Food trial for allergies

[Christina]

I am posting this on the general forum to hopefully get more exposure. We have been battling some type of allergies with our 8 month doodle for the past two months. His local vet has seen Oakley twice and made the suggestion for us to see a vet who specialized in dermatology/ allergies and thankfully we live 20 mins form UC Davis veterinary school and teaching hospital which is ranks as one of the best in the nation. We brought Oakley in last week for a 3 hour appointment where they took a history and ran a few skin and hair tests. Based on Oakley age and the areas he is licking and chewing (mostly paws and base of tail) they suggested we start a food trial and put him on a prescription diet for 2 months and try and determine if it is an allergy to a protein source. They explained that environmental allergies are much more difficult and expensive to diagnose and they felt we should start with food first.

I know from the discussions on here that food allergies make up a small amount of the allergies dog have but they are the experts and who am I to argue with them as to how to begin diagnoses. So we are doing all they have suggested in addition to the two different medications they have prescribed for the bacterial infections Oakley has due to all the licking and chewing. Fun times!
So far Oakley has been a good sport, seems happy with the food and the one type of treat I am able to give him while he is being tested. Such a good boy!

Wondering if any of you have deal with a similar situation and can share your experiences. They mentioned that after 2 months on the prescription food they will have home return to his regular Fromm Grain- Free food and see what his reaction is. Sounds to me like this could be a long process but it will be worth it if we can give this guy some comfort. Poor thing seems miserable. If you have any experience with a food trial like this, please share your experiences with me.
Thanks!

[Willow and J]

I'm sure Karen will write on this, and please check out Atopic dermatitis group: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/atopicdermatitissupportgroup

Here's my experience:

Willow has been on limited protein diet since about 2 year old (she is 4.5 years old now), first on kangaroo and now on rabbit. She is also diagnosed and has been on immunotherapy (allergy shots) over a year now. I'd say LID reduced 80% of itching, and allergy shots took care of the rest. 

We knew that Willow's scratching is not entirely seasonal so as we were looking for a dermatologist (and we met a pretty bad one first), we tried LID. We did not do the prescription LID route. We just switched to premium label LID kibbles that lists kangaroo as the only source of protein, put Willow on it for a couple of months, then tried different protein one at a time and observed over a course of a month +. Willow is allergic to eggs, chicken, fish (didn't try different kinds of fish, just Orijen 6 fish formula), and pretty much everything else (turkey, duck, buffalo, pork, etc.). She also developed allergy to kangaroo after two years or so, so now she's on rabbit. I was initially quite frustrated over having Willow exposed to different kinds of protein when she was puppy, which probably resulted in her developing allergies to majority of protein sources found in kibbles. But Willow thrives on LID and is very healthy, so we'll just wish for rabbit to last as long as it would, then find next one that would work for her. (possum?)

It's frustrating in the beginning when you have to decide what to do, and seeing your puppy suffer so much, but it is manageable once you find a course of treatment, and Oakely will be fine.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I'm just going to say that a few things here seem a little odd to me (but Karen will chime in I'm sure to elaborate).  At 8 months he seems young for a food allergy.  He has only been itching for two months.  That is peak time for ragweed season here.  Not sure about where you live.  Is his Fromm the only other food he has eaten?  Just wondering why after the two months they are going back to that food rather than trying to figure out which proteins he might be allergic to by adding just those?  At his age it would have been pretty simple to select another limited protein source that he hasn't had rather than putting him on the perscription food.  The dermatologists don't like our suggesting that but it is possible.  Food trials are a PITA.  What tests did they do?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree with you on all counts, Sheri, and have replied to Christina's duplicate post in TFG. I'm especially disappointed that UC Davis, which is without question a top-notch veterinary teaching facility, did not offer the choice of a novel protein commercial diet, especially for a puppy. The Rx food, besides being low quality, doesn't have sufficient protein content for a growing puppy. 

The coinciding of the ragweed season with the allergy symptoms is also troubling to me, as well as the statement that diagnosing environmental allergies is more difficult than a food trial. More expensive, yes, but the skin testing is simple and the answers are immediate. I suspect that the fact that he is on medication for infections plus his age are the reasons they didn't want to do the skin testing; most specialists won't do it before the dog is a year old. But they should have explained that.

[Christina]

Thank you all for the replies. Sorry I didn't mention earlier but yes they did say they would not recommend doing extensive allergy test until Oakley is a year or older. Also let me explain that the Vet did not say she thought it was food but that at this point ( age and because of cost) that is where she wanted to start. Also I am sure the fact that he is on two meds for the bacterial infections is another reason. I agree the food trial is a pain in the rear already especially when so limited on treats and doing dog training but optimistic we will get some answers, even a no...not food will be useful. Oakley has been on Fromm 4 star since we got him from the breeder and we have worked our way through all the proteins, surf and turf, game, beef, lamb, pork and salmon. No difference on any- for the past 2 months-itchy.. ( yes, why we thought not food and possibly environmental) Vet did say it could be soy, eggs as well. They put him on Royal Canine HP and actually offered him the food at no cost as part of the trial. As for the test, they did a hair sample and skin samples which show bacterial infections due to the excessive licking. He is on two meds for the next 2 weeks and already he seems better probably from the meds. we live in Ca so not sure about the ragweed in this area. The plan is to do this food trail for 2 months and then try putting proteins back one at a time and see his reaction. We have a follow up in 2 weeks so I will be asking some of the questions you posted. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Perhaps they just wanted another dog in the trial, if they don't think it is food allergies and he is too young for environmental allergy testing?  Perhaps you can feed a higher quality limited ingredient food????  I will be there will be much improvement when you clear up the bacterial infections.

[Christina]

Yes, already seeing a huge improvement after 2 days of being on meds. Very grateful!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

not be - bet

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

I don't have advice for you. But I am going through similar issues with Georgia. And I don't live that far away from you.
Ironically the only place she doesn't chew is her paws. I took her to Berkeley Dog and Cat to the dermatology vet there.
Not sure I got any information from him that was overly helpful. Most of the money was spent ruling out the things I was pretty positive it wasn't but they have to do the tests anyway. And the followup visit was disappointing because she was better so he kind of dismissed the case as her responding to the treatment. But I know her flare-ups happen sporadically so an improvement in the condition doesn't mean things are better.

Georgia is almost a year old and I can't wait till she's old enough to have real allergy testing. Not sure the vet thinks her condition is serious enough to warrant that, but time will tell. On the first visit he seemed grateful that I brought her in early because most of the cases he saw were from people that waited too long.

I don't think it's food related. I do follow a restricted diet with only one protein source that the vet approved of. She has no digestive issues. Her bowel movements are pretty standard.

She always scratches and chews but most of the time I see no obvious signs of irritation. There have been 5 times in the last 6 months (the last one being yesterday) where a serious outbreak has happened. I can't fine the correlation between them, but I am almost certain it is not food related. At those times I see an obvious rash on her underside and/or seriously large bumps I can feel under her coat. Her coat is thin in spots from repeated scratching or chewing.

I have tried benedryl and claritin and they don't seem to make a difference. When I see her chewing on herself so much I feel bad for her. I just wish there was something I could use to make her feel better.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nancy, she may be a good candidate for immunotherapy once she is old enough for testing. I can't tell you how much it has helped Jack. I wish the same for Georgia. 

[Nancy and Georgia Brown]

Thanks Karen. I just wait for the day she is eligible.

I just hate to see her scratching so much. I have had a lifetime of allergy issues and skin issues and serious eczema as a child, so I know the discomfort she feels and it makes my heart melt when I see her going through this.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's also important to keep in mind that any drug that suppresses the immune system, like prednisone, Temaril, etc., will get rid of the symptoms fast. That doesn't mean the dog is cured or the allergies are fixed. True allergies are an incurable immune-mediated disease and treatments of any kind are for life.