Best dog food for allergies? (lab, allergic, bite, poop)

[marc515]

Just wondering what you guys feed your dogs that have allergies.?

I know there are many brands out there. A short while ago we switched our Lab to ProPlan Sensitive Skin formula (Salmon based), but his gas was really bad (LOL) on that, so we just switched him to Science Diet Sensitive Skin. We used to give him 2 Derm Caps with every meal, but Science Diet Sensitive Skin indicates no suppliments should be added, plus it says for dogs up to 6 years, so thinking we should not have started him on it, as he's 5 now.

I've done a little reading, and some of these brands indicate they are good for dogs with allergies: Natures Recipe, Canidae, Natural Balance.

Looking for some recommendations from you guys.

Thank you

[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?

[cleosmom]

Sam I Am gave you some great ideas for feeding raw.

If you're wanting kibble, not that the raw is any more work, I'd look into Eagle Pack's Holistic Select Duck and Oatmeal or Blackwood's 5000 which is Catfish and Potato.

100% Salmon Oil is an awesome supplement to the food when not only adding the coat it's also great for the heart and joints.

Canidae works great for my dogs, but doesn't mean it would be the perfect one for your Lab.

[Turtle]

Alot depends on what the dog is actually allergic to, but since most of us don't waste the money on allergy testing (and those of us who have probably didn't get much useful info from it) I do not recommend Science Diet, they market it as a high quality food, and charge a high quality price, but there are many better diets out there. I used to feed science diet and now feed Wellness. My older dog was plagued with skin problems and had hot spots all over his body, we switched and have only had one hot spot since and that was when he was stressed out because we were bird sitting There are alot of novel protein diets out there. There are foods with rabbit, kangaroo, buffalo, and yes, fish. Any of these are good, just make sure that all of the ingredients are high quality and HUMAN GRADE. Canidae, Wellness, Innova, California Natural, just a few actual high quality foods with human grade ingredients...mo byproduct or "meal" but actual meat protein source.

Keep in mind that if you are trying to maintain an allergy problem, that the hypoallergenic food is the only thing you should feed for a good few months...no treats, no scraps, nothing...just the food. That is the only way to start ruling things out as possible irritants. After several months, you can slowly re-introduce items one at a time and see if you get a reaction.

Good luck.

[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.

[Desdemona123]

Originally Posted by marc515

Just wondering what you guys feed your dogs that have allergies.?

I know there are many brands out there. A short while ago we switched our Lab to ProPlan Sensitive Skin formula (Salmon based), but his gas was really bad (LOL) on that, so we just switched him to Science Diet Sensitive Skin. We used to give him 2 Derm Caps with every meal, but Science Diet Sensitive Skin indicates no suppliments should be added, plus it says for dogs up to 6 years, so thinking we should not have started him on it, as he's 5 now.

I've done a little reading, and some of these brands indicate they are good for dogs with allergies: Natures Recipe, Canidae, Natural Balance.

Looking for some recommendations from you guys.

Thank you

We've had the best of luck with Natural Balance.

[canukgal]

An allergy test may save you a lot of money, time and save your dog from the frustrating itchiness. We suspected that our dog - Emma, at the age of 5, had allergies and EVERYONE told us that she was probably allergic to beef and wheat and convinced us to switch to the RAW dog food diet - chicken and veg. So we did kept her on it for 6 months because we were told that it may take awhile to get all the old stuff out of her system. There was no change and Emma was SO itchy, the poor girl, her little paws were raw and bleeding, she was losing hair above her eyebrows and her ears were red and itchy too. We spent a ton of money on the Raw food diet and decided to bite the bullet and pay for an allergy test. Turns out that she ALLERGIC to CHICKEN!! and carrots, eggs, peas and 18 other food/environmental items but NOT beef nor wheat. I was so mad at myself for listening to all these so called dog experts and making my dog suffer all those months. I paid $300 for the allergy test and I spent much more than that on the RAW food diet. I'm so glad I spent the money and got the allergy test because I'm no longer guessing at my dogs expense. Emma is 9 yrs old now and doing so much better. You may be guessing for years as to what your dog is allergic to and may be wrong or not realizing that she also allergic to the house cat... which yes it turns out that Emma is also allergic to. By the way - the report includes a list of commercial dog foods and treats (incl high-end products) that don't have any of the items your dog is allergic to. Best of Luck!

[Triplewillow]

My dog has a problem with anything high in protien. So far the only thing he hasn't reacted to is Kibbles and Bits! My brother was pet sitting, forgot to pick up his food and bought it. Now he turns his nose up to anything else and he's quit itching.

[Honeycrisp]

Have heard good things about raw and those 3 brands you mentioned are very good in general too - have also heard good things about California Natural - last time I checked it has only about 5 ingredients so if you suspect your dog is allergic to a certain ingredient, you would avoid that particular kibble (IOW, it's better that's there's fewer ingredients so you know which to avoid, hope that makes sense!). ANyway would just make sure the CN (or any food) is easy to obtain in your area (I think it's in stock in most PetCo's, PetsMarts etc now but a few years ago, it was hard to find in my area). Would also give only compatible (same brand and ingredients) dog treats/biscuits, otherwise it would defeat the purpose.

PS WOuld also save your receipt, most dog supply stores will take back an open bag of dog food if your dog absolutely hates it or has a bad reaction to it as long as you have the receipt (and the bag is fairly new), they just send it back to the manufacturer.

[Sam I Am]

You know, not every dog will have the same reaction to any food. I have a friend in rescue who, if she bred, would be a code of ethics breeder. She has one dog that can't eat anything but a certain Purina brand that I feel sure mine would scratch their skin off if they ate...why it has to have that one kinda, no one knows. What's good for one isn't always good for all...I guess animals are as sensitive as we are, some people can't tolerate certain foods. Find what works for YOU and YOUR pet, and as long as it's got some good nutrition - hey, go for it!