Food Intolerance Test Results

[moosmum]

Horse meat at least you should be able to find close to home.

[Guest Augustine The Boxer]

Augustine - at your website. Pardon me, but I'm feeling a bit lazy (actually, mainly a bit time poor atm) and I'm wondering what it is that you would suggest I'd order from you to make/establish a full/complete diet that would suit Mandela?

Also, the "Super Food" ..... contains Barley Grass. Food Intolerance test has shown him as throwing an albeit weak reaction to Barley. I presume this would be the grain, but would Barley Grass also be likely to affect?

Hi Erny,

Barley Grass is different to barley and does not pose the same intolerance concerns as barley as it is different. Here is an explanation from our website:

Barley grass powder is made from the dried young leaves of the barley plant. At the early stage of its growth, the barley plant is closer in composition to vegetables than grains. This concept is similar to that of wheat grass and there is very little nutritional difference between the two.

As they grow, the nutrient content of young cereal grasses change rapidly. The nutrient concentration - vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, chlorophyll - deteriorate significantly.

In its young state, however, barley grass contains extremely high levels of the above mentioned nutrients. Barley grass powder thus contains very dense nutritional and healing properties in a concentrated form that is easily assimilated by the digestive system, thus allowing the body to use its nutrients within a matter of minutes (like most vegetable powders). It also has very strong alkalising effects on the body.

I have PM you some options for Mandela.

[moosmum]

Erny,

If you can't find horse in your area let me know and i'll see what I can do here.

The "doggers" turn up at every horse sale,so shouldn't be too hard to track down a local source through the yards.

[Andisa]

Erny,

If you can't find horse in your area let me know and i'll see what I can do here.

The "doggers" turn up at every horse sale,so shouldn't be too hard to track down a local source through the yards.

If you do get horse, ask how it comes...I had some delivered a month ago and told them to take it back. I had horses for almost 20 years and could not touch the slab of horse meat that was delivered - it was almost the size of a small pony... a massive chunk of flesh. Had it been diced or minced I would have told myself it was beef but could not bring myself to touch the horse meat as a whole slab. No doubt I have a been black listed now so won't be calling them for another order anytime soon .

Shame really because I think it would have been a great meat source for Hamish, however if his diet needs change in the future I will have to deal with it.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Andisa

[sas]

We were able to source Horse meat from our local slaughter house, you just need to ask some questions in regards to being 'clean'.

Dante ate it and liked it, I had trouble with the smell and texture of it for some reason.

[trifecta]

Erny, you didn't mention pork?

Pork is the only meat a friend of mine can feed to her GSD who is prone to skin conditions, general ill thrift & yeast infections.

[dancinbcs]

What about tuna or sardines, sweet potato and pumpkin?

[Erny]

Thanks AtB for the explanation regards barley grass -vs- barley grain.

Thanks Moosmum ..... I'll let you know if I need your help in sourcing horse meat.

And Andisa - thanks. That's a definite tip I'll be sure to make use of. I don't like any meat looking too much like its live origin, much less a horse

Sas - cheers .... I'll follow through the slaughter house with that query.

Trifecta - the only food sources that have been tested are the ones I've listed. The test is very new (first came out last year) so it is limited although has at least expanded a lot by comparison to the first test. So anything not on that list has not been tested because the test for it has not been constructed. I've avoided pork though, ever since I fed Mandela a pigs trotter or two when he was younger and he went off food for a day or so and threw up the little bones of the pigs foot. This was before more obvious signs of food intolerances/digestive discomfort became apparent but I've not been game nor thought it would be good to revisit. Right now I'm even suspicious of roo mince but have found through experience he will tolerate it for a while before he goes off it. So far, it's been the better of the meats I've fed him - to my knowledge.

Dancinbcs - I have been very judicious about feeding too much in terms of sardines. I can't say I've noticed an obvious reaction though, but then again they've not been enough for a whole meal so if he has been a bit 'off' its been pretty difficult to tell the culprit apart. Are sardines 'white fish' though? Pardon my ignorance in this respect. I can't eat fish myself so I don't follow the varieties/differences that much. Sweet potato is something I feed my boy - I use it to add fibre to roo mince. Same with pumpkin but the sweet potato seems better and like more. Haven't tried tuna as yet. Anything I have to watch for regards where it comes from etc?

Thanks for the comments and interest everyone. I still have some questions and puzzlement regards the results, what they mean for the future, and even why some of the results are what they are (I've only given a summarized version of the results and not the IgA and IgM results for each food source. I've got a fair amount of homework to do and I'm going to need the help of a digestive vet to help explain it to me and I expect, the help of a canine nutritionist (anyone know a good one?) to work this out a bit. All this has certainly been more than I bargained for when I bought him but I'll do what I can.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Erny

[trifecta]

Sardines are not white fish, they are oily fish. White fish are fish such as cod, ling, whiting, hake, ie the fish with dry, white flesh. They live on the ocean floor or just above it & are bottom feeders. White fish contain oil only in their liver, unlike oily fish who may comprise nearly one third of their body weight in oil. White fish, however, must not be fed raw.

Oily fish include salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout & anchovies. Oily fish contain higher levels of contaminants such as mercury & dioxins than white fish.

[mackiemad]

erny, there are three abattoirs that use and process horses for human consumption in australia -though the meat is all flown to belgium, france and other parts of europe. so this meat would be clean - as the animals have to be on the property for a period of time in order to ensure any previous drugs have made it out of the system - the animals used are mostly racehorses and tend to arrive with all medical history and are often trucked from interstate before settling down for a couple of weeks before slaughter. but it might be worth calling and asking if you can buy some regualarly for animal consumption. i believe it is illegal to sell/prepare horsemeat in vic for human consumption so you would need to stress it is for a for animal consumption and why you need clean meat.

i know one is in sa but i think there may be one in vic as well. i'll check it out at work on monday for you, cos i know we have that info somewhere...

[Erny]

Thank you thank you, Mackiemad :).

[JulesP]

Try the Yarra Glen Hunt Club. They have a website.

[Erny]

Thanks JulesP. I can't help this feeling of dejavu ...... I'm thinking I've rung them on this topic once before when the notion of trying horse meat arose (but where the problem at the time resolved - temporarily, as it turns out). I can't remember what came of it other than it didn't eventuate but I'll give them another call to check. No answer ATM but its after hours so will try again tomorrow.

Cheers

Erny

[AussieDog]

Hi Erny, sorry another question. Have you/do you feed Mandela any of the hills prescription or royal canin prescription kibbles?

[bianca.a]

Hi Erny,

I am so sorry your boy has all this going on

Monica Segal is one to check out (in the US though)

http://www.monicasegal.com/

There is also a yahoo list K9 Kitchen.

Wishing you the best.

[Erny]

Hi Bianca. I think that is the person Dr Jean Dodds has referred me to as well. Have a couple of 'leads' in the pipe line at the moment. One that I'm trialling (Augustine the Boxer Super Food) . Must admit Mandela's stools are the best they've looked for being on raw meat. Will fill you guys in a bit later on as so much going on just now it is awkward to spend the time at the computer.

[Nic.B]

Thank you for this thread :)

I have a large breed female who appears to be quite sensitive to various foods. I manage her diet quite well though I have to be very careful as she will at times benchsurf and help herself to things she should not have.

If Fern has a reaction to something her stools become loose and (as she is quite fair in colouring) she will at times develop pink skin on her belly and under her front legs.

Does your boy have specific symptoms? All our other dogs are great with various foods, we just have the one monkey pants!

[Erny]

Hi Nic.B.

In the 4 years I've had my boy since getting him as a pup, he has gone through a whole gammit of symptoms. Hives; inter-digital cysts; abdominal discomfort; ear flap rashes; rashes on the insides of his rear legs; symptoms that appeared very much as furunculosis; going off food; vomit (but rarely bile); sloppy poop; farting the stinkiest rotten farts ever; irritated bottom (which would have come from irritated anal glands which resulted from too much sloppy poop for too long); inflamed cuticles; and perhaps some more symptoms that I've forgotten about.

[Skruffy n Flea]

...

All this has certainly been more than I bargained for when I bought him but I'll do what I can.

some would say there's a reason and for that, you have been and will always be his shining star :)

i won't even try to explain the emotion that is coursing thru my veins right now at the wonderment for the time, effort, love and attention you have given this animal --- you MUST at some point in his life achieve a balance and at that point, you have a book in you :)

Sardines are not white fish, they are oily fish. White fish are fish such as cod, ling, whiting, hake, ie the fish with dry, white flesh. They live on the ocean floor or just above it & are bottom feeders. White fish contain oil only in their liver, unlike oily fish who may comprise nearly one third of their body weight in oil. White fish, however, must not be fed raw.

Oily fish include salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout & anchovies. Oily fish contain higher levels of contaminants such as mercury & dioxins than white fish.

but DAMN, that was informative! thank you :)

erny, there are three abattoirs that use and process horses for human consumption in australia -though the meat is all flown to belgium, france and other parts of europe. so this meat would be clean - as the animals have to be on the property for a period of time in order to ensure any previous drugs have made it out of the system - the animals used are mostly racehorses and tend to arrive with all medical history and are often trucked from interstate before settling down for a couple of weeks before slaughter. but it might be worth calling and asking if you can buy some regualarly for animal consumption. i believe it is illegal to sell/prepare horsemeat in vic for human consumption so you would need to stress it is for a for animal consumption and why you need clean meat.

i know one is in sa but i think there may be one in vic as well. i'll check it out at work on monday for you, cos i know we have that info somewhere...

i have terrible misgivings for i too admire horses and despite understanding the reason for your post, all i can picture in my mind is my own [now departed] pony, those of my brother's stock horses, those of my aunty's pacers and those i saw performing dressage at the recent london olympics...

Hi Nic.B.

In the 4 years I've had my boy since getting him as a pup, he has gone through a whole gammit of symptoms. Hives; inter-digital cysts; abdominal discomfort; ear flap rashes; rashes on the insides of his rear legs; symptoms that appeared very much as furunculosis; going off food; vomit (but rarely bile); sloppy poop; farting the stinkiest rotten farts ever; irritated bottom (which would have come from irritated anal glands which resulted from too much sloppy poop for too long); inflamed cuticles; and perhaps some more symptoms that I've forgotten about.

a lesser person would have given up; the universe was speaking the day you decided to bring him home and still, after all this time and trouble, you affectionately refer to him as 'my boy' and look now at how much you know about caring for a dog that another might have cast aside for all that time and trouble, the cost, and effort...

and also, thru your trials and tribulations with mandela [not to mention your own health concerns], you are here sharing your information and experience with us, so that we all might learn something new or different about the health of our own dog/s...

thanks erny and i wish you the very best of luck during this next phase of mandela's life...

*bless^

[dogdayz]

have you tried crocodile. Its readily available in cheaper frozen blocks from places like springvale market.