Food Allergies

The vet thinks Charlie may have food allergies and was wondering if any of your dogs also have this problem. If so, can you give me some guidance? The vet wants me to give him a Iams Veterinary Formula for skin conditions (he's had chronic ear infections, scratching and his anal glands need to be expressed quite often -- I got him in November and he's had the glands done 6 times. He's been a picky eater since I got him (he's from a rescue shelter) but lately he's been eating Royal Canin 33 which he seemed to like. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated.

Merlin was a picky one... I got him on a mix of burns venison & rice and fish and brown rice and for the last 2 years no anal gland have needed to be expressed!

I do like Royal Canin but its a bit rich for our cavs on the poo side!

Royal Cainin is great! They do a "Sensitivity" version, which has been talked about on previous posts about dodgy bellies. My Cavalier is on this and it works a treat (for dodgy poo anyway!). Royal Cainin also to a "Sensible" version, for picky eaters and to improve coat/skin etc. It is available in the small/mini kibble for smaller dogs. It's brilliant stuff

My Cocker used to have terrible problems with his ears, have you asked the vet to take/has the vet taken a swab? We used to be in and out of the vets like yoyos with him, he was on every antibiotic/anti-inflammatory you can think of but they kept coming back (sometimes they was very bad, to poor pet would just rub his head on the ground because he couldn't scratch them with his leg because it hurt too much). We eventually had a swab taken and, to cut a long story short, found out the problem and had it treated. No major problems since (he does still have sensitive ears but not infections). Perhaps a good idea.

My sister has an ex-breeding bitch, when she first get her she had to get her glands done very often (from being fed low quality food her whole life) but after a while it did settle, it may just take time. Now, when she gets them done (which is still reasonably often but nothing on how ofter she used to get them done) the vet gives her an anti-inflmmatory injection to help them.

Good luck, hope the little pet gets all sorted soon! :xfngr:

I have two cavaliers with food allergies. I didn't realize India's problems were caused by allergies until she was seen by a dermatologist at OSU. The main indicator for India's allergies was yeast that would always return after being treated. Her face/mouth always had a slight stinky smell (no matter how often cleaned), she'd been treated several times for yeast in her ears, and she had yeast stains on her feet. We changed her food several times and after we found one she could eat and not have a smelly face, our vet prescribed medicine that would completely clear up the existing yeast on her. The foods she can eat are: Nature's Variety Prairie Venison and Millet kibble, Nature's Variety Raw Frozen Lamb (not chicken, and I won't give her rabbit because one ingredient is sourced in China), and canned tripe (for special occasions). We have started to mix in a little Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream kibble with good results - her face continues to smell good. If I feed her something she is allergic to we can smell yeast around her mouth within 2-3 days. She seems to be allergic to chicken, most grains, and sweet potato. Her dermatologist pointed out that there is a small amount of chicken liver in the Venison and Millet kibble, but it doesn't bother her; however if I give her chicken in any form she immediately gets yeasty. Wheat germ is a non-allergenic part of grain, so I add a small amount of raw wheat germ to her food. We've found that India is allergic to most dog biscuits so we buy special ones from a nearby dog bakery, or prescription biscuits from OSU (made by a vet), or we give her Wellness venison jerky treats.

Geordie is sensitive to chicken and something else I haven't determined yet. I thought it was grains, especially rice, but it turns out it must be something else. Geordie is not a picky eater - he loves all food, but there are many foods that don't agree with him. I've been feeding him Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, California Natural Lamb and Rice, Nature's Variety Prairie Venison & Millet. Right now I'm thrilled with Taste of the Wild, his newest food that totally agrees with him.

Luckily for us, Chocolate has no food sensitivities or allergies - she has eaten many different kibbles, all the foods I've bought for India and/or Geordie to try. She loves all foods!

Thanks

I appreciate all of your tips so far. The food that the vet recommended isn't going over too well. I went to a store today and got some sample packets of Natural Balance grain free food which he ate like a champ tonight. I hoping that his allergis are just wheat products and that changing his food will clear up all his problems.