Timberwolf organics or Evo red meat dry??? - Page 1

Hello to everyone! I need some help....Any info or experience with these foods would be soooo greatly appreciated! My dog has an allergy (we r seeing a dermatologist..that I may switch!) and he currently eats regular Evo, he seems to do well on it but not sure if this is a food allergy or not, sooooo....again any experience with the above foods, your opinions would be a help to me! Thanks, Talia

I feed a raw diet and have found it helpful with allergies. I must also feed some kibble as I can't carry raw on a deployment. I tried EVO with almost tragic results. My 5 year old male developed pano in all his long bones. My vet said the protein was too high for him. Obviously the metabolized the protein from raw much differently than processed. Just my opinion

I am so afraid of feeding raw, for the fact that I have no one to help me. I do not know anyone who feeds raw that could help me insure that my dog is balanced. He is also a working dog, very active and I wouldn't want to miss anything. I guess I could hire a nutritionist. I'm at such a loss right now. :( Thank you for your reponse. Talia

There are plenty of books on the subject that can help you. There are also prefab frozen raw foods available. breeder friends of mine have had good success with the Eagle holistic (duck or fish) with dogs that had digestive/allergy problems. If you want to know if its a food allergy, feed mashed potatoes and cottage cheese (1:1 ratio) with about 1-2 tablespoon of butter for some time and see if the allergies get better. You need to figure out the amount by your dogs weight/condition (if he gets too thin feed more, if he gains feed less) and what he is getting now (most dog food have a calorie chart, which will help you calculate the calories for the new mixture). No other treats during that time. If allergies are not getting better, chances are its not food related since you are feeding what most diets don't contain. If its not the food, it could be the water supply, the household cleaners you are using, fabrics he is laying on, etc.

I feed raw as well and have for many, many years. My freind feeds Timberwolf organics (and puts some raw in) and has had great sucess. She loves the food. Think you can get quite a few different combinations of it.

The best what you can do for your dog is switchin on Eagle Pack Hilistic Lamb&Rice, i use it for very sensitive dogs, its the best I`ve used anymore.

sorry, I mean Holistic not Hilistic,lol

An allergist should be able to skin test your dog to determine if he has inhalation and/or contact allergies. If your allergist hasn't done that yet, then you are right in looking for a new one. It is the very basic diagnostic tool any allergist should use for an atopic dog. As DH suggested, you can only prove a food allergy with an elimination diet where the dog is fed a protein source he has never eaten before. Most food allergies are a result of a reaction to the protein source. Other things to try oher than cottage cheese might be soy beans, chick peas, duck, fish, venison, emu, anything he has not already eaten in the past. If you take this route, the dog may not have anything other than the resticted diet, no treats, no flavored chew toys, nada. Around 95% of allergies in dogs is NOT food related, it is inhalation or contact. Contact alleriges are treated by removing the offender, inhalation allergies can be treat by desensitizing the dog which takes time, up to a year, but it does work in about 75 - 80% of allergic dogs. Generally speaking, a dog with inhaltion allergies will continue to get worse with time as he will develope reactions to more and more allergens. These dogs are immune cripples and should never be used for breeding as they will produce more of the same in their progeny. Inhaltion allergies are not a fun thing to treat, but I'd rather deal with an inhalation allergy than a food allergy. At first it may sound simple to avoid certain foods, but worrying about everything that goes into your dog's mouth including treats and chew toys is a big pain. Been there, done that. Too many assume a dog is scratching due to what it's eating. The smartest way to go IMO is to just have an atopic dog skin tested and go from there instead of wasting valuable time switching from one food to another. I don't klnow why more vets don't recommend that up front rather than changing brands of food.

I started using the Eagle Pack fish diet. It is the holistic one for allergies. I have seen great improvements and he loves the food. The only problem is he smells fishy! His coat is beautiful. No itchies and beautiful poo too. I was feeding raw and wanted to be able to switch off now and then. I love the results so much I switched to all kibble.

Innova is a great food, but it is probably not the best choice for dogs with a possible food allergy. There are way too many ingredients in it to narrow it down to anything. Your dog may just be allergic to the apples, eggs, tomatoes or alfalfa sprouts in it. It is also made with both turkey and chicken and your dog may have a problem with one base but not the other. The company that makes Innova (Natura), also makes California Natural, which has a minimal ingredient list, and Karma, which is their completely organic chicken formula. I have used Karma in the past with great success on a dog with allergies. They also make HealthWise, but I have no experience with this product. Timberwolf Organics is a very good food and they do make a Fish based food called Ocean Blue. They also make a grain free formula called Wild and Natural that is a Chicken and fish base. I think the biggest challenge with Timberwolf is actually getting it. Depending on where you are located, you may only be able to order it off their website. There are other brands of dry food you can look into as well. Merrick, Pinnacle, Wellness, Nature's Variety, Canidae, etc. Good luck in finding the source and well wishes for less itchier days.