Allergy Diet...

[2boxer]

When I did an elimination diet with my boy, the first step was 6 weeks on a low allergy diet. The dermatologist at the time reccomended hills z/d or royal canin hypoallergenic or a home cooked diet. For me, it was much easier to go with the prepared stuff. He was kept on this diet ONLY for 6 weeks, then I began introducing different protein one at a time. I think I introduced one protein for a week then back on the elimination diet for two, then intro a new protein and so on. If he reacted to a protein, I discontinued it immediately and went back to the elimination. Hope that helps some!

[Jumabaar]

Of course your dog hasnt been diagnosed with AD however it might give you a little insight into what options you have. Also as with all things individual specialists will have different opinions on treatments and testing ie I have never heard of anyone trying to control dust mites which is suggest in the article!!

http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/conted/documents/Olivry-January2012VMF.pdf

[redangel]

oh and I forgot to ask...why is kangaroo mince a no no? Why must it be muscle sections?

[raffikki]

I have never heard of anyone trying to control dust mites which is suggest in the article!!

One or maybe both of my dogs(can't remember as it was years ago they were tested) showed a high reaction to dust mites. I was given print outs on how to control/kill them and did a fair bit of searching to find products which helped :)

Edited July 20, 2013 by raffikki

[Jumabaar]

I have never heard of anyone trying to control dust mites which is suggest in the article!!

One or maybe both of my dogs(can't remember as it was years ago they were tested) showed a high reaction to dust mites. I was given print outs on how to control/kill them and did a fair bit of searching to find products which helped :)

That is dedication!!!

[aussielover]

oh and I forgot to ask...why is kangaroo mince a no no? Why must it be muscle sections?

The pet quality mince usually contains preservatives.

Whilst food allergy may be a component of your dogs allergies, it's actually relatively rare for food to be the only problem. True food allergy is much easier to manage than atopic dermatitis though so I hope you see positive results with the food trial.

Btw the diagnosis for food allergy isn't in improvement on/during the elimination diet, but rather on a strong, obvious reaction upon the recommencing of the normall/previous diet.

[fbaudry]

+1 Aussielover... I think we're seeing the same dermatologist :-) and she's great!

Christina I'm not sure what your qualifications are but in the case of food allergies most vets will agree that 4 to 6 weeks is the period needed for an allergen to be flushed out of the dogs system.

[Wundahoo]

The allergen itself may leave the body very quickly but the body's reaction to the allergen may take weeks to settle down. eg flea bite sensitive dogs can itch for weeks after a single flea bite. The stimulus to the itch (flea saliva) will be removed from the area quite fast but the body's other stuff which is involved in the allergic reaction can still be targetted to that area for many weeks afterwards, hence the scratching can still persist.

This is sometimes why an owner may decide that a dog's allergy is not necessarily due to fleas, because they have treated the dog with a flea preventative. This will kill the fleas on the dog but it may not stop the dog's body from continuing to react to the challenge. Hence the reason why prednisolone is often used to combat established flea bite dermatitis/allergy. If all that was needed was a simple dose of flea treatment the allergy would immediately subside, but in some dogs with severe reactions it's necessary to add a component that will settle the angry immune system.

The other scenario is that having treated their dog for fleas but still seeing their dog itchy, the owner may conclude that the flea preventative is not working.

The same is for allergens contained in various foods.

It's necessary for an elimination diet to be fed for 4-6 weeks to allow the body's irritated immune system to settle down and regain its composure, so to speak, before individual challenges (ie other food)are added.

The best way to approach the problem is with the guidance of a dermatologist. It may be the cheapest option in the long run..... and resolve your dog's discomfort in the fastest time.

Edit to say that it is not possible to begin an allergen challenge immediately if a dog has also been given prednisolone within weeks of the challenge, as the pred effect will take some weeks to go away.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Wundahoo

[Staff'n'Toller]

RC Sensitivity Control is back (thank goodness because we have a clients' dog with intestinal symptoms that reacts to every other food out there, low quality and high quality) we find it better for skin than RC Hypoallergenic.

It's duck and tapioca formula.

If you want a kick start then you can do this for 6 weeks prior to your appointment with absolutely positively nothing else in the way of food.

And Jumabaar makes a great point about fleas. For some dogs they need one bite and it creates an enormous amount of irritation. Treat all dogs and cats continuously with an adulticide until you see the derm vet.

[sas]

Why don't you just get a Nutriscan test and then onto an intradermal test instead of wasting time and money?

It's pretty pointless doing an 'allergy' diet on kibble that has so many different components to it.

Edited July 21, 2013 by sas

[megan_]

It doesn't take weeks for allergens to leave the body & it doesn't take weeks to show a reaction. A person eats something & is allergic symptoms occur between instant & about 48 hours at the longest. My whole family was plagued with severe food allergies before it became the modern fad

That is true of allergies, but not intolerances (which can be just as severe as allergies and in extreme cases can lead to anaphalactic (sp) shock too). It can take weeks for there to be enough build up to react.

I can eat certain things for a few days and be fine, and then all of a sudden my lips will swell, I'll get hives and feel very itchy.

[emilymarston]

My dog has allergies too. She is allergic to almost all food, and only eats ZD Ultra Allergen Free. She's not allowed to eat any normal food, but she's stopped flaring up and doesn't itch as much.

[redangel]

Strangely enough I have read the ingredients of z/d and apparently it has some ingredients that are not exactly recommended for any dog according to some forums and assessments...im not sure how true this is. This is the first time I have heard of z/d. How does one control the ingredients of a manufactured food?

SAS I am interested in this Nutriscan. Due to having several dogs and one on a food restriction test...it is proving a real task. Mainly because food control is a real challenge in a multidog household! Im like the sergeant major of canine food provision. Do you purchase the back and send back for analysis? Is it a vet only product? Where is it accessible in Australia?

I intend to complete the food intolerance test, but willing to look at this option as well.

[trinabean]

1374492913[/url]' post='6260468']

Strangely enough I have read the ingredients of z/d and apparently it has some ingredients that are not exactly recommended for any dog according to some forums and assessments...im not sure how true this is. This is the first time I have heard of z/d. How does one control the ingredients of a manufactured food?

SAS I am interested in this Nutriscan. Due to having several dogs and one on a food restriction test...it is proving a real task. Mainly because food control is a real challenge in a multidog household! Im like the sergeant major of canine food provision. Do you purchase the back and send back for analysis? Is it a vet only product? Where is it accessible in Australia?

I intend to complete the food intolerance test, but willing to look at this option as well.

I don't want to be a party pooper but the ZD was problematic for my dog. He was put on it while having GI issues and became incredibly itchy for the fist time in his life while on this 'hypo-allergenic food.' My vet said that approximately 25% of dogs he treats get itchier while on ZD. The main protein is chicken and whilst is is hydrolysed ( and therefore shouldn't trigger an immune response) my vet and I agreed that a single protein/ single carb elimination diet was a better option. According to the re- challenge, my dog reacts badly to chicken. Surprise surprise...

[redangel]

Thats pretty much what I have read online Trinabean. Thats why I opted for roo and sweet potato made by me so I know whats in the bowl. Interested in this saliva test/info regards to it. I looked online at the developers website and it has raised my interest.

Likely at my next follow up I will be requesting if a blood test to look for any markers regards to immune issues is a good idea, I havent had this offered at all.. I had to push to have skin scrapings etc.. done. My dog was at one stage on three types of tablets aside from anithistamines...thus I am very interested in hearing other peoples experiences.

[3labs]

I rescued a Lab from a bad home and she has had yeast allergies we haven't been able to control. I sent a saliva sample to Nutriscan in the USA thinking it would give me answers. It really surprised me when it came back negative. I was told they have to eat the food at least for 4 months, then told they didn't have to eat it so confused and decided it was a waste of $170.00.

I have started an elimination diet and gone from bathing her 3 times a week, 2 Prednisone a day and various other meds to bathing her once in 2 months and 1/2 Pred every other day with no other meds. I started with fish and added things from there.

All the things that came back negative on the Nutriscan test set her itching off and I have to increase the Pred until she settles again.

Recently we tried the Royal Canine chicken feather food and within a week she was itching so back to fish and increased Prednisone until she settled again.

[Dxenion]

We did an elimination diet under vet guidance and at first had trouble identifying a readily available protein he hadn't had before. Our dog will react in about 72 hours, breaking out in a red itchy rash along his belly, in his armpits and groin. It takes about two weeks to disappear.

It took us well over two years to identify the various triggers and we now have a list as long as my arm. All our dogs are now on the same trigger free diet as the one with the allergy is so sensitive.

Beware as I have come across one dog food company that, even after I gave them a list of known triggers, failed to declare the origin of one of their ingredients until I did further researched and pushed him on it. His response when I told him he was trying to sell me food my dog was allergic to was that the ingredient in question was one of the best things you can feed a dog with allergies. Um no, not if the dog is allergic to it.

[OSoSwift]

As for Pred yes it can be bad but I had a dog on it for 5 years, he died eventually at 15 from reasons not connected to Pred,but had a good quality 5 years he may not have had otherwise.

I would definately go the correct 6 week emilination diet. Done well it is a wealth of information, yes it takes time and dedication but so worth it.

I know of someone who did an elimination diet with her cat. After about 10 weeks the cat had a huge flair up, ended up after much tooing and froing, the cat wasn't allergic to any of the proteins, he had an issue with the gravy she made to put on his meat as she thought eating cubed cooked whatever with whatever carb was too boring for him ( and she had used it when making up food for him previously). Stopped the gravy mix and the cat was fine.

[redangel]

I completed the elimination diet and my little one did very well. Her coat regrew and thickened, her skin improved, the yeasty/mousey smell went away and ears cleared up. She finished up on an extremely low pred dose.

however she lost one kilo in the process.(she is a near 3 kilo dog) She indeed went to a boney condition which I did not deem as satisfactory. Full bloods and urine post diet all came back normal. Due to the weight loss the vet advised me to pull her off the diet and onto a high cal diet as she was concerned at the weight loss.

Now four weeks out we have a better weight but back to the smelly itchy dog I thought was gone...vet suggested Hills allergy food but I am dubious because 1. It has chicken as a main ingredient (my girl was fed fresh chicken as a normal diet) 2.it is only reccomended for feeding in a period of 8 weeks and Im after a long term solution. Im happier to go non commercial but happy to have a combo of both a homemade diet and commercial, if for anything but balance. I was told by the vet that it is a human perspective one must eat different things (dogs do well on one thing)so maybe Im being to judgemental on diet variance.

Any ideas on what I can do from here...I want a happy NONitchy dog in GOOD condition.

Edited November 23, 2013 by redangel

[Staff'n'Toller]

I completed the elimination diet and my little one did very well. Her coat regrew and thickened, her skin improved, the yeasty/mousey smell went away and ears cleared up. She finished up on an extremely low pred dose.

however she lost one kilo in the process.(she is a near 3 kilo dog) She indeed went to a boney condition which I did not deem as satisfactory. Full bloods and urine post diet all came back normal. Due to the weight loss the vet advised me to pull her off the diet and onto a high cal diet as she was concerned at the weight loss.

Now four weeks out we have a better weight but back to the smelly itchy dog I thought was gone...vet suggested Hills allergy food but I am dubious because 1. It has chicken as a main ingredient (my girl was fed fresh chicken as a normal diet) 2.it is only reccomended for feeding in a period of 8 weeks and Im after a long term solution. Im happier to go non commercial but happy to have a combo of both a homemade diet and commercial, if for anything but balance. I was told by the vet that it is a human perspective one must eat different things (dogs do well on one thing)so maybe Im being to judgemental on diet variance.

Any ideas on what I can do from here...I want a happy NONitchy dog in GOOD condition.

What did you use? Z/d???? Roo and Potato????