Ohhh Allergies!!!

[Marta and Oscar]

My 5 monts old Goldendoodle has allergies :( I dont know what to do anymore. The vet said it could be anything but seasonal, since he is so young. I changed his food from Blue Buffalo to Natural Ballance that has no chicken and it does not help. He is getting red bumps on his back legs and belly and has dry scabs all over his body :( I have a shampoo that I use but does not seem to help, he is recently on antibiotic and Zertec for allergies.... nothing helps.... he licks his back legs raw... I am so frustrated! Help anyone???

[BG and Gavin]

Is there any chance that he has fleas?  Gavin had them once and I could not actually detect the fleas on him, but his skin was reacting to the bites.  (He was on a preventative, so it never occurred to me that this is what it could be).  He was even at the groomers during this episode and she did not detect fleas.  I believe it is called flea dermatitis.  Here is my old discussion:  http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/rash-bites-poison-ivy-on-g...

[Marta and Oscar]

Yes, I take him to the beach and dog park on a daily basis. I will try the flea treatment. I am just so frustrated and feel so sorry for him :( The vet told me they can do blood testing but that is $250. Thank you guys.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Marta, forget the blood testing for allergies. It is notoriously inaccurate. In fact, it is so inaccurate that neither JD's dermatology specialist nor his internal medicine specialist will do it, even though I asked and am willing to pay. (And a $250 test is going to be wildly inaccurate; the more extensive ones cost upwards of $500.) 

The only way to accurately test for environmental allergens (including insect allergies) is to have skin testing done by a veterinary dermatology specialist. This is done under sedation and costs about $600, depending where you live. Many of us here whose dogs have allergies have had it done. Your pup is too young for it right now anyway.

There is no reliable test for food allergies. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common form of allergies in dogs, so that's a possibility. The dog does not have to have a flea infestation to develop an allergic reaction. Once sensitized, the allergic response will be triggered from being bitten, even if the fleas then subsequently die. (This is how most flea/tick preventatives work; they don't prevent the dog from being bitten, they just kill the fleas and ticks after they bite).

Some good info on flea allergy dermatitis:  http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/education/Curriculum/VM8054/HISTO%20CASEBO...

Just as seasonal allergies are uncommon in puppies, food allergies are equally uncommon, as it generally takes several months if not years of eating the same ingredient in order to develop antibodies to that food. Food allergies are also fairly rare in general, even though that's the first thing most people think of when they hear "allergy".  In order to determine if a dog has a food allergy, you need to put him on an elimination diet. Basically, you need a food that contains only protein and carb sources that the dog has never eaten before. In other words, if the dog was previously on a chicken and rice formula, you switch to a food with no chicken and no rice. You must also make sure that he isn't getting chicken or rice in treats, either. A food elimination trial takes 8-12 weeks to show an improvement, if food is in fact the cause of the itching.

In the meantime, I would start him on evening primrose oil capsules. 500 mg. gel caps, human supplement. Start with one per day. Give as you would a pill, don't puncture. It may help with the itching.

You can also try using an OTC anti-itch spray on the areas that are bothering him most, for temporary relief. 

The best shampoo I have found for allergic dogs is Douxo Calm Shampoo. A shampoo containing Praxomine & Colloidal Oatmeal is good, too. When bathing the dog with shampoos formulated for allergic skin conditions, it's important to leave the lather on for at least 10 minutes before rinsing. Do not use any kind of conditioners or grooming products, especially those that are left in, and don't use a hot dryer; let him air dry or use a cool dryer setting. 

Hope this helps.

[Marta and Oscar]

Thak you so much!!!!

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Have you ever considered feeding raw?  I know the raw group on this site doesn't appear active, but there are many resources on the internet and in books that are enlightening. I switched my 3 year old golden doodle to raw a year ago and she is a happy girl.  I find feeding raw less costly and so far, no vet bills except routine.  I have convinced my sister to feed her golden retriever raw...he had a body peppered with hot spots...and after a few months he is healing.  If not raw, maybe considered homemade.  Proteins need to be rotated so the dogs do not developed a sensitivity to one protein.  Good luck.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

However, when a dog does have a sensitivity to a particular protein, he will have a sensitivity to that protein in any form: raw, cooked, whatever. If you're allergic to chicken, you're allergic to chicken, period.  Just like if a child is allergic to peanuts, he can't be exposed to peanuts, period. Raw peanuts, roasted peanuts, peanut butter, even peanut residue on other foods. The antibodies that trigger the immune response recognize the protein in any form, unless it's hydrolyzed, which is the extreme opposite of raw. 

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Doesn't cooking denature a protein?  And isn't an allergy different than a sensitivity?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

"Denaturing" a protein simply means breaking it down into it's smallest components, which are amino acids. Digestion itself denatures proteins. All proteins must be denatured before your body can utilize them. Cooking begins the process before the food is eaten, but it is still continued in the GI tract. So raw chicken or cooked chicken, both end up being denatured exactly the same way by the digestive process. 

Yes, an allergy is different than a sensitivity, but both are triggered by the particular amino acid combinations that are unique to each different protein. All proteins contain the same amino acids, it is simply the 'pattern" or arrangement of those aminos that differs. The only way to prevent the body from recognizing them and having a reaction to specific type of protein to which it has become sensitized, or to which it has formed antibodies is to break it down enough that the specific amino acid pattern that differentiates one type of protein from another is not recognizable, i.e. hydrolyzed protein, which is what some of the Rx "allergy" foods contain. In terms of food allergies or sensitivities, the food being raw is not going to prevent the body from reacting to it.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That really is not exactly what denaturing means. It means altering the structure by breaking chemical bonds but not making it into amino acids. 

From Wikipedia:

"Denaturation is a process in which proteins or nucleic acids lose the quaternary structure, tertiary structure and secondary structure which is present in their native state, by application of some external stress or compound such as a strong acid or base, a concentrated inorganic salt, an organic solvent (e.g., alcohol or chloroform), radiation or heat.^[3] If proteins in a living cell are denatured, this results in disruption of cell activity and possibly cell death. Denatured proteins can exhibit a wide range of characteristics, from loss of solubility to communal aggregation."

Digestion does eventually break proteins into amino acids.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

From one of my professional websites:

In order to make the protein your body needs, it must obtain the protein building blocks, the amino acids, from the proteins in food. Although vegetables and grains do provide some protein, you get most of your protein from nuts, legumes, eggs, fish, meats, and dairy products. When you eat these protein-containing foods, your body must take the large protein chains in them and cut them down to either individual amino acids or dipeptides (two amino acids, di=two, peptide=amino acid) before you can absorb them. Once absorbed, the amino acids are transported through your bloodstream to the tissues that need them, such as muscles. Then, your body uses these amino acids to reconstruct its own proteins in the forms you need to support your tissue's growth and repair.

Your body produces enzymes called proteases to help break down the proteins in food to the amino acids. Proteases cut proteins between specific amino acids to produce the smaller peptide chains. Before the proteases can act on the protein, the protein must first be untwisted, a process called denaturation, which results in a long single-chain protein. Proteins are denatured in the stomach, with the help of the stomach acid (hydrochloric acid), the mixing action of the stomach, and the protease pepsin.

After denaturation in the stomach, the long single-chain protein is transported to the proximal small intestine, the duodenum, which contains several types of proteases. These proteases act on the protein chain, cutting it further until only dipeptides and single amino acids are present. The amino acids and dipeptides are absorbed in the small intestine, primarily in the middle section, the jejunum.

[F, Calla & Luca]

True. Cooking denatures protein as does certain chemical reactions. Then they are further digested to amino acids. I was trying to say, perhaps not clearly, that denaturing in not breaking proteins into amino acids. You noted, "Denaturing" a protein simply means breaking it down into it's smallest components, which are amino acids." It is digestion by enzymes which does this after the protein is denatured in or out of the body. Sorry, but you know I am a stickler for the facts.