koolietas

No worries. I hope you had some success

Hi Allerzeit, I have been taking my furkids to NHVH for years (and my parents a few decades before that with their furries) and they seem to becoming much more expensive than other vets. I believe the vet clinic in Bligh Street, Warrane (Eastern Shore Veterinary Hospital) do the xrays for a heap of GSD people...sorry, I don't know the price though. Koolietas

Yep - my sheltie is allergic to both chicken & turkey. We are working our way slowly through different meats...and have so far been successful with rabbit & lamb. I'm lucky in a sense that I have fed prey model style in the past few years - so that makes it much easier to work out what he reacts to. At the moment he eats whole rabbits, lamb hearts, lamb bones etc. I will probably trial roo next. Chicken & beef are the most common food allergies in dogs. Good luck! Elimination diets are a lengthy process but well worth it when you start to see your dog healthier and happier.

Just got Koolie's results back... Parvo >1:80 Distemper >1:80 So no re-vacc again this year...last vacc was May '06. Interestingly, Parvo same result as last year, and Distemper better than last year when it was >1:20.

I know - it's a horrible feeling until it's all over and she's home safe & sound with you. Then you can start to relax a little...although, that's when the hard work begins for you! Let us know how she's going...

Wishing Ruby a speedy recovery Hope all goes well today lilysmum - be thinking of you

So sorry to hear about Ruby's lameness lilysmum Fingers crossed that turkey will be okay in the long run for her. My boy has reacted to either the turkey (which he's had several times over the past week) or he did manage to scoff some lamb chop that we found walking a couple of nights ago (I got most of it out of his mouth, but I know he managed to swallow some of it). So...back to rabbit for a week or so to see if his feet/muzzle clear. Only problem now is finding more rabbit! Because of the dreadful weather we've had in Tas this week, my normal supplier hasn't been able to go shooting...looks like we're back to $26 farmed rabbits Lilysmum - do you think I should try the turkey again in a week or so, or try something different (thinking pork next)?

That's great lillysmum! Hope it continues to go well for Ruby Me too. It's been a very long road so far and it's not over by a long way yet. But any progress is good progress. :p My OH is thrilled too (he's away for a few months but I give him updates every week). She's his dog really. How's your pup doing...about 4 weeks into the trial? He's going along really well I had him at the vet last night (just for a weigh in & visit) but the vet looked him over and was really pleased with how well he's come along. His ear is almost completely clean, his dermatitis gone & he's not licking at his feet like he was either. So...we've been given the okay to add a different protein, which I've decided is going to be turkey. He will have his first turkey meal tonight. The plan is to give him turkey every 3rd meal or so and see how he goes for the next two weeks (unless there is an immediate reaction). Have you continued to give Ruby turkey?

That's great lillysmum! Hope it continues to go well for Ruby :D

Thanks lillysmum My boy's is a lot less severe than Ruby's. I think you're doing a fabulous job - it's a tough task, especially when you're out walking - other dog owners want to give them treats, and of course, they can always find food on the footpaths to scavenge etc (well at least my boy does!) I took my boy to the vet last night, and although he has improved, he will need to stay on the rabbit/sweet potato diet for at least another 3 weeks. The vet suggested to try turkey next (he loves turkey) as that apparently is a low allergen food. I hope you can find the roo - we always have plenty of roo here in Tas, but I know that what can be easy to source in one place can be impossible to source in others. Good luck!

Good luck with Ruby's elim diet lilysmum 3 weeks ago I started my sheltie on one also...it's tough! He has eaten rabbit & sweet potato exclusively in that time - and only a little improvement in his skin so far. I've never fed beef - and am not willing to try it at this stage - as I have been advised that beef is the most allergic protein for dogs. I have found a butcher who sells wild hares, so am considering trialling that as he's never had hare before (but did have rabbit a couple of times a few years ago). Looking forward to hearing your progress

If you've fed rabbit before, I wouldn't be using it for an elimination diet, even if it was 18months ago. If he does have food allergies, he may have developed them to the rabbit during the times you've previously fed them (even though he may not have shown any signs at the time). The idea is to feed something the body has never encountered before, to ensure you get true results. As his signs are only mild at this stage, we weren't even going to do an elimination diet straight away. Just stop the fish products...but I decided to do the elimination diet path instead. Although I have fed rabbit on a couple of occasions, with the last occasion being at least 18 months ago, the vet was happy for me to proceed on that path. Perhaps if his allergy was more serious, then she wouldn't have suggested that.

Gee, I wish I could. I thought that was pretty cheap! Most of the other places I phoned were between $15-$20 for a whole rabbit.

Thanks everyone for replying I have fed rabbit to him on a couple of occasions - but the last time would have been about 18 months ago. Unfortunately I feed turkey on a regular basis - so cannot use that...but thanks for the suggestion poodlefan. I have never seen horse/goats meat here in Tas - but thats always an option if rabbit is unsuccessful and I can source it. The trouble started when I started feeding a couple of Evo treat biscuits for a snack/treat a couple of months ago...no skin problems since I stopped feeding supplements/fruit/veg a couple of years before that. I ceased feeding the Evo treats about 3 weeks ago - and have noticed some improvement. The vet suspects salmon as he had a mild colitis reaction to mackeral a couple of months ago (the first time I fed mackeral to him) and I feed fresh salmon weekly along with the salmon capsules daily. I can source wild whole rabbits for $7 and also minced rabbit (which I can use for treats). I did an elimination diet a couple of years ago for an abandoned cat I rescued - he is allergic to fish & beef...and was quite easy to identify. Hopefully I will have similar success with my sheltie. Fingers crossed anyway.

My 4 yo Sheltie has in the past few weeks had a few problems with dermatitis and the vet would like to see him start an elimination diet. She suspects the trigger may be fish or salmon in particular... Just wondering if other raw feeders have done an elimination diet with their dogs? The vet has recommended ceasing the salmon oil capsules I give him daily and has started him on Ultra EPA oil instead and has recommended probiotics. Anyone know of a good brand for probiotics? As a prey model feeder, the only real sources of protein I do not regularly feed is rabbit, duck & quail. I think rabbit will be the most accessable, so will commence feeding rabbit for a couple of weeks when I can source it and see how that goes. Would love to hear from anyone with suggestions/advice. Koolietas

I feed my sheltie a prey model diet (raw meat, bone & offal). I also give him 4-5 raw eggs a week and Salmon Oil most days. He is a sheltie that suffers from dermatitis (skin conditions can be problems in shelties) - and although I used the same puppy food that the breeder gave me for the first couple of weeks - I altered to several premium foods in the first few months - never with any success! He didn't like them - all he scoffed was the raw food (meat & chicken necks) each day. It was at that time that I started to look at other diets...and finally ended up settling on PM diet. I don't give him any dry/tinned food or any treats that have preservatives, colourings, etc. I agree with the others though - diet is not breed specific. But - if you find that your sheltie suffers from skin conditions, you may want to steer away from products with grains as these are often the culprit. Best of luck with your new furbaby!

Prey model fed here... I only feed about 10% bone - the rest is meat & offal. Never once had a problem with anal glands - so it may not necessarily be a diet related problem. Example of a couple of meals I feed my 20kg sheltie... 2 or 3 lamb hearts lamb liver/kidneys & pork ribs 1/2 raw chicken & egg salmon tail/heads whole rainbow trout whole sardines and the list goes on... I certainly don't supplement with any fibre like vegetables/psyllium husks. What are they feeding?

Thanks everyone for replying. I spoke to the vet late yesterday arvo - and as the diarrhoea had stopped on Sunday (no poops since, which apparently is quite common with Metrogyl), and no vomiting at all, she was happy for me to give the Metacam for her back.

Thanks for replying arty farty. Still waiting to hear back from the vet - logically, I would think that antibiotics & anti inflamms are used concurrently quite a lot (esp. after surgeries etc.) - but I would like to know definitely before I start treating. My peke has had a bout of the runs and was given the Metrogyl for that a few days ago (which has now cleared up), but now her disc problem (which crops up about twice a year) has started. We have her confined to a small space and usually treat with Metacam for a couple of days.

I am waiting to hear back from my vet, but just wondering if anyone knows whether you can give Metrogyl (antibiotic) with Metacam (NSAID) concurrently?

I purchased a copy about 12 months ago. With 5 cats and 3 dogs, I have often referred to it...and I have found it very informative and easy to read. There's a couple of excellent sections with regards to medication & poisons (plants, chemicals, foods etc.) which is great to have on hand in a hurry (especially, if like me, you don't have a computer at home)

Hi MiniMum, It is hard to pinpoint what food source the atopy might be caused by. Before switching to Prey Model, I did eliminate the kelp powder and flaxseed meal as I had been told that these could be both triggering the dermatitis - however, I didn't notice any difference. There is an excellent raw feeding group on yahoo which you will find very useful. Congrats to you for helping this little man out Koolietas

I changed my sheltie from Barf to a Prey Model diet about 12 months ago. My main reason for changing his diet was both the theory behind PM along with him suffering from bouts of ear infections and mild dermatitis on Barf. Since not adding any fruit, veg or supplements (other than raw egg and salmon oil) he has not had one problem with his ears and no sign of any dermatitis. His coat & skin is wonderful and his energy levels are higher. Sorry - no experience with digestive system...so can't help you with that question.

Yep, other than a quick clean (if they haven't been already) I feed everything (unless there's any extra sharp fins or spikes then I remove those first). I fed my sheltie a salmon tail the other day...was really meaty but I wasn't sure whether he would actually eat the tail fin - but he did! not much that boy won't scoff...

I give my boy raw fish about once a week. I go to the markets and buy fish like mackeral, salmon (tails & heads are the cheapest), sardines, rainbow trout etc. Best fish to feed are those high in Omega 3's (as above) but most fish are fine - just check the source (ie. water quality) and if they're not cleaned, clean them to double check for hooks.