catjar Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Hi can anyone offer advise on dry foods that are safe for dogs with seasonal allergies.My 2 yr old gsd is extremely fussy.She has got allergies and doesnt seem to be keen on red meats so i give her sardines with dry,but because she's not keen on alot of dry food im finding it hard to get her to eat much.She has never been a dog that is easy to feed so i spend alot of time and MONEY only then to donate the food to someone else.I am interested in these natural dry foods but dont know where to start and who makes them.Any advise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canine Country Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Try Eagle Pack Holistic Anchovy, or duck, Dick Van Pattern Natural Balance Organic or posibly Nutro Choice All of these are good and have good info on web sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogs4Fun Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Have you been through the process of an elimination diet to see if she has a component of food sensitivity / allergy? I have two allergic dogs (atopic), neither of which had any response to elimination diets, nor got any worse with food challenges. It was a long, frustrating road, but at least I know that what I feed them is not contributing to their allergies, and I can focus on the factors I know are a probem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuntinHound Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I would also recommend both of these : Natural Balance Organic or definately the Nutro Choice Range (Lamb & Rice) Also Dogs4fun makes a great point - we have 1 dog here who is allergic to the grass of all things !! Summer heat and prickly grass in our yard causes no end of troubles for the poor boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 We also ruled out food allergies for my GSD, suspect grass also! Eagle Pack and Pro Plan have a fish formula. We use Eagle Pack anchovy etc at work for treats, as even the dogs with food allergies seem to be OK on it and the dogs love it! I use Pro Plan for my guys, haven't tried the fish yet though, might next time. Eukanuba also has a fish and potato formula. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Nutro's Lamb and Rice formula is the one recommended for dogs with skin sensitivities, it wont help if dogs are allergic to grass, but does help with food intolerances. If you have a look at www.nutro.co.nz, you will find some comparison photos of how a dog's skin improved when fed Nutro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sagittarian Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Hate to disagree Hesapandabear, but a friend of ours Staffie had serious grass/seasonal allergies and tried Nutro Lamb and Rice with great results. No more itching, spots or distress. I've used EP "fishy" food in the past with Little Evie, when she had a big reaction to surgery and that worked a treat. Building up an immune system with ingredients that don't aggravate a problem can be a key to resolving allergy problems, whether tummy or skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 (edited) You need to find out what the allergy is before you try and treat it. Is it a plant/weed allergy? Is it a grass allergy? Is it a food allergy? etc etc I personaly would google plants in Australia that can cause allergies and then search my garden, then if that doesn't work I would take beef out of the diet and give a BARF diet with Chicken meat and also give 1 x Fishoil Capsule with included Vit E per 10 kg's of body weight. If that doesn't show any improvements in a month you really need to head to the vet for the comfort of your pooch. Are you a smoker or anyone else smoke around the dog? Edited February 2, 2007 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 The biggest nono with GSD is beef but as already said allergies to what. Many dogs can also be allergic to chicken. Royal canin make a special food for GSD but i never feed total dry. You could also try Kangaroo meat,it is great for dogs with issues. What exactly is the allergery result on the dog.Bad skin,itchiness,red ?? Have you seen the vet & used any meds with success?? Some with allergery issues have used Phenergan etc but i am not saying to go buy it without knowing the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 (edited) I haven't come across an allergy to chicken before, but of course its' entirely possible.....I wouldn't say 'many' dogs are allergic to chicken to as they are to beef....not that I've experience first hand like I have with beef in multiple dogs. Lamb is known as a 'safe' meat in regards to allergies, however for a number of different reasons people choose not to feed lamb. Sourced Information: Because every dog is unique, it's sometimes very difficult to determine what causes food-related allergies and what doesn't. Common pet food culprits include wheat, corn and soy. Various proteins also create their share of problems in certain dogs. If excessive itching and scratching are the problems, that may simply be the lack of Omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids in your dog's diet that's making their skin and coat dry. Winter indoor heating may also be exacerbating the condition. Adding simple food additives to your dog's food may be the key without switching diets. Supplements like Flaxseed oil/Fish Oil are all viable solutions for supplementing your dog's diet with the needed Omegas that dog's and cats need to lubricate their skin and coats. Excessive and compulsive foot licking, or chewing and biting other parts of the body, are generally a sign that allergies are to blame. Assuming it's food allergies and not environmental, many vets and pet nutritionists recommend substituting a protein source that your dog doesn't normally eat. Lamb is often used for this purpose, because it's not as common a dog food ingredient. Lamb, in and of itself, is not "non-allergic", but it's less common than beef so it enables you to introduce something new into your dog's diet, in effect, starting with a clean slate. Edited February 2, 2007 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 If you and your vet think an elimination diet is the way to go to rule out food allergies they usually recommend Hills z/d which has a protein source that has been artificially made so they cannot be allergic to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axelotti Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 Our boy has atopic allergies but he also had a sensitive stomach and would throw up at the drop of a hat. He was also VERY fussy with the dry food we were giving him. We've found that the Advance Turkey and Rice has helped with this - not the atopic allergies so much though but he'll even eat this dry food by itself if it's in his bowl. We also give him sardines as well as vitamin e oil or flaxseed oil in capsule form occassionally. We also limit the amount of red meat we give him as he seems to get more rashy when this has been his main diet. We found that getting another dog also cured the "fussyness" with food No more turning his nose up at dinner time now - he's straight in there!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catjar Posted February 2, 2007 Author Share Posted February 2, 2007 hi everyone,Thanks for your replys.The vet to date has suggested that they are seasonal and when it's hot the allergies intesify,She knaws at the side and base of her body and growls whilst trying to relieve the itch ,the skin around the underneath of her paws are also slighty irritated and pink in colour.We have done skin scrapings for mites ect but all okNo other test have been done as the vet feels she may grow out of them as she is almost 2.Her treatment meds were Macralone and neocourt cream .As for the diet i would know if its food allergy or not i just anticipated it may be better for her to have some hypo allergenic foodand maybe that would help aswell.I have noticed her knawing alittle more since giving the red meat and she relly isnt keen to eat it at all.I like to give somthing with the dry otherwise she wont eat it . would c/necks or carcasses be a better option or how do i just get her to eat .Does she need to have dry? home cooked meals i would also like to offer but i dont know the ratio's of everything she needs to make it good for her and are supplements necessary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 SAS we get a big number of dogs through the kennels allergic to chicken it seems to becoming more common. We personally feed our dogs mutton & recommend that to our puppy people but it can be very hard to get a good source on a regular basis. With Beef etc dogs can start to over heat I would look at natural rememdies, washing the feet with white vinegar(diluted)chollidial silver,natural yoghurt rubbed on inflamed areas.Supplents can be added Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 That's pretty scary showdog, do you have any thoughts as to why more and more dogs are showing allergies to chicken? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckie500 Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 I tried a good number of diets and found the Eaglepack fish one the best. So i tried to just give him just from the ingredient list on their formula. Over time i have added other things so i could see how went with them. I use it for about 60% of their food now. BUt at first it was about 95% till tings got under control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catjar Posted February 3, 2007 Author Share Posted February 3, 2007 That's pretty scary showdog, do you have any thoughts as to why more and more dogs are showing allergies to chicken? Has anyone every tried Vets All Natural mix,and if so how did you find it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloss344 Posted February 3, 2007 Share Posted February 3, 2007 That's pretty scary showdog, do you have any thoughts as to why more and more dogs are showing allergies to chicken? I'm not showdog but my Bob is intolerant of chicken and the reason I came up with was the fact that so many dry foods are chicken based and certainly all the puppy ones were. He also reacts to corn which gives him ear infections. Corn is often used in commercial food as a filler. If a dog has tendencies to become allergic then it can be to any protein he is exposed to. So far we have found that Bob is intolerant of beef and kangaroo. He is now eating rabbit and I'm hoping he'll stay on that for a while yet cos he's doing so well. No food is more or less allergic than any other. When the lamb and rice foods came on the market people started feeding that to dogs and now more and more dogs are allergic to lamb simply because they have had exposure. No protein is immune to being an allergen, but the dog needs to have been exposed to it. Some dogs are just going to become intolerant/allergic to some things and some never will, just like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catjar Posted February 4, 2007 Author Share Posted February 4, 2007 Hi everyone, once again thanks for all your input.I did some research and thought i might try the vets all natural mix.I fed it to her lastnight with some roo meat and even though it took a while she didnt turn her nose up (success) Im beginning to wounder whether it was the dry all along but it's only been one day and atleast with this food its all natural,and i will simply have to incorporate more bones to her siert if this is successful.I also brought some megaderm omega supplement so hopefully shell thrive and her skin wont itch as much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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