# My Spoo has allergies?



## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I would take him off of all dog food and feed him "Raw" if he were mine. My shih tuz could not eat dog food with Chicken in it... so if not raw, I would try a chicken free food.( Raw chicken is not the same thing.) So sorry that you are having to deal with this, poor baby.


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## Sawyersmomma (May 28, 2012)

Thanks, I'm a vegetarian and don't know if I could stomach dealing with all the raw meat and dead animal stuff. do you have to stick it in a blender or something?I may try it but I don't know if I could handle it lol
What are good kibble brands?


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## petitpie (Nov 16, 2011)

Look for homemade recipes for dogs.


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## momtymztu (Mar 27, 2012)

We have a bloodhound with chicken & beef allergies, an aussie with chicken allergies, and a maltese with chicken & lamb allergies...I'd say definately avoid chicken as a protein source. 

The bloodhound and aussie do great on a fish based kibble (we were feeding TOTW until the recal...ugg). Since the recall they are actually doing well on Merrick venison/salmon/bison, it's not grain free but so far it's not an issue. 

The maltese (and my Silky who is the only dog in the house with no allergies) eats The Honest Kitchen Preference formula with turkey added...it is a great option if you want something between kibble/canned and homecooking/raw. It is a dehydrated whole food diet...you just add water. You can get the Preference formula where you add your own meat (raw or cooked) OR it comes in a variety of formulas with the meat included. I love the company, everything is supposedly human grade and "taste tested by humans"  but the best part for me is that you can call and talk to a real live person if you have questions or concerns. Plus, the dogs think it is the best thing since sliced bread!!!!! 

I couldn't bring myself to do the RAW either...I know it is great for the dogs but sorry...YUCK!!! (and I am a meat eater, i just like it very very very done)


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## Sawyersmomma (May 28, 2012)

Is the honest kitchen preference very expensive? I'd have to order it online so shipping will be a pain


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## momtymztu (Mar 27, 2012)

THK wouldn't be your cheapest option for a large dog...that's for sure. We pay about $55 dollars for a 7lb box, which makes I think 28-30lbs rehydrated food, then we add our own meat. For two small dogs it lasts us about 2 months or so at 1/4 cup per dog per day. (so essentially we use a total of 1/2 cup per day dry measure) The other formulas cost a little more because they have the meat already added, the ground turkey is the most expensive part of what we feed ($4-6.50 a lb).

You can check them out at <www.thehonestkitchen.com> The webpage has good info, all the shopping and shipping info, and if you join their club you do get good coupons from time to time. I am fortunate to have a specialty store in our area that sells it so I haven't had to ad shipping costs yet.

Again, good luck, we spent a fortune in dog foods that didn't work before we found the ones that did.


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## tokipoke (Sep 3, 2011)

If it is food allergies, I would avoid chicken and grains. Novel proteins (lamb, venison, duck) helps, in addition to fish based foods.

Nature's Variety is a good pre-made raw brand if you cannot stomach prey model raw.

I've been going back and forth between prey model raw and the NV. I also nabbed a REALLY good deal on raw dehydrated food from a brand called Addiction (Stay Ahead of the Pack with the Leader in Hypoallergenic Pet Nutrition). They have other types of foods: canned, dry, dehydrated.

An 8lb bag of raw dehydrated food was $70!! But I got it on sale for $20!! (from my local pet shop) So I've been mixing some of this and the NV raw. Tomorrow I'm going back to the prey model raw but I will still mix the raw dehydrated with it. There are some raw feeders who are extreme purists when it comes to no grains and veggies, but I like to do rotation feeding.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

You can get your butcher to cut up whole chickens, buy small packages of meat that don't require alot of cutting ect. For the love of your dog, try it. Seeing him get better might make it easy to mess with...


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## stealthq (Aug 4, 2011)

Best thing you can do while trying to figure out allergies, other than get them tested, is to get food with very few ingredients, something they haven't had so far, and don't let them eat anything else. Even a bite of a food they're allergic to can be enough to cause a problem. After a while, you can decide if it's working, or if you need to try something else.

Keep in mind that lots of dogs are allergic to various preservatives, so it necessarily just the protein source or grains. I hear that flax is an allergy that's on the rise, too.


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

My mini was very itchy from a young age. After asking some people here on this forum I switched him off chicken (and as a precaution stopped feeding him all poultry) and it was amazing. He was SO much less itchy after stopping chicken.

I feed him lamb, beef, venison, bison, fish, etc. I also happen to feed him grain free or low grain (we rotate between several brands). It's hard to find a food that truly contains no chicken, you must read the ingredients list carefully because many times a "lamb food"contains chicken liver or chicken fat. 

My vet and I think he has environmental allergies too, but these come and go (probably with whatever is blooming at the time). I give him daily fish oil supplements and an antihistamine (more when he's going through a flare up).


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## Apres Argent (Aug 9, 2010)

Dr. Dodds does sensitivity testing link below. 

Welcome to Nutriscan - Dog Food Sensitivity Kit


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## Sawyersmomma (May 28, 2012)

I've read that allergy tests aren't always very accurate. Is this something different?


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