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I have a three year old Golden Retriever, for the last year he has suffered from itchy flaky skin and horrible hive like sores on his belly, thought they were hot spots but they were not. His belly was red and on his chest and under his arms were extremely itchy. Lots of visits to the vet, steroids, antibiotics, etc. We switched off of Science Diet, which he was raised on, and moved on to some novel protien foods...Innova and Taste of the Wild, helped a little but really after a year he has still struggled. We recently switched to Natural Balance LID Allergy formula Venison and Sweet Potato, he did not love the taste at first but then I also mixed in Pumkin, when this dog loves and it is great for their skin and coat. Now all his sores are going away and I could cry with absolute joy. My sweet boy is getting better!
new balance duck and potatoe formula . it works like a champ . My little boy chihuahua had such problems with his digestion and he was not gaining weight at all . Our neighbor suggested a holistic food and wallah it has worked like a champ . He is now healthy and no itchy skin or flakes and a good weight .
The first thing you would want to eliminate from the diet of a dog with allergies would be certain grains which are known to cause problems. Historically grains would not have been a part of a dogs diet. Instead, wild dogs would have consumed mostly raw meats and some plant matter. Therefore, it is usually the grains in a commercially produced food that cause issues. Some grain such as oatmeal and often whole brown rice are safer but it is always possible that dogs could be allergic to these as well.
The best thing would be a raw food diet which can be made at home or purchased from some premium dog food retailers. However, because of the increased preparation and expense many people chose to stick with prepared dog food.
Choosing a good food from among the many can be a confusing process. However, the safest thing to do is study the ingredients label. The first ingredients should be meat products. The ingredients list on Science Diet looks something like this:
The first ingredients are grains in this case. Corn is a big cause of allergies and it is listed here twice. Dried egg product could very well mean egg shells. Animal fat could be anything. The only meat mentioned here is "Chicken By-product meal" and "fish meal." There is no honest to goodness meat involved. You want to see lots of meat is a dog food. Fruits and vegetables are also good. "DL- methionine" is a source of amino acids put back into the food to restore much of the nutrition which is lost in the cooking process. You will find a number of these "replaced" vitamins listed on any ingredients list.
Canidae and Nature's Balance would be much better options for your dog. These are made with all human-grade ingredients and, for example, the ingredients list on Canidae Grain Free Salmon Meal Formula:
Salmon meal
Potatoes
Potato protein
Ocean fish meal
Canola oil
Peas
Tomato pomace
Nature's Balance has an even simpler list of ingredients and so might even be better for allergies. Also, neither of these brands would use artificial preservatives like Ethoxyquin, BHA, or BHT all of which have been shown to cause degenerative disease and which Hill's (the maker of Science Diet) use in their foods. In the end I don't think anyone could recommend one "best" food for you. Several could work and it doesn't hurt to mix foods or switch up every now and then as long as you get to know your ingredients list.
Also, remember that the allergy could come from any treats that you currently feed. In addition to switching foods you may need to double check the ingredients on your treats.
We have many foods available that meet these criteria at Lovable Pets at 1313 Grand Ave. in the Evergreen Plaza and would be happy to answer any further questions.
Many (most) dog foods in the US that contain fish meal don't have to name an ingredient if they weren't the ones who put it in. Fish meal by law has to be preserved with Ethoxyquin uness the manufacturer as a special permit..some do..most do not.
You'd be safe with food made by Champion, Acana, Origen Canada made
Flint river in the US is also Ethoxyquin free and I'm still researching.
Also most companies will tell you their feish meal does not contain Ethoxyquin at any stage...but as I just put Timberwolf on the spot they had to tell me that they TRY not to let it in, but sometimes a batch of fish does have it...hmmm...
I couldn't stomach feeding raw...but I can set three more places for dinner
I did not know Natural Balance was made at the Diamond plant. Even if the food itself does not contain any fish ingredients, I wonder if there could still be traces of ethoxyquin in it due to it being manufactured on the same equipment as the food containing the fish??? This makes me want to make my own food, but that seems like it would be such an ordeal. Anyone make their own food (cooked, not raw)?
Sorry need to clerify my statement about Natural Balance. Not all their food contain Ethoxyquin, it's just all fish meal, ocean fish meal, and salmon meal ingredients are preserved with ethoxyquin.”
I don't think I would worry about the other formulas.
Making your own dog's food is easy. There's lots of recipes on the web. My vet says dogs are easy, they're more like us. Cat's not so easy they have special requirements.
Cooking your dog's food destroys all vital nutrients and should never be done. Raw, meaty bones. Feed that and you won't see a single allergy or skin issue.
Cooking your dog's food destroys all vital nutrients and should never be done. Raw, meaty bones. Feed that and you won't see a single allergy or skin issue.
Not necessarily so! I had a dog on a raw diet who was allergic to chicken.
Dogs can have meat allergies and chicken is one of the more common ones, believe it or not.
Did fine when I took him off that and moved him to a fish based diet. The same dog also did just fine with corn in his food.
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