what are the causes or the kinds of foods that gives a labrador retriever skin allergy?
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 at
3:28 am
i have a 1yr&5mos. old labrador retriever. i notice that his skin is pinkish & itchy and he has red rashes inside his left ear. vet says that it’s due to meinge & he should avoid foods like beef, chicken etc. well what can you say about this. what will i do with my dog?
right now i am feeding him lamb&rice dried meal. what is the best food or diet that i could give my dog?
Tagged with: Allergy • Causes • Foods • gives • Kinds • Labrador • Retriever • Skin
Filed under: Skin Allergies in Dogs
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They are caused by an allergic reaction to ingredients or preservatives in food. Some of the more common food allergens are:
horse meat
eggs
beef
fish
pork
corn
lamb
soy
poultry products
preservatives and dyes
dairy products
rawhide chews and dog biscuits/treats
In dogs, beef, dairy products, and wheat tend to cause most of the problems, with chicken, lamb, and soy following. In cats, beef, dairy products, and fish account for most of the food allergies. Premium dogs foods can contain these products, so just because you are feeing a higher quality or more expensive food doesn’t mean that food will not cause a food allergy.
Dog owners commonly go to pet stores to get food to stop their pet from scratching. Pet store employees will recommend a specific food to stop the itching because they are under the assumption that this is the main type of allergy that causes skin conditions in pets. Unfortunately, by a large margin, food allergies are the least common of the allergic skin problems we diagnose.
It is estimated by some veterinary dermatologists that food allergies account for only 10% of all the allergies that cause allergic dermatitis. In those pets that truly have food allergy, a high percentage also have atopy at the same time. Cats might have more food allergies than dogs.
Canine atopy is a genetically determined predisposition to produce IgE antibodies when exposed to an allergen. Re-exposure to this same allergen in the future causes allergic skin disease (you learned the mechanism above). Depending on the study, it is estimated that between 3% and 15% of dogs have atopy.
Common allergens that cause this reaction are ragweed, pollen, house dust, house dust mites, mold, animal dander, feathers, grasses, trees, and shrubs. The allergens can be inhaled, pass through the pads of the feet, and even possibly ingested. Since these compounds are in abundance everywhere, it is apparent that preventing exposure in the first place is impossible.
If fleas are not a factor, atopy accounts for up to 90% of the allergies that cause allergic dermatitis. Only a small percent of these pets with atopy also have a food allergy at the same time.
Golden Retriever has significant redness (erythema) on its ear flaps. Chronic ear inflammation or infections can be a sign of atopy.
Meinge, which I had happen to my black/tan doxie is common allergy. Turns out mine was to the type of grass in my yard (had to replant the whole thing. Whew what a job). Basically most of the real cheap dog food sold in grocery stores should not be feed to pets. We bought that stuff and our dogs didn’t like so we though well we will start buying more expensive dog food and feed the cheap stuff to the chickens. Well our chickens wouldn’t eat it and if a chicken won’t eat it then nothing should be eating it! It wouldn’t even biodegrade after 2 months.
My advice is to stick to dog food that is natural and free of any cheap additives and preservatives. The first ingredient that you should see listed on a dog food product label should be the meat and then the starch such as rice ect, Do not buy dog food that lists corn as the first ingredient as corn for that food is a filler comprised of more than 50% of the food and too much of that is not healthy for a dog.
As for feeding your dog Lamb and Rice that is the right idea. Personally I buy lamb-rice “Natures Recipie” brand dog food for my Doxies from Petsmart. It is more expensive but my dogs are not ever sick. Any other questions feel free to email me.
Well, you have to handle the mange first.
Then you need to work on the foods and see what helps.
Try the lamb/rice for a while and see how well that works-
if you aren’t getting complete clearup then try the turkey/barley one instead. It might take a few tries to get the least allergenic food for him.
Remember that dog treats are made of the same stuff,
be sure to get lamb/rice treats as well.
That does make it hard when they are allergic to the protein sources instead of things like corn,soy,wheat etc.It,s pretty easy to find food without the cheap fillers,but it limits your choices a bit more when it’s a meat allergies.
Is he doing ok on the Lamb based food you are feeding him now?If so stick with it.If not,Diamond brand dog foods make’s a pretty good Lamb Meal and Rice formula.it has no byproducts,corn or wheat,and I know of a couple of people who have had really good luck with it for sensitive dogs.
If he has trouble with Lamb,you may have to do a web search for some of the more uncommon foods.They have Duck based foods,Venison based foods,and others for allergic dogs.If he’s doing ok now,Just stick with what your feeding,and count your lucky stars you found a food that agrees with him.