Itching, Scratching, Ear Infections: Why we switched to Raw Meaty Bones

[Trudy Harlow]

Paddy and I have taken a long, circuitous route to get to this point.  When he first came to live with us, at 8 weeks old in 2008, he was on some premium brand puppy kibble, and he graduated from there to the adult version.  I was careful to give him grain-free, quality kibble.  After feeding Purina One to my last dog, it was a revelation to me -- all the new, organic, healthy kibbles were just amazing.

We stuck with this diet for two years.  And then, in the midst of my sister's dying of cancer, Paddy started itching and scratching like crazy.  I thought it was the emotional stress in the house, but many months later, he was still at it and was working towards the skin on the fronts of his front legs. The fur on the bottoms of his feet between his pads was deep reddish brown. In addition, he started developing one painful ear infection after another. I finally started reading about canine allergies.  While I had no idea what he was allergic to, I did know that allergens are like building blocks -- your body can tolerate a number of them for a long time, but as you become more exposed to some allergens and create more and more building blocks, the tower of building blocks gets more and more wobbly and eventually it will collapse, at which point you develop allergic reactions to things.  [BTW, this analogy was given to me by a prominent human allergist.]  I figured, in Paddy's case, the more possible allergens I removed from his environment, the better. So, after a lot of reading, I decided to switch him to raw food.

I was a little worried about how to deal with raw food for Paddy.  We travel a fair amount, and he often goes with us.  I initially tried dehydrated foods that were a mixture of protein, veggies, etc.  They turned to mush when I rehydrated them and he totally refused to eat them (I didn't really blame him).  Then I tried frozen raw venison and lamb patties, made respectively by Instinct and B.A.R.F.  These patties are mainly meat with add-ins of various kinds.  He liked these for about 6 months, and then suddenly refused to eat them anymore.  Sadly, and with a real sense of frustration, I returned him to TOTW kibble, topped with Dave's canned meat and one Stella's freeze-dried lamb patty crumbled over the top, which he frankly ate with great relish.

All this time, his itching really didn't improve, and the ear infections kept on coming.  I even sprung for an allergy panel for him, and that produced very little useful information -- just a big reaction to dust mites, but obviously much more was going on here.

By the end of 2011, I was over the top with frustration.  While Paddy is generally a happy boy, his allergies seemed to be getting worse, and I was getting really concerned about his chronic ear infection.  The antihistamines did nothing to help except, occasionally, make him sleepy.  He was scratching constantly, even in the middle of play and walks.

In January of this year, I started reading more about feeding simple, raw food, the kind of food that dogs' ancestors, wolves, ate.  The more I read, the more sense it made to me, although I had many concerns about how to feed chunks of meat cleanly and safely in my home.  I wasn't squeamish; I was just worried about having to mop the floor a lot, I guess.

In my next entry, I'll talk about how I made the decision to switch and how we did it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Trudy, I'm not sure which one you mean. I did post this info on dust mite allergies on your page: http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=8...

 

[Trudy Harlow]

Karen, I think I've lost your post on immunotherapy.  I was really interested in it, but it came at a very busy time for me and I didn't get to research it.  Can you repost it?  Thanks so much!

[Jennifer and Jack]

It is advised to me that it is not just the handling of the food but what about what is on Jack's breathe, what if it gets stuck on his fur.. My vet told me the bacteria can stay in their mouth for a long time after they ate the raw food. I do seldom prepare raw foods but I don't eat it raw.. I am not allowed to eat raw food such as Sushi or food from a salad bar, or food that does not have a thick skin on it depending on the level of steroids I am on.

I have decided that this was not best for me.. and while I totally respect your opinion on raw feeding, I would appreciate it if you would respect mine.... Jack drags his food around the house as it is.. I am not about to put down plastic all over the place or wash the floors every day, My health doesn't allow that. I am grateful for days I can take a shower and blow dry my hair in one day so I don't need the extra work....

I respectfully disagree with you, when I prepare foods, and I am an OCD cleaner, I have control where the food is going, where it is being touched and nothing is left lingering.

I am not going to argue, I want your dogs to be healthy and happy, We all want our dogs to be. You are not qualified to give advice on my health so please don't.  I mean that with respect. I am not qualified in most every area and I would never dream of telling someone else something against what their doctors have told them.

[Jennifer and Jack]

Sorry I brought your name into it Karen, just reading this now...

[Cindy M, Zachary & the Frenchies]

My dogs also eat raw - I have had two dogs with severe allergies. My current dog Gracie is doing great on a raw diet - she is symptom free now - however there are protiens that she can not eat - so just switching to raw foods does not solve all problems, you still need to find out what proteins your dog can eat, if a protien allergy is the problem. On the other hand an elimination diet is much easier when feeding raw, because you know exactly what your dog is getting, Gracie can not eat beef, and does not do well with chicken. She additionally has some mild environmental allergies that flare up occasionally, and are easily managed with Benadryl. Prior to the switch to raw feeding, She needed multiple daily doses of atarax and occasional prednisone and was never symptom free. All my dogs get their "fish oil" from sardines. In regards to concerns about immuno-suppression and raw food, if you prepare raw foods for yourself (cook chicken and beef) then you are at no more risk. Same handling precautions apply. Thoroughly clean the prep and feeding area.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There's evidence against it, because of antigenic specificity. There is not one threshold for "allergens of all types", each produces a specific reaction, and the threshold for each is specific to that antigen alone. Antigenic specificity is the ability of the host cells to recognize an antigen specifically as a unique molecular entity and distinguish it from another with exquisite precision. Antigen specificity is due primarily to the side-chain conformations of the antigen.

Too many "mights" and "I thinks" in Dr. Meacock's statement for me. When dealing with health issues, I want verifiable facts. I don't think Jack has environmental allergies, I know he has them. I saw the reactions to each and every one, independent of any others, when he was tested.

 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I hate to be repetitive but is there any evidence for what he thinks?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I should note that my Dood's seasonal allergies are mild and nothing like the environmental allergies that so many on DK are dealing with....so far.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Just a note on the dehydrated raw foods.....my guys love them.  It does take a little while for them to get used to the different consistency though.  I feed Honest Kitchen to my younger Doodle and a combination of home cooking and HK to my older guy.  I switched to this food because they were both diagnosed with IBS.  The first couple of meals I gave them I think they thought I was crazy....it was just so different from what they were used to.  But I stuck with it knowing they wouldn't starve, and after this brief introduction they started eating it, and haven't stopped.  I do supplement with additional home cooked proteins.  I actually think it looks and smells pretty good.  The good news is that not only do they love this food, but their IBS has been totally controlled since I started them on it.  My younger guy does have seasonal allergies that usually run between April and July.  The dehydrated raw obviously doesn't help with that, but we control it with antihistimines for those months.  I'm adding this because I wouldn't want people to think that the dehydrated raw is not an option because dogs wouldn't like it....some actually LOVE it.

[Trudy Harlow]

Thanks, Andrea.

One more thing, Jennifer -- if your docs don't want you feeding raw...how do you manage your own food? Are you vegan?  What I feed my dog is the exact same thing I feed my own family...