"allergy" On German Shepherd

[holly]

Hi Dan

I am learning as I am going, lol and have a very patient vet who sits me down and doesn't mind sharing what he knows.

I never thought to ask the question about the breed specific thyroid levels, will have to ask him.

I also don't know of a dermatologist in Brisbane, the vet I go to will dig up answers if he is not sure or has not came across them before, I will ask him if he knows of a good one.

I have had trouble with BARF for my dogs, my girls crusty nose, got worse on it, so I have opted for a premium commercial and just add a few more goodies from time to time.

Thanks for the name of the Hills diet, I did a quick web search and couldn't find it. I didn't realise that they did anything to the proteins, thought they just used proteins that do not normal trigger allgergies, eg: fish. Learn something new every day thanks

Holly

[zayda_asher]

I am learning as I am going, lol and have a very patient vet who sits me down and doesn't mind sharing what he knows.

Yeah... we all learn as we go! Its a real education isn't it??!! We were thrown right in the deep end with Zayda because she is such a severe case - her Derm uses her as a case study! Good vets are key - ours are all knowledge sharers too... very useful!

Thanks for the name of the Hills diet, I did a quick web search and couldn't find it. I didn't realise that they did anything to the proteins, thought they just used proteins that do not normal trigger allgergies, eg: fish. Learn something new every day  thanks

No problems! A lot of vets who don't understand allergies well will use the Hills d/d diets which are the "allergic response" ones or the Euk Fish & Potato, but these are designed for dogs where the elimination diet is done and allergens known. Having them on one of these whilst trying to do the elimination diet means that some dogs will potentially still be exposed to an allergen. A lot of those diets, such as the fish and potato, still also have mixed animal fats in them which normally include beef / lamb tallow - not so good if they are allergic to those protiens too!!

Good luck with the breed specific thyroid stuff... apparently a lot of vets don't know about this stuff unless they've come across it for some reason, so it may be worth trying to find someone who does a lot of work with GSDs if you can...

Cheers,

Dan

[holly]

Dae

my vet has come good with a name of very good dermatologist that travels around the Gold Coast area and is nice guy too! Will PM you their contact details

Holly