Food Allergies- chicken (lab, allergic, vet, black)

[dukie46]

Hello. My 1 1/2 year old black lab mix puppy has food allergies. I'm guessing based on his past food that he's allergic to corn, wheat, soy, chicken, and possibly rice. I just switched him to try the Natural Balance duck and potato food.

I'm wondering though... If he is allergic to chicken, would he be allergic to duck, too?

And does anyone know if Natural Balance uses ethoxyquin in its fish and sweet potato food?

The vet told me to do an elimination diet for 3 months (meaning no treats, etc)... but since the Natural Balance dry food has treats that go with each formula, would they be ok to feed him during the food trial?

Any insight is appreciated! Thanks!

[rural lady]

Yes you usually start eliminating the foods gradually using 1/2 of current food and 1/2 of another for a few days then keep increasing the new food little by little.

You could try Wellness Core also, and theres always homecooked if you have the time for it, meaning to start out use dog food and add green vegetables to it, such as green beans and brocolli or cauliflower chopped up in a food processor, tho its not easy to keep up with this for a large dog, some people have had success with Merricks food, you may want to try this also. Just read all the labels. Hope this helps.

[pugluvr]

It's hard to say if your dog would be allergic to duck. You may have to try it out and see if you notice a difference with her allergies. As far as the ethoxyquin goes in Natural Balance, I didn't see anything on their website but when I googled "ethoxyquin" and "Natural Balance", there were a few sites saying they do not use ethoxyquin in their food but you may want to call Natural Balance directly or e-mail them and get it straight from them. As far as treats go, I would think as long as the treats your giving him do not have the corn, chicken, etc that he's allergic to, I don't see why you couldn't feed treats. You could even use veggies for treats like carrots, green beans, cauliflower, etc. Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.

[MAK802]

Check out www.dogfoodanalysis.com. There, you can compare foods and see what ingredients are used. Stay away from those that rate below a 4 star.

[luvmycat]

I am not sure about the duck either, but there are also fish-based kibble formulas out there that may be okay for her. As for the treats, I agree veggies or meat (can she have beef?) would probably be better than actual dog treats. BTW my dogs LOVE duck/potato kibble, they would eat it every day if I let them, but it can be a bit fattening!

[tomass74]

Did you ever find out about the duck? My dog has what appears to be food alergies too. Everything I have ever given him has always had chicken.. I bought the duck and potato and was wondering the same thing. He still seems to be itching. My email is tomass74@yahoo.com . I would love to see how you made out.

Thanks!

[DreamChasers8]

I know alot of people who can't eat chicken eggs due to allergies but love duck eggs. Maybe it's the same with meat.
Plus some people don't realize but Chickens are fed corn. If your dog is allergic to corn (which no dog should be fed to begin with) he might also be allergic to the chicken because of the corn.

[MAK802]

Why not switch to a fish protein? Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream is a great choice, as is Wellness Core Ocean. There are plenty of fish protein formulas out there. Our dog is allergic to chicken, but not duck. We opted to go the fish route anyway and he is thriving on it.

[APBT_Samara]

You will have to do the elimination diet to see. It is possible for her to be allergic to duck also and any other number of protein sources. She might also only have allergy to chicken (besides the others you listed). Also last I looked it was Potato & Duck which IS different then Duck and Potato. If you can get it you might want to try California Natural because of the very limited ingredients. Less chance for allergies.