Sorry Kevin, I was trying to be concise, lol. All of the aforementioned suggestions regarding a raw diet, wild salmon oil, etc. will help the "whole" dog. You could try raw chicken, but if you think he's really allergic to chicken, why not try another protein source (raw)? I just meant that whatever protein source you choose to try, the raw form is going to be the best, as is true with ANY form of food for dogs.

I have a cat who I thought was possibly allergic to chicken, but more likely some tiny component of the food I was giving him and overlooking. I started giving him THK Prowl, and presto! No more issues. Chicken is the first ingredient in Prowl, so obviously it wasn't that. Elimination can be tricky and time-consuming, and in my case I think I was overlooking something in his previous diet that is somehow tolerable in Prowl, or not present.

I say strengthen the immune system b/c it's thought that allergies are immune-related, and can be the result of vaccinosis, which causes a host of other immune-deficiency ailments. Shots, chemicals, environmental toxins, etc. can all have an effect on the immune system. You're better off, it would seem, making the immune system as strong as possible than fighting a war against unseen enemies, as so often seems the case with allergies. Am I making any more sense? I like to try a holistic approach whenever possible, b/c more often than not, approaching the health of the animal as a whole is more productive than separating symptoms and treating them as separate entities.

Thanks-less confused now.lol. I've stuck with the companies listed here for kibble. Wellness, Nutro-my brands. I did some serching here and found that a dog had alergies to the flax in the kibble. How would I go about feeding my dog to figure this out? Buffalo/Rabbit/Chicken with ?. I'm afraid my dog won't be getting the nutrients by giving him two foods. Can you give me an example of what I should feed my dog when trying to figure out if it's food related allergies. (meat source, organ meats, veggies?) Thanks

 Quote: Kevin Guthrie

Thanks-less confused now.lol. I've stuck with the companies listed here for kibble. Wellness, Nutro-my brands. I did some serching here and found that a dog had alergies to the flax in the kibble. How would I go about feeding my dog to figure this out? Buffalo/Rabbit/Chicken with ?. I'm afraid my dog won't be getting the nutrients by giving him two foods. Can you give me an example of what I should feed my dog when trying to figure out if it's food related allergies. (meat source, organ meats, veggies?) Thanks

Yes. An elimination diet is made of limited ingredients that the dog HAS NEVER EATEN. This is because allergies develop after repeated exposure; if the dog has never eaten in, he is 99.9999% certain not to be allergic to it.'

Then after several weeks on the elimination diet, if symptoms are gone, you can challenge the system slowly and gradually with one item at a time, watching for allergic response.

This IDs the allergen(s).

http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=12&Number=110000&Searchpage=1&Main=12112&Words=%26quot%3Belimination%26quot%3B+Connie+Sutherland&topic=0&Search=true#Post110000

http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=134&Number=105986&Searchpage=2&Main=11598&Words=%26quot%3Belimination%26quot%3B&topic=0&Search=true#Post105986

It's vital that the elimination diet is not thrown off (and rendered useless) by treats made of something not on the limited-ingredient diet.

Reminder: If you have a cat or there has ever been a cat living with the dog, don't consider fish as being novel to the dog.

The elimination diet has to be 100% novel (never eaten) to the individual dog.

Often, buffalo, rabbit, ostrich, or venison are novel. It depends on your dog, though, and what he has ever eaten.

I'd want to cover most of the bases in an elimination diet, but I'd remind myself that it is not forever. The dog can manage with no variety for a few weeks, IMHO.

I know that allergies can be controlled. It can be a long and frustrating process, but I've done it enough times to know that it's doable. They can't be cured; they can be controlled.

BTW, inhalant allergies can be to inside things, too.

I hope you will post the thyroid results.

I will post as soon as I know. So for two months I can just feed my dog something he's never ate and thats it? Buffalo or rabbit etc. with nothing else?-and skip the Hills Diet kibble. Thanks

Kevin, my dog gets a variety of chicken, venison, buffalo and rabbit. With every meal he gets salmon oil, Vit E and only after several weeks did I introduce seameal, a vit. & mineral supplement. I was not able to find venison & buffalo w/the bone in it so I brought in the chicken for that purpose. I offered him rabbit w/the bone but he repeatedly refused it so now he gets boned rabbit.

Finding treats that work seems to be the biggest challenge. So many have wheat or barley or beef or God knows what. You have to find a treat that has only one or two ingredients, i.e. chicken & venison only, no anything added.

Eventually I added salmon because my dog had never had that so it was safe for me to try that with him. The whole diet can get expensive so that's the down side. The up side is that it worked and relieved him of 95% of itchy paws. When he does have a flare-up, he responds within 20 minutes to 5 mg. of Prednisone which for those like Connie who know about allergies, that's a really low dose for an 80 lb. dog.

Good luck. It's a real pain in the neck but even more bothersome to see the dog uncomfortable .

When you say "with the bone" what does that mean? Chicken leg quarters? They are small, sharpe bones and my dog is a gulper. My wife's mothers GSD got into some chicken wing (buffalo wings) bones and had one heck of a time passing them infact he was in pain.

 Quote: Kevin Guthrie

I will post as soon as I know. So for two months I can just feed my dog something he's never ate and thats it? Buffalo or rabbit etc. with nothing else?-and skip the Hills Diet kibble. Thanks

If you mean raw, then I see no reason not to include produce. Here's why: Most dogs on kibble have never had produce, and (even more important) non-protein vegetables are not at all a common allergen. In fact, I have never heard of a canine allergy to green vegetables, period. Not to say it can't happen, but I wouldn't worry about it. I mean non-starchy green vegetables, BTW, like (for example) green beans, broccoli, etc. Many people feed them raw and processed. I feed them cooked, because to me, cooked is closer to what partially-digested prey stomach contents would be. I'm not in the majority on that, but I think it's not a huge point.

I would always always use salmon oil and E. Dogs can be allergic to fish, but are, IMO, VERY unlikely to have a fish OIL allergy. (Remember that almost all food allergies are to a protein, whether in grains, soy, meat, or dairy.)

Do you mean raw RMBs or were you referring to canned limited-ingredient foods?

Chicken leg quarters aren't ideal because they are heavy weight-bearing bones.

If you are choosing chicken, I'd go with backs. Nice soft cartilage-type bones and a good ratio of bones to meat.

If you have to use a ground boneless meat, I can give you calcium supplement info. However, calcium (which is crucial for dogs) is best from bones.

JMO!

Hi Kevin,

My foster dog had an allergy. His only symptom was he was loosing his fur and occasionally shaking his head. I did elimination diets and other methods (I even made a spreadsheet so I could keep track of what he was eating.)

The behaviourist from the rescue the dog belongs to had many helpful suggestions for detecting allergies.

Many dogs are allergic to:

ENVIRONMENTAL:
- Fabric detergent and/or softeners
- carpeting
- Floor cleaner chemicals
- Shampoos
- fragrances
- grass, weeds, dry leaves
- mould and mildew

FOOD:
- Corn
- Grains (wheat, soy)
- Beef or chicken (common dog food ingredients)
- Eggs
- Food additives

(Of course there are others but that was a good starting point).

You mentioned that your dog had lots of flakes when he is left in the house. Do you wash his bed cover? Do you have carpets? Do you use chemicals in your home?

The first thing I had to do was wash all my dog's blankets and bedding in hot water with a little vinegar. Run through 2 rinse cycles and don't use ANY fabric softener. Yes, you will have a staticky dog but it might help.

Feed your dog raw hamburger for one week and see if it helps his condition. You can add soaked white rice or soaked oatmeal to bulk it up. (Yes it is not a complete diet but for only a week it won't hurt). If it doesn't help then it is unlikely to be a food allergy.

In my dog's case he was allergic to chicken (which 99.99% of dog foods - including lamb and rice formulas - contain). Once I removed chicken from his diet I noticed an improvement in his fur in 3-4 days.
Good luck.