Or if I should even attempt to feed a RAW diet..Some background.
I have a French Bulldog who I just got this year, I feel she would do just fine on a RAW diet. Her only issue is dermatitis, which with regular grooming is kept under control. I also have her on a coat supplement right now.
My main issue is my Staffy Bull. He has had allergies since the day we got him, which was a few months old. We have lived in AR and in IL, and next year will be going to VA.
We've never done an allergy test, we were advised against it. As majority of dogs have the same allergies on the results, so it doesn't really help. At least this is what we were told.
Now, I have attempted a RAW diet with him before. I know you're supposed to keep them on a new diet at least a couple months before judging, but with him, if the food is going to help, you know within the month or two. I did try him on chicken backs, and nature's variety. He actually did best on a 'vegetarian' dog food, random other brands he handles decently as well.
My main issue is I don't know where to start with him. He scratches, constantly. He is on no supplementation because the most recent ones I purchased doesn't improve his situation, it makes it worse.
I've thought about a homemade vegan diet for him, as aside from every dog food brand, or a random assortment of meats/veggies/fruits that WILL work for him, I have not tried.
I have been trying to figure out what causes his outbreaks for almost 4 years now, trying different foods, etc. Some help but doesn't get rid of the issue completely.
Has anyone had success with an allergy-prone canine on a healthy diet, with one or two supplements, and managed him to stop scratching himself to the point of losing his hair and sometimes bleeding?
Thanks for any help. Sorry for this being long.

Nicole,my heart goes out to you because I also have been living this wideawake nightmare for almost 5 yrs.The only thing that seems to somewhat help my one boy is the preymodel raw with NOTHING else in it and beleive it or not beef has been ok for a while now.He seems to do the best with this so far and I have tried the vegetarian food,the hydrolysed foods,etc with NO success.I know it might not be complete or balanced but at least for now it is by far the best for my one boy.I buy it premade and its killing me finacially but Im not comfortable giving whole bones which would be alot cheaper.Any kind of poultry seems to affect him the worst and yes I have tried them raw but almost immediately he reacts with scratching,biting and vomiting.It seems that after the last rabies shot which was forced down my throat from a vet I use to deal with that even my other GSD is showing some intolorance to certain proteins.Is this coincidence?,I dont know but certainly something to think about.I hope that you find some resolve for your little guy cause its heartwrenching watching them and not being able to help relieve them.Good luck and I will keep my fingers crossed for you too.

Here is a recent link which might be helpful - I have not read it all but thought you might find some good info.

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/294668/page/0/fpart/1

What are you doing to get the immediate itching problem under control? Is he on any meds? Fish oil? Does he have a skin infection from it that needs to be dealt with? I would have all this checked out by a vet if it hasn't been recently done.

I would not do a homemade vegan diet. Dogs need meat, their systems are designed for meat (and bones).

My allergy prone dog has been on a raw/grain free diet for quite a while and just recently had a bad flare up - here is the thread from that http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=294514#Post294514

Have non-food allergens been ruled out first? It's much more likely that a dog is allergic to an inhaled allergen than a food--especially a meat source. Dust mites, mold, or any of dozens of pollens are potentially allergenic.

Hi Nicole,
Welcome to the forum.
Well, there are a few things to start off with.
There are diet questions and allergy issues.
There is a TON of info here on this site to read, I would suggest that you look over the entire section here on feeding dogs, if you want to feed a raw diet.

While dogs are indeed omnivores, their primary needs are animal protein. Vegetables are only a very small part of their diet.
To feed a dog, a vegan diet would be a huge mistake in my opinion.
Please do some reading on canine nutrition, there is a lot to know before starting a raw diet.
It isn't that hard to do, but there are many things that need to be fed in order to do it right and so the dog is healthy.

Allergies...well there are many reasons a dog could be scratching and reacting to.
Again I would suggest reading as much about allergies as you can get your hands on. This is one book that explains it all in very good detail, they carry it here at LB:
http://leerburg.com/971.htm

There are many things that a dog can react to. Diet and foods is actually further down the list. Flea hypersensitivity can be at the top of the list, followed by inhalant/environmental allergies a close second.

The only way to truly find out what your dog is allergic to, would be to take the dog in to see a Derm vet, and have the skin tested for all the various allergens.
There are many posts on this subject, you can use the search function to read further on what others here have done.
Some other triggers are dust mites, dust, molds to name a few.

The only way to assess a food allergy is to do a food elimination diet, which involves choosing a protein source that the dog has never had before and you would need to feed that alone along with a novel simple carb that the dog has never eaten before to test for reactions.

I have a female GSD that has atopy or environmental/inhalant allergies. I have had her in to the Derm vet and now I know exactly what she is allergic to.
I now have her on shots and they are helping tremendously.
I also feed a raw diet, therapeutic doses of salmon oil, which helps a great deal too.

I would encourage you to find a Derm vet to help you get to the bottom of these issues with your dogs.
I hope some of this info helps you.

Hi, Nicole,

You got some excellent info already. I hope I can add something to it, but really the post by Joyce covers a ton.


We've never done an allergy test, we were advised against it. As majority of dogs have the same allergies on the results, so it doesn't really help. At least this is what we were told.

Someone was explaining to you the relative inefficiencies of the RAST and ELISA (blood) tests for dogs. Blood tests for dogs for inhalant/environmental allergies have improved somewhat very recently, but the gold standard remains "scratch" (intradermal) testing, which is virtually always done by a specialist -- a derm vet, generally.

NO blood or intradermal tests are particularly useful for dog's food allergies; they require an elimination diet (and are a low third in likelihood).

Now, I have attempted a RAW diet with him before. I know you're supposed to keep them on a new diet at least a couple months before judging, but with him, if the food is going to help, you know within the month or two. I did try him on chicken backs, and nature's variety.

I'm going to go way out on a limb here and say that this was probably coincidence. That is, chances are extremely good that the dog was going through a cycle of seasonal (or flea-prevalence) misery during the raw trial.

Of course, that may be incorrect, but Joyce is right about food allergies in dogs: they are so low on the probability scale compared to flea hypersensitivity (with which one exposure can drive the dog crazy with itching) and then (in second place but still very high) inhalant/environmental allergies that it's shocking how many GP vets will still say first "Let's try this 'allergy formula' dog food."

My main issue is I don't know where to start with him. He scratches, constantly. He is on no supplementation because the most recent ones I purchased doesn't improve his situation, it makes it worse.


Fish oil (and the Vitamin E that you give with it (because processing the fish oil's PUFAs can deplete the body's E stores otherwise) is a beneficial anti-inflammation agent; long-chain Omega 3s are woefully undersupplied in modern factory-farmed slaughter meats.

It takes 4 to 12 weeks to see the maximum fish oil benefits for atopy. I would probably make that addition my first step. How much does the dog weigh?

I have been trying to figure out what causes his outbreaks for almost 4 years now, trying different foods, etc. Some help but doesn't get rid of the issue completely.


Is he on flea prevention?

Have you ever seen fleas around/on him?

How do his ears look inside? Healthy and pale, or red and inflamed? Any debris?

Does he lick and bite at his paws?

Do you smell any odors in folds or paws?

Is his sleep interrupted by itching?

As asked by others, are you dealing with a current skin infection?

What are the itchiest areas of the body? (Food versus flea versus atopy can be partly narrowed down by the geography of the itchiest areas.)

TAKE NOTES!!!

The day you start the switch, start logging everything that goes in this dog and comes out of this dog. Write down any allergy flare-ups so you can compare those dates to others and maybe find a common trigger.

Write down the weather. Local weather broadcast sometimes give pollen counts or at least put them on their websites. Might write those down, too.

I know this sounds extreme, but it sounds like this pup as some issues to match.

Were you needing any info on the raw diet itself?

Oh, THANK YOU to Michael for picking up on probably the most important suggestion possible! TAKE NOTES!

You won't believe how patterns emerge only with the daily jotted-down recaps!


Also, I wanted to add this basic recap of one derm-vet's info that another experienced member here (whose dog turned out to be extremely flea-hypersensitive) posted:

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=10&Number=240654&Searchpage=1&Main=23296&Words=derm+Lori+Hall&topic=0&Search=true#Post240654

and to save typing, here's an excerpt from a post I made last year:

"If you have been reading here then I'm sure that you have the dog on fish oil and E along with that raw diet (and good for you!), that you have trialed the top antihistamines, that you are positive that the dog has no flea exposure (#1 by far among canine atopy causes) and that you have a log of worst times and days (with weather notes). I would add to that a strict protocol of wiping down the dog's undercarriage and having the dog walk thorough clean water and then across a towel each time s/he reenters the house from grass, etc. I would also vacuum thoroughly, change mats and blankets used by the dog, and then toss the vacuum bag (if it's not bagless)."


And finally: Have you ever noticed any increase/decrease with the seasons?