Dog food allergy--ear infections--diet change?

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by Gator113 on 16 January 2011 - 20:01

Re: 2 year old GSD, Falco.

I have had Falco on a raw diet from when he was about 3 months old. He has always done great with raw. I mix it... I don't use BARF.

He looks great and in every way seems healthy..... except for ear infections.

Vet says the constant ear infections are likely caused by a food allergy and recommends that I go to a dry kibble.

What is the very best dry food for my boy? Money is no object, but ease of purchasing is.

I hate the idea of changing from his raw diet, but will if it's a must.

Cheers.....

by Penny on 16 January 2011 - 22:01

Dont rule out raw food. My friends Airdale had exactly as you describe, and she had it all checked out, allergy testing done etc., and found substituting chicken for lamb in his diet did the trick - no further ear infections. Mo.

by Alamance on 16 January 2011 - 23:01

Dog could be allergic to things in the enviroment. Could be trees, mold, house mites, grasses, fleas, plants, orther animal hair, as wool, and not to the food. Dog licking the feet and/ or the stomach are other indications of allergies. Dog could have yeast, fungal problems on the stomach that are NOT contagious to anyone else.

by starrchar on 17 January 2011 - 02:01

Try adding a multi-strain probiotic (not only acidophulous and bifidus). I also feed raw to my dogs and when I added a probiotic to their diet I saw a difference. There is a lot of research that shows that a probiotic is beneficial in both humans and animals that have allergies. Even conventional physicians and vets are now recommending it for various health issues. Sometimes it is helpful and sometimes it's not, but it is worth a try and it can do no harm. At least give it a month or two.

by Jenni78 on 17 January 2011 - 02:01

Yes- probiotic and enzymes can be all you need to fix that. Most allergies are NOT food, but environmental and since most of the immune system is centered in the gut, keeping the gut in good shape w/these things will help the body fight all sorts of allergens.

by hodie on 17 January 2011 - 02:01

Where there are persistent or repeated ear infections, it is often helpful to ask your vet to send out a culture to a lab where they can check for what organism/s is really involved and what antibiotic (delivered into the ear or systemically) or anti-fungal is the right one. Several posters above have already mentioned that in canines, most allergens are environmental, not from food. They are correct. So that makes getting rid of the allergen/s difficult. If a food allergy really is suspected, after trying a variety of diets, it can be also useful to simply have the dog tested so one is not guessing.

Good luck.

by Jenni78 on 17 January 2011 - 03:01

Yes- see what the culture shows. You may have to go to a specialist to get a really accurate read on what is causing the infections. I missed the word "constant" in the first post. Ear infections are very tricky if they are recurring; find out all you can on the cause.

by starrchar on 17 January 2011 - 20:01

I guess I tend to assume too much when it comes to vets. It never occurred to me that a culture had not been done. Has a culture been done? I would still give your dog a probiotic and digestive enzymes no matter what as this will help his overall state of health.

by Doberdoodle on 18 January 2011 - 03:01

To eliminate allergens in food, you have to do a novel protein and no grains over a period of time, so for example, you may want to eliminate chicken and try a new protein. What exactly are you mixing?

Cleaning the ears can help; I clean ears by flushing them, using Veterinarian's Best Ear Relief wash. For repeat-offenders, they culture it. Could be anything- over-vaccinating, grains in food, protein allergy, etc. A good probiotic is VetriScience, many strains, www.vetdepot.com, keep it refrigerated.

by Gator113 on 18 January 2011 - 03:01

Thank you all very much. Between this thread and another one on a different subject, I have much to consider. I will digest all that has been posted and go from there. I may have additional questions, but I believe I am understanding far more than I had.
Falco thanks you too.

You folks are GREAT!

Dan

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