start introducing the Wellness Turkey and Potato and see how he does for a few months. I also already ordered the Proviable DC capsules and will start him on those. I'll definitely make an appointment with the dermatologist if we can't get the itching under control. Poor puppy, I did not realize the licking was due to itching and I feel terrible for him! Thank you again for your help! I will update when we find a food that works for him.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'd switch him cold turkey (no pun intended), or at least in no more than a few days time. If he's reacting to the chicken or something else in the current food, you won't really see an improvement until you eliminate it completely. 

JD has Atopy and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, and he does very well on the Simple Salmon formula. The nutrient balance in both the Turkey & the Salmon formulas is very good, and it's easy on the stomach. 

Please do let us know how it goes.

[Heather Martinez]

Thank you! I'm not sure if he's had salmon before (he had an Acana food with fish in it). I just ordered the turkey and potato so I'll see how that goes.