My 3 year old dog has been on a raw diet since he was a pup but I think he has allergies. He scratches his ears, licks his paws and bites at his tail. Can you offer any suggestions?

Question

Hi Cindy,

I have been a fan of the Leerburg website for several years and have always been happy with all of the items I have purchased from it. I have also spent many hours reading discussion board entries and the questions posed to both you and Ed in the Leerburg newsletters and am very impressed with the sensitivity and quality of the responses that you both provide to individuals seeking your advice in dealing with problems related to their dogs.

I am currently dealing with a problem for which I have not been able to find a solution and am in need of good advice.

My male, GSD is now 3 years old. I have kept him on the raw diet since puppyhood. His appearance is fantastic; his energy level and eagerness to please are also tremendous. Over time,though, one particlar problem has manifested itself and although I have made multiple attempts, I have not been able to solve it. He appears to suffer from chronic allergies. When playing or walking, he is fine and I see no indication of hair loss or the common "hot spots" however when at home he is much too involved with licking his paws, biting at his tail, scratching his ears (no sign of damage to the  skin inside the ear and no ear discharge).

His diet consists of the  following (again, all raw): beef, chicken liver and gizzard, sardines, eggs, chicken legs, turkey, pork with carrots and broccoli. For supplments I give him E, fish oil, kelp, alfalfa, C and probiotics.

After reading through your discussion board I began to selectively eliminate various items to attempt to isolate the problem. I first eliminated all chicken products for 12 days - no change. I eliminated beef for 12 days - no change. I eliminated the raw vegetables for 12 days - no change. I eliminated the kelp and alfalfa for 12 days - no change. I then purchased a  bottle of "Aller G free" from your website, followed the instructions and found no change at any point in time until the bottle was empty.

Reading the  discussion board on the Leerburg site, I learned that many allergies are caused by inhalation of "house dust".

I then began to vacuum my home daily. Sadly, no change. At this point, I am in desperate need of some guidance. I know that I could try the conventional route through my animal doctor's steroids but I would really like to avoid this and remain holistic.

Sincere Thanks For Your Help,
Dennis

Accepted Answer

Hi Dennis,

I might offer a few ideas…

First of all, the itching may have nothing to do with diet. If you get him vaccinated at all, it could be a manifestation of vaccinosis.

The rabies vaccine is notorious for causing chronic problems (allopathic vets will either not know or not share the issues that come with vaccines).

If it is the diet, changing things for 12 days is not long enough to know anything. I would cut out ALL supplements and extras. No veggies, no eggs... pick one meat and feed only that protein source.

Seeing changes in the dog when changing the diet can take weeks or even months as the body recovers. I have a dog that can only eat pork, anything else makes her scratch for weeks. She gets ground pork bones, organs and muscle meat. That’s it. I fed her rabbit for a period of time but she never did that well on it, due to the low fat content. She can’t eat chicken, turkey, beef or venison.

I would probably try giving D’toxifier every night at bedtime and doing the single protein elimination diet.

I would not go to steroids for this. you may want to look for a vet that will try to unravel the real issue instead of prescribing something that merely suppresses the dog’s symptoms. We have a vet list here. If you don’t find an alternative therapy veterinarian in your area you can do a google search to find one close by.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Rhodes