My dog has food allergies amoung other things that she is allergic to. I've switched her to a venison and rice formula about 2 or 3 months ago because its hypoallergenic. Ive been reading up on this for a while, and ive heard some suggestions about a fish formula.. could this possibly be better than the venison?? and if so, is it bad to continue switching her food?? Thanks in advance! =]
if switching her to a grain free formula, would she still get all the nutrients she needs?
she started off allergic to lamb and rice.. now shes on venison and rice
No food is 100% hypoallergenic. It's just that some foods are less likely to trigger allergies than others. For example, one of my dogs is terribly allergic to lamb, a meat that is supposed to be less allergenic than many others. Chicken is fine for him, lamb is not. The fewer ingredients a food has and the less likely those ingredients are to trigger allergies, the better. Wheat and corn and many dyes and additives are highly allergenic for example.
It really depends on what your dog is allergic to. If your dog is doing well on its current food, then stick with it and don't mess around is my advice. If she is still having problems, it may worth trying something else. Also keep in mind that not all allergies are food-related. Fleas and environmental allergies (such as grass pollen) may be part of the equation. My dog is always worse in spring when pollens are in the air.
My dogs eat California Natural which is formulated for allergic dogs and doing great. I have another friend with an allergic dog who is having success with this food.
10 Responses
2008 May 23
I've had pretty good luck with Eagle Pack foods:
http://www.eaglepack.com
They've got a duck and oatmeal formula that's pretty good.
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2008 May 23
Is feeding raw an option?? Many owners of hypoallergenic dogs decide to go raw.. Check out this website if you like: http://rawfed.com
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2008 May 23
It is bad to keep switching her food-she might get the runs or throw up.
As to hypoallergenic foods, I feed my pup Eagle Bay, but I'm not sure what's in it.
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2008 May 23
Could it be that your dog is allergic to corn, wheat, grains,rice that are in the kibble instead of a protein allergy?
I would try switching to a grain-free kibble. Lots of companies are making it now.
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2008 May 23
No food is 100% hypoallergenic. It's just that some foods are less likely to trigger allergies than others. For example, one of my dogs is terribly allergic to lamb, a meat that is supposed to be less allergenic than many others. Chicken is fine for him, lamb is not. The fewer ingredients a food has and the less likely those ingredients are to trigger allergies, the better. Wheat and corn and many dyes and additives are highly allergenic for example.
It really depends on what your dog is allergic to. If your dog is doing well on its current food, then stick with it and don't mess around is my advice. If she is still having problems, it may worth trying something else. Also keep in mind that not all allergies are food-related. Fleas and environmental allergies (such as grass pollen) may be part of the equation. My dog is always worse in spring when pollens are in the air.
My dogs eat California Natural which is formulated for allergic dogs and doing great. I have another friend with an allergic dog who is having success with this food.
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Owner of allergic dog.
2008 May 23
My dogs can handle me switching there food every day, however, a lot of dogs can not handle it. If you find a good dog food that she likes I would stick to it. Switching her because she is allergic is not bad though. If she is eating the venison and shows no signs of allergies I would keep her on it. If she still is showing signs of allergies I would make sure the food is wheat free, and then try either a vegetarian diet , like Natures Recipe or a Fish and potatoe diet like Natures Instinct.
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2008 May 23
She needs a somewhat stable diet, however, feeding her the same thing for years and years can CAUSE an allergy. You have the right idea with feeding her venison, and fish would be good as well. The idea is to introduce a food that they have never eaten. You might also consider the b.a.r.f. diet (bones and raw food). It takes a little getting used to, but uncooked food is excellent for dogs. Not to mention the fact that she will LOVE eating whatever you decide to give her, instead of trying to coax her into a new kibble. Good luck to you and your doggie!
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References :
http://www.barfworld.com/
2008 May 23
You didn't say what your dog is allergic to. I think you meant to but didn't.
If it is a meat, avoid that meat source. You might want to go grain free, as some grains can cause problems. Although rice isn't usually one of them. You could try a fish formula if you think that could work.
Switching foods every few months (to a different protein source), can help with allergies. Prolonged exposure to one protein source or grain can cause problems. Switching can help. Having 2 or 3 foods to switch between is a good idea. If your dog has problems, going form one food to another, a gradual switch is better.
Feeding a raw diet can help as you control what your dog eats. It can be cheaper than dry kibble and there are no chemicals or questionable ingredients.
References :
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/how-often-should-i-change-foods.html
2008 May 23
Blackwood 5000 is formulated for dogs with severe allergies. It uses catfish meal and duck for protein and has no corn, soy or wheat. Blackwood also uses low temperature cooking of the ingredients which increases digestability. Most dog foods use high temperatures which burn the food and destroy nutrients. Is she is doing well on the venison food, don't change things. If she is still showing signs of allergies, the Blackwood is a good one to try.
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2008 May 24
Here is a site that will show you which dog foods are the best and the worst. I suggest that you get any one of the dog foods that are top rated.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
Most of grocery store dog food formulas, like IAMS, Pedigree, Science Diet, Purina,and etc contain "meat and bone meal" which has been known to contain dead dogs and cats that were euthanized in animal shelters. Their bodies are picked up and bought by the truck load by "rendering plants" , that also pick up road kill, dead live stock, and etc. They are shredded, and boiled. They skim off the fat on the top of the "soup" and collected it and sell it to pet food companies as "animal fat", the rest of the animals' remains are crushed up, dried and sold to dog and cat food companies as meat and bone meal.
You can read more about it here.
http://earthislandprojects.org/eijournal/fall97/fe_fall97petfood.html
Here is an article where the owner of a rendering plant talks about it. He says that cremating the dead shelter animals would cause pollution, and that rendering them is good.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5072/is_12_26/ai_115041999
Here is further information on what you shouldn't see in the ingredients list in your dog's food.
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=badingredients
Top rated dog foods like Canidae contain good healthy ingredients.
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