Best dog food for allergies? (chihuahua, science, skin, diet)

[DreamChasers8]

Stick with one or the other. Premade raw foods have alot of un-needed stuff in them. Feed her raw human grade meats and raw meaty bones.

[max1sunny]

I have a 5 yr old German Shepherd, who was recently diagnosed with food allergies, to wheat, corn, beef, chicken. I started him on Solid Gold lamb and rice..switched to Canidae lamb and rice + tripe (lamb).
He continues to scratch and gnaw on his paws.
Do you have any suggestions for me?
I am happy to try raw food with him...i would like the recepie.

Originally Posted by Sam I Am

Canidae is very good, but I never had any luck with it at all. I use Natures Recipe to supplement a raw diet, which is PERFECT for all of the skin allergies. But I'm a strong proponent of raw, so anything I say would be slanted that direction.

Gas can be caused by corn or wheat sensitivity or by a large amount of vegetable roughage...it's also worse when switching from one food to another until their systems get used to it. One thing you can try is getting some Digestzyme or something similar at the health food store, human grade, and giving the dog one of those with meals. It really does help them process food better - but as I stated, I do raw and a dog's stomach does not absorb like ours does so it helps with the small amount of veggies they get every day. Also try a spoon of yogurt on the food, that will help as well.

I love raw - their teeth don't have to be cleaned, they don't smell like dogs, and their poop just dries up and blows away and there's very little poop to begin with. A lot of people can't cope with it because of schedules or because they can't stand the sight or the amount of work it takes, but I've found it to be best for just about everything. Have you considered raw?

[cab15]

Originally Posted by Racelady88

My dog has a laundry list of food allergies. We had good results on Natural Balance Duck and also on their Venison formulas. It was difficult to find where I was living, so I switched to Solid Gold Wolf King. Excellent results with this food.

Knowing what your dog is allergic to is the key. My dog is allergic to chicken, eggs, lamb, liver, and wheat. Finding food is a lot easier than finding treats, but I did find a good site to order from.

My vet recommended DermCaps liquid for her, but she would not eat it. She does like olive oil and I will give her a table spoon every now & again.

We have also had really good luck with the Natural Balance L.I.D. food. Our dog was having diarrhea and getting goop in her eyes, and after multiple visits to the vet, he said that she may have food allergies. After we switched her to this she had her first solid... movement... in over a month. I have only seen it sold at Petco, but if it works you can get it online and have refills shipped to your house automatically. It's really convenient. Best of luck!

[FiveHorses]

Originally Posted by max1sunny

I have a 5 yr old German Shepherd, who was recently diagnosed with food allergies, to wheat, corn, beef, chicken. I started him on Solid Gold lamb and rice..switched to Canidae lamb and rice + tripe (lamb).
He continues to scratch and gnaw on his paws.
Do you have any suggestions for me?
I am happy to try raw food with him...i would like the recepie.

Max1 - are you quite certain that Solid Gold is a hypoallergenic food? I've seen it for sale and although I can't be certain, I pretty sure I read the label and it's not at all hypoallergenic. Chicken would be a highly unusual allergy. Was the dog allergy tested or how was the list you provide arrived at?

Originally Posted by cab15

We have also had really good luck with the Natural Balance L.I.D. food.
I have only seen it sold at Petco,

"Pet Supplies Plus" also stocks the whole range.

[siamesecat]

I had a dog who had a laundry list of food allergies. The vet put him on ZD, supposed to be very tolerable, but he ended up vomitting whenever he ate it. I had very good luck with Canidae (chicken and rice), and with Nature's Recipe. He could also eat Premium edge, because it didn't have corn or fish in it, among other things.

[ICvegan]

I don't have time to scan through the whole thread, so apologies if this was already mentioned, but Natural Balance's vegetarian formula is excellent for dogs with food allergies.

Ingredients (copied and pasted)
[SIZE=2]Brown Rice, Oatmeal, Cracked Pearled Barley, Peas, Potato Protein, Canola Oil, Potatoes, Tomato Pomace, Vegetable Flavoring, Flaxseed, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Taurine, Natural Mixed Tocopherols, Spinach, Parsley Flakes, Cranberries, L-Lysine, L-Carnitine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Dried Kelp, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B-1), Manganese Proteinate, Manganous Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B-6), Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Riboflavin (Vitamin B-2), Vitamin D-2 Supplement, Folic Acid.[/SIZE]

No artificial colors/preservatives/flavors. No wheat, corn, soy, dairy, flesh, or animal byproducts.

It was specially made for dogs with food allergies. Both my dogs have been eating it for years.

About the only thing I truly object to in the ingredients is the canola oil as that is not a natural oil (it's completely man-made).

[stan4]

That allergy test, while annoyingly expensive at the time, really did the trick to help our dog with her allergies. Once identified, we were able to give her the antigen shots. That plus the z/d prescription diet...she is completely cleared up less than a year later. Her hair has grown back and she is no longer scratching herself to pieces. Plus, she really loves the food.

[max1sunny]

I have Max on Solid Gold: Wolfking (bison meat) as well as raw goat meat. I gave him a bath @ Wag & Wash (much to his disdain). He seems to be less itchy.

[phonelady61]

I put both my dogs chihuahuas on new balance and frankly this in my opinion was the best thing I could have ever done . their coats have marked improvement and their digestive tract is much cleaner and their feces does not smell at all . I use to have to bury it in the yard before putting them on holisitic and now nothing at all . Most of my neighbors have dogs and you can tell it because their yard smells of dog poo but not mine .

[fasteddielv]

People amaze me sometimes. A dog is a Carnivore and RAW is the natural diet. Many, many allergies are related to commercial food and over vaccinations.
For those that are having issues, please try feeding RAW. It does take some time for your dogs digestive enzimes to adjust, so some diarrhea may appear for awhile. But they will adjust over time. Please give it a go!