# Can dogs outgrow food allergies?



## gnr9933 (Aug 22, 2016)

When Patrick was four months old he began to have soft stools which didn’t improve in spite of trying several low allergen foods and running many tests to rule out illness. By eight months he was also vomiting and was seriously ill. Finally our vet suggested feeding Hill’s z/d Ultra which has chemically shortened molecules of carbohydrates and proteins so his body doesn’t recognize them as allergens but he still gets the nutrition. This solved the problem almost overnight and he’s been on this food successfully now for 11 months.

The downside is the cost. The kibble is almost $4/lb and it costs nearly $100 a month to feed a 44 lb dog. I’ve recently let him have a few tablespoons a day of bits of Mother’s dog biscuits and he shows no negative symptoms. I would like to just try a bit of other food to see if perhaps he could tolerate it but our vet thinks I should stick strictly with z/d. I surely don’t want to make him sick but I hate to think this is the only thing he can ever eat without even trying an alternate again. Any thoughts?


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

It sounds like Patrick has severe allergies. What is the protein source in the Hill's z/d? My thought would be to try some raw of that protein to try and extend the kibble. My other thought is to take him to a veterinary dermatologist and end the guesswork. $3.30/day is pricey but I am glad he is doing well on it.


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## kayla_baxter (Jul 17, 2015)

You could try Forza10. It's an Italian vet diet that can be sold retail in North America. Much nicer ingredients and it still uses a hydrolysed protein, it's just fish instead of chicken liver. 


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Any individual can become allergically sensitized at any time in their life and also potentially any individual can have that sensitization diminished through various mechanisms.

As to the z/d specifically, do you have to buy it at your vet's office? Remember if this is the case then the vet has a financial interest in keeping your dog on that diet. It doesn't mean that your vet isn't a good doctor or doesn't have your dog's well being in mind, but there may be a parallel financial interest.

Since it sounds like your pup's allergies are severe I would proceed with caution about making changes. I think the suggestion to use raw of the same protein source (with limited ingredients) as a supplement to the z/d is worth trying, but go slowly and only make one change at a time so that if there is an adverse reaction you will know specifically what caused it.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

lily cd
As to the z/d specifically said:


> LILY, Z/D is by prescription only !!!
> 
> 
> First things first I think I would do the NutriScan allergy thing by Dr Dodds to see exactly what your dogs sensitivities are and maybe do a consult with her as to a diet............I don't think I'd want to feed Z/D indefinitely either!!! Take a look at http://nutriscan.org
> ...


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I figured z/d was a prescription only diet. Nutriscan to check on what this pup is actually sensitized to makes tons of sense.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Head smack! Dr. Dodds!


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## kontiki (Apr 6, 2013)

Yup - I agree on the Dr Dodds, and on the looking at ingredients and trying raw of the same protein. My Spoo almost died on kibble, even vet prescribed, and does awesomely on raw, plus berries, plus Nordic Naturals Pet Omegas, plus organic organ meats. He was out running, jumping and spinning today and folks were amazed he is 7.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

kayla_baxter said:


> You could try Forza10. It's an Italian vet diet that can be sold retail in North America. Much nicer ingredients and it still uses a hydrolysed protein, it's just fish instead of chicken liver.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Kayla Baxter - which of their products has hydrolysed protein? I looked at their website and it was not clear to me.


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