SmoothieGirl Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I'm currently using Royal Canin Medium Junior dry food for my girl and she has been battling skins allergies for a while now. When she came to me as a little tacker her skin was perfect, we all remember those beautiful soft puppy bellies. Now she is often itchy and I'm constantly battling with her skins reaction to the scratching. Something in the back of my mind this morning made me question her dry food and whether this was the cause of it. I changed her diet from Supercoat to RC over a two week period and now that I think back to it I had her at the vet for the first bout of itchy skin about 3 weeks after her full transition to RC. Does anyone have any suggestions for another premium dry food that is also a low allergen food? I also don't want one that is packed with fillers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 What makes you think the allergen is diet related? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothieGirl Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) I'm not convinced it is, but it there does seem to be a correlation between the change in her diet and her skin changes. Also a fortnight ago she was being looked after by a professional carer in their house while I was away. Different garden and house, but same diet. In fact more dry food than usual as she wasn't on her chicken wings while she was there and her skin flared up more than normal last week. I'm trying to work out the various angles on the irritant and this is one of them. I did have her on an RC and chicken wing diet ONLY for about three weeks, but had to cut the experiment short as she fractured her leg and had to be splinted and contained. One way to keep her quiet was to entertain her with various chewy food treats. During those three weeks there was no change in her diet. Surprisingly in during the two week containment period her skin was a bit better, but that proabably had more to do with the anti inflammatories she was on. Edit - poor grammar Edited September 28, 2009 by Shel72 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) I would recommend doing a food elimination diet first - that is, starting her on a completely novel food she's never eaten before, for 12 weeks and being very strict, and noting if you see any changes. If the itching lessens, you can then start to reintroduce different foods one at a time to try and work out the culprit. Quite often atopic (allergic) dogs can have issues with both the environment and food. The fact she was contained would suggest to me that she has environmental issues too, eg pollens. Best thing to do would be to get a referral to a Dermatologist who can start you on a process to work out the true cause of the issues so you can hopefully avoid them, or atleast manage them. Edited September 28, 2009 by stormie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Try something that's got no gluten and a novel protein source. Any premium "sensitive" food might be worth a go. Or Eagle Pack Lamb and Rice or the Duck one. Royal Canin has A LOT of grain in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) Agree with stormie. You really need to do an elimination diet to determine 'if' a food source is actually the issue. You are just chasing your tail otherwise. Most diet related allergies are linked to protein. Most kibbles contain protein. It is a phurphy that the allergen is usally grains. Most often it is the beef or chicken content of the kibble that causes the problems. Remove all food sources. That includes any nibbles, chews and snacks and treats. Find a protein source that your dog has never had before. With the Pugs, I use goats meat. Add a carb source such as sweet potato. Feed that and nothing else for 12 weeks. If the allergy clears, add the normal diet back in one thing at a time and watch for a reaction. If the allergy doesn't completely clear, but improves, it can be assumed that there is more than 1 allergen. Many dogs suffer from both dietary related and atopic. If the allergy doesn't clear at all then it is considered that it is not diet related. More tests are then needed to find otu what in the environment is the problem. This can be anything from dust mites to pollens and everything in between. Edited September 28, 2009 by PugRescueSydney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavalier Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Agree with stormie. You really need to do an elimination diet to determine 'if' a food source is actually the issue. You are just chasing your tail otherwise.Most diet related allergies are linked to protein. Most kibbles contain protein. It is a phurphy that the allergen is usally grains. Most often it is the beef or chicken content of the kibble that causes the problems. Remove all food sources. That includes any nibbles, chews and snacks and treats. Find a protein source that your dog has never had before. With the Pugs, I use goats meat. Add a carb source such as sweet potato. Feed that and nothing else for 12 weeks. If the allergy clears, add the normal diet back in one thing at a time and watch for a reaction. If the allergy doesn't completely clear, but improves, it can be assumed that there is more than 1 allergen. Many dogs suffer from both dietary related and atopic. If the allergy doesn't clear at all then it is considered that it is not diet related. More tests are then needed to find otu what in the environment is the problem. This can be anything from dust mites to pollens and everything in between. Excellent advice! Horse, rabbit and camel are other good sources of novel protein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothieGirl Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Excellent advice! Horse, rabbit and camel are other good sources of novel protein Great advice, thank you. Its very similar to my vets, which we did embark on until the fractured leg. They suggested chicken though. I like your idea of trying something that she has had no previous exposure to, that makes heaps of sense. Can't feed horse though, I'd feel a turncoat to my own equine charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Anne~ Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 (edited) Excellent advice! Horse, rabbit and camel are other good sources of novel protein Great advice, thank you. Its very similar to my vets, which we did embark on until the fractured leg. They suggested chicken though. I like your idea of trying something that she has had no previous exposure to, that makes heaps of sense. Can't feed horse though, I'd feel a turncoat to my own equine charges. It has to be something she has never been exposed to before...not sure why your Vets suggested chicken??? The basis of dietary related allergens starts in the dog's first few years when the protein soruces the dog is normally fed creates an immune response. It is thought that the immune response will be triggered only by protein soruces the dog has already been exposed to within the first few years. Hence why you have to offer a protein source that is completely new (aka novel). I feed goats meat as it is locally available although it is not neccessarily the cheapest option. Horse and rabbit may be cheaper. If your dog is large then cheaper is better. Goats meat is usually around $10 per kilo and I buy it already diced. Most turk and leb butchers will sell it in abundance as it is a popular meat for them...... and I will add, goats meat is lovely to eat. Edited September 28, 2009 by PugRescueSydney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
First Time Puppy Owner Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 has she had roo before? if not they roo and sweet potato is a good starting point for an elim diet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Or fish. I feed Woolies home brand sardines and Eaglepack Anchovy and Salmon. No chicken in either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipsqueak Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 perhaps speak to your vet or the Hills people about Hills Prescription diet z/d http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/...845524441780772 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peaceful Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I would just completely take her off dry food and feed fresh food. I bet you the problem clears up then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
all that glitters Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I reckon give Eagle Pack a whirl! Shylas doing brilliantly on it, shes on the Holistic one but not sure how different it is to the standard EP range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 try the RC maxi NOT the medium which has different carbs to the maxi. My dog is allergic to the med but not the maxi and it's the only food he can eat (EP brings him out in welts) saving that RC also have the exclusive protein range Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I would just completely take her off dry food and feed fresh food. I bet you the problem clears up then. unless the dog is allergic to whatever fresh food is fed... It's not often as simple as just changing to raw. Take Orbit for example. He's allergic to fish and chicken, plus a few other grains. Had I have just taken people's advice and put him on raw without doing an elimination diet, I'd not have gotten to the bottom of his food allergies as fast as I did, cause I know I'd be feeding him chicken. I dont recommend switching to raw unless its for an elimination diet (in which case I think it's a great idea). Once you know what, if any, foods she is allergic too, then you could feed only those in a raw based diet. But just switching to raw and feeding the same protein sources could make things worse, particularly if you are feeding something she is really allergic to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staff'n'Toller Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 Ditto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothieGirl Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 has she had roo before? if not they roo and sweet potato is a good starting point for an elim diet. If I'm giving her any form of tablet I nick some of the cats roo mince and use that to make a roo covered tablet ball, but she hasn't ever been on it as a primary food, so roo is a good option too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jr_inoz Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I'm trying to work out the various angles on the irritant and this is one of them. I did have her on an RC and chicken wing diet ONLY for about three weeks, but had to cut the experiment short as she fractured her leg and had to be splinted and contained. One way to keep her quiet was to entertain her with various chewy food treats. During those three weeks there was no change in her diet. Surprisingly in during the two week containment period her skin was a bit better, but that proabably had more to do with the anti inflammatories she was on.Edit - poor grammar could it be a grass allergy? If her skin improved whilst contained, and not outside, with no change in diet - might be environmental. kikuyu is a problem for a number of dogs - and often undiagnosed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louloud Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Royal canin has allergin diets too RC skin support, hypoallergenic and sensitvity control maybe try one of them? With any skin allergy it can be a process of elimination to find out exactly whats causing it. Could be a contact allergy if the itching redness is on the belly, "armpits" or feet caused by kikuyu, wandering dew, wool, carpet etc..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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