Food Allergies - chronic - Page 1

I've owned a male 5 year old German import for the last 4 years. He's had chronic allergy & skin problems since 2 months from arriving here. We live in a tropical climate, high humidity and about 30 degrees year - round. He's been on every brand of dry food out there - from the holistics to the ones without grain/beef/chicken/meat, and to the ones with fish and potatoes only. For the last one, he was on Natural Balance (sweet potato and fish), he was doing fine for about 6 weeks and improved quite abit. Then suddenly, he broke up in rashes, skin bumps, biting, hairloss, flakes etc etc... He's was also on BARF for about 3 months before and it did not help either. Not sure if its the food / the hot weather or just him. Been to the vet for a thorough blood culture and he says the dog is as healthy as a horse! Any suggestions would be most welcome...

I would have allergy testing done to find out what it is specifically that he is allergic to. If it is food allergies and he is doing great on a specific diet, then even giving him a treat or piece of people food could trigger a reaction. Allergy testing can be expensive, but it is worth it by not having to constantly be switching foods/going to the vet and dealing with a miserable dog.

I had the same problem with 2 of my dogs....Went through every holistic dog food out there, and RAW was the only thing that cured my dogs problems...It would be rare to be allergic to sweet potatoes and vegetables....So that leaves meat...Maybe have them test for chicken allergy and red meat allergy...This will hopefuly narrow down the cause....Then you can feed accordingly.

Hi, Because you have tried so many different diets, it leads me to belive that this allergy may not be totally food related. Lacking the knowledge of the actual cause, whether environment, food or genetic, wouldn't you agree that a logical step would be to look at the immune system? I have access to a product that balences the immune system, not boosts it (that would be counter productive for an allergy which is an over reaction of the immune system) Legacy products are made with Patented, Proprietary Immune 26. This is a product that I REALLY want to share with the shepherd community, because allergies and other immune problems are so common in the breed. Immune 26 is a revolutionary dietary supplement that helps the body to support and maintain a healthy immune system, thereby resulting in dramatic changes in joint, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular function. Your pet's eyes and coats will become shiny and healthy too! Derived from natural, whole egg proteins, Immune 26 is clinically proven to be safe and effective. It is supported bu numerous research studies, peer reviews and multiple worldwide patents. Immuner 26 is also listed in the Physician's Desk Refrence for nonprescription Drugs and Dietary Suppliments. In addition to Legacy COMPANION for Life, pure immune 26 powder can be sprinkled on the food. I did this recently when my shepherd had a Staph infection on his neck. The vet was quite suprised when he saw it how it was contained and not progressed into a much worse condition than it was. (He came home with it from a training kennel) It is a week after diagnosis and completely gone. Your horses and cattle will love Immune 26 also. 1 scoop per 300 lbs of animal, and differences in attention span and trainability as well as improvement in physicial immune triggered problems in horses have been noted. If any of this interests you, and you want to not only use but possibly share this wonderful product, please contact me at jen_thon@yahoo.com to discuss distributor opportunities. There is a 90 day gaurentee on the product. There is nothing to lose, much to gain!

I am not clear that you have tried PURELY vegetarian diets. You keep mentioning meats so if you haven't tried a pure veggie diet, you could be dealing with animal-protein allergies. If you haven't tried it, look for some VEGETARIAN recipes; I don't know about the really, really special brands, but I think Nature's Recipe (which may now be owned by Royal Canin, not sure) has a veggie you can buy in most pet-food outlets. I use IVD (now owned by Royal Canin, just previously by Nature's Recipe, and independent before that) which is only sold through vets, unless you can find some special deal on line. I hesitate to say my VERY allergic dog - who is not picky - very much prefers the exclusive IVD Vegetarian to the "plain" OTS Petco-type Nature's Recipe version available anywhere. (I had to try it once when the vet ran out because there was a ban on food shipments from Canada - mad-cow related.) My GS Tara is VERY allergic, and my sister's old dog was also very allergic to everything. (Both solid German dogs, BTW - seems to be a problem no1 talks about.) Tara has not only animal-protein allergies, she is allergic to about every environmental thing in the book. Except, thankfully, plant life. She has dust, mold, fly, moth, etc, allergies. Your dog may have these problems, too. Food allergies in dogs only account for about 10% of the allergic dermatitis problems. I hate to say, if it is severe (i.e., very sensitive to lots of things), it is not easy to nail down and handle. It is very expensive and effort-filled. Pray that you only have food-allergy problems, because being allergic to every floating thing is the most problematic of all - things you cannot avoid! BTW - check if there is a DERMATOLOGIST in your area. Use Google or something. He will be the most helpful by far. Lots of general vets are clueless about allergies.