Question by Amerz & The Labradork: My allergic dog and food woes?
We went to a new vet today because Rocko has been chewing the heck out of his paws again. Last vet said ” oh its nothing, some dogs just chew their paws.” So I brought him to a new vet and she said it is allergies, and that the California Natural Lamb and Rice which I am feeding him wasn’t a good food for that. Which is odd considering I thought it was specially formulated for allergic dogs, right? So then she starts giving me the schpeel about why I should have him on the Hill’s prescription Z/D. She starts talking about how the molecules trick the stomach or something and admittedly, I was lost after about the 2nd sentence. Bottom line is that she is telling me that this food is the “gold standard” for allergic dogs. I told her that I need to do my own research before bringing this food home simply because I have read here and other places that some vets will push the Hill’s product because they get kick-backs. I don’t know how true that is, but since this is a new vet I don’t know well yet, I would rather research first before buying into a super expensive diet. In addition, she also started him on some antibiotics, some antifungal for his poor little feetsies, and also some ear meds because apparently ear and foot issues are linked and he had some yeast in his ears as well. The visit put a nice dent in my wallet. Yay for that, *sigh*

So anyway, this stuff costs $ 72 for a flippin 18lb bag. I would go through 2 bags a month ($ 144 a month!!) and thats a whole lotta coin for a starving student. Currently I am spending about $ 45 a month for the CN L&R. If there really isn’t a comparable diet, then so be it and I will make it work. However, I thought I would see if anyone had some alternatives that I could research. If I opt to raw feed, that would be more time consuming, but probably easier on the purse strings, right? Would that even be a viable solution?

Anyone have any feedback on this food? If it is really the holy grail of dog food, I can try and make it work into my budget. Any other suggestions of food I could look up? Should I consider feeding raw as an option? Other thoughts?

Thanks in advance

Best answer:

Answer by Emily
Don’t do it. Science Diet is junk just like most other dog foods on the market. Compare the ingredients online to other dog foods and there is very little difference between most. My neighbor has a husky who had allergy issues, as well as some “stomach condition”. She was on Science Diet (a mix of 2 types) for a year. Her allergies never changed, she constantly had the runs and would vomit, and most of the time she just refused to eat. One of the last vet visits my neighbor took her to she only weighed in at 30lbs and was all bones as she refused to eat the foods the vet kept prescribing. The food did NOTHING except make the dog worse and break the bank.

Research foods online (Eagle Pack Holistics is a good one, as is Innova). Ultimately what I would suggest is researching a raw diet. It’s hard for most to accept, but ultimately I have seen nothing but good results. I have two dogs, one with allergies, and one that had bowel issues when I rescued him. Neither have had any health problems since the change. My neighbor’s husky went back to the vet 4 weeks after the “30lb visit” and weighed in at 42lbs having changed her to raw. She also has no more stomach problems, eats twice a day every day (she never had since a pup) and no more allergies. Results speak for themselves.

EDIT:
I just wanted to add that knowing where to shop for raw is key! I spend $ 30 a month to feed 2 60lb dogs on a raw food compared to the nearly $ 80 I was spending for a short time on good quality kibble. You may contact me for suggestions.

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Question by mal_racegal: Allergies and food help please?!?!?
I think my shih tzu has allergies. I would like to try to change her food first. Right now I am giving her Purina Little Bites with a little Purina Beneful for adult dogs. She is 1 1/2 years old. I am a Purina fan because they have been around for a long time and has never had any tampering problems. Can anyone give me some ideas of what I should try next? Thanks in advance.

Best answer:

Answer by Tammy2073
Introduction
My one and a half yellow lab is suffering from severe food allergies. He has rashes, dry skin, dandruff and a habit of making them all worse, by licking nonstop! I have been to his vet many times and spent countless dollars trying to figure out what I could do to help my baby boy from his miserable state. If it weren’t for his high spirits, I wouldn’t have come across this solution. Here is what you should try if you’ve gone above and beyond for your dog food allergies.
Instructions
Difficulty: Challenging
Things You’ll Need
allergic dog
raw food meat (e.g. oma’s pride product)
fish oil (you can buy this from Costco)
Steps
1Step OneIf at all possible, try to only feed your dog once a day and at a specific time everyday. Part of this new diet is to detoxify your dog and get him used to digesting properly or even get him used to eating real dog food.
2Step TwoFast your dog for a whole 24 hours. That means no treats, cookies, or food of any kind. Nothing but water.
3Step ThreeSince dogs are with the wolf family, the raw food meat diet should work like a charm.
4Step FourOma’s pride (omaspride.com) has a wide selection of raw meat that you can buy and you may combine the meat of your choice to feed your dog. Note that the dog must be fed a particular amount according to your dog’s weight. (E.g. my yellow lab is about 80 pounds. He eats 1.5 lbs of raw meat once everyday.)
5Step FiveIf you’re dog is not used to swallowing pills, you can puncture the fish oil capsules and pour it all over the raw meat before feeding your dog. Please give fish oil capsules according to weight limits on the instructions on the cover.
6Step SixDetox takes from 1 to 6 weeks. Once your dog is showing signs of healthy skin and coat, do not stop this routine. But you can slowly combine the raw meat with other dog food. One change at a time so you can follow your dog’s diet changes and allergic reactions, if any. Combining the raw food meat with let’s say a little bit of Kibbles, and your dog doesn’t have allergic reaction to it, may help you a lot since the raw food meat are very expensive.

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Question by lizzerb85: Environmental influence on allergies and asthma?
I was wondering how likely it is that a person growing up in a home with heavy smokers and being obese as a child results in pet/food allergies and asthma? There is no family history of these conditions, I think his mom has respiratory problems but that’s probably from the smoking. Would there be any improvement with losing the weight and living for some years without being exposed to long term second hand smoke? He’s skinny now and doesn’t have any problems with asthma anymore. I’m worried about bringing pets into a home once we’re married (dogs more than cats, he’s fine with their pet cat right now). He was pretty bad with my dog (a golden retriever). Would a “hypoallergenic” one be ok (not a hairless one)?

Best answer:

Answer by pen
it may be the best thing to do if you wanted to be sure is to get him to meet one and see what his reaction would be over the next few days

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Question by Brody: Dog food question . . . .?
I used to feed our kids (other people call them “dogs”) prescription foods from Hill’s (they also make Science Diet), but changed to the “natural/organic” foods that Whole Dog Journal and so many people are advising now days. They have been on the so called better foods for a year now and honestly, I do not see any difference. I have never fed the cheap crappy stuff, (like Old Roy’s and that kind). They have always gotten good quality food. But had heard these natural/organic foods were even better. It has been a year and their hair/coats are the same, allergies are the same, no improvments in any health issues, etc. I am very much starting to doubt the claims of the other foods. I have fed the two following brands: Nature’s Variety (New Zeland Venison & Millet and Lamb & Oatmeal) then when one of the kids developed constipation, I switched to Merrick food (Turducken). Has anyone else seen the big differences that are supposed to happen with the natural foods? Cause I sure have not.

Best answer:

Answer by cut3iswh4tw34imfor
there aren’t really that much of a difference. people just make more money when there’s that kind of gimmick around.
as long as your dog isn’t already unhealthy in any way due to food issues, why cause them the stress of new food?

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Question by Chris: Can dogs take Zyrtec or Claratin for allergies?
I have 2 dogs & both of them have red eyes, licked raw paws & under bellies! I have tried all the food elimination possibilities, I’ve tried expensive food cheap food, I’ve cooked food & no relief! I don’t want to do the steroids from the vet because of liver & kidney damage & it only works for a week or so at a time! I think they are allergic to the grass in our yard & possibly the carpeting in our house! Help! can I give them the allergy meds I take!

Best answer:

Answer by Jennifer H
Since those medicines are formulated specifically for humans, I’d err on the side of, “No, not okay for canine consumption.”

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