# Just ordered NutriScan profiles



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I took Javelin back to the vet this morning to finish his annual immunizations. Dr. P remarked that he saw rather more ear wax in a week than he thinks is normal and of course we all know this is most likely a food sensitivity. Additionally last week I had taken a follow up urine sample on Lily and those results came back that she has high urine pH and a light amount of crystals.

We talked about using NutriScan as the way to get to the root of both issues for them. I just ordered the kits online and will be very interested to see the results. I will be sure to update when I get them.

For those of you who have already done NutriScan I am interested to know what problem you may have noticed that led you to doing it. Did the results help you to solve that problem?

BTW I also made donations to HemoPet in both of my cart check outs.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I'm very interested in hearing from anyone who's done it as well.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

The only part of all this that I am a little freaked out over is the idea that I may have to figure out how to feed everybody something different and get them to eat regular meals. They all free feed out of the same bowls and the same food!

The science of figuring out the real root causes rather than taking stabs in the dark is just too important to ignore.


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## Sammy the spoo (Jul 7, 2016)

Oh wow, I hope everything comes out ok - but it would be really nice to know what Javelin and Lily might have sensitivities to. Will be thinking of you!

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

My suspicion for Javelin is that cheese accounts for his waxy ears. For Lily I had looked at the ingredients for various urinary health oriented foods and I wasn't thrilled with ingredient lists of anything I saw, so before I make a blind change I figured it made sense to get her profile done too. Neither of them acts sick, but my vet said that after he made changes based on results of NutriScan for his own spoo he thinks he is a totally different dog.


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## FireStorm (Nov 9, 2013)

I am also interested to hear the results. I've been considering doing it for Hans, he had really bad dandruff until we switched to a raw diet. If it returns now that he's eating commercial food while we are on vacation, I may do the Nutriscan. I just want to make sure that even though he does better on the raw diet I'm not feeding him anything he shouldn't have.

I wish I had something like Nutriscan for my last dog...he was sensitive to corn, wheat, soy, rice, potatoes, chicken, lamb, and beef by the time he died of cancer at age 11. We had to do elimination diets with him, and it was a nightmare. It would've been so nice to just know.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Is all that's really required his a test strip that your dog or cat has chewed? If it's that easy, I'm in.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Mfmst said:


> Is all that's really required his a test strip that your dog or cat has chewed? If it's that easy, I'm in.


That and some $$. But really the benefits of not having to do elimination diets to figure out sensitivities and allergies far outweigh buying bag after bag of foods that don't make a difference.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

It is certainly cheaper than a visit with a vet dermatologist! I didn't want to deal with urine sample collection!


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## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

I just went online to order this for my two but noticed the form at the top has Veterinarian info. Do you know if you have to go through a vet?

Unfortunately as much as I do like the vets in the practice, they are very old school and would likely not support this...


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Minnie I did enter my vet's information, but didn't place the order through the practice. I also entered that I wanted the reports to come to me rather than to the vet. I think you could try leaving that information blank and that it should be accepted that way. There is also a space for giving pet store information and that part I left completely blank.

Mfmst the main reason I ordered it for Lily is to clear up her urine crystal issues, so hopefully it will help me avoid having to try to collect from her! To catch from her I have had to resort to keeping her on a pretty short leash. I use a little plastic pudding cup taped to a dowel. BF made it when we had issues with Peeves having crystals.


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

I just had the Liquid Gold allergy test done on Wilson. He had blood drawn. I had the test done because he continually gets red itchy arm pits, ears, etc.. I was primarily interested in food allergies. The results come back on a scale of 0 to 5, with five being the worst. Wilson highest scores were 2s and it turned out he was allergic to salmon (which I had switched him off to duck) and to duck! Great. I thought by choosing the less common protein meats I would be doing him a favor. He is also allergic to lamb and wheat which he has never been fed. The most difficult problem I had when choosing a new food was that many of them contain salmon oil. So, I have ordered Acana Meadowland Regional, and I will start switching him to the new food tomorrow.


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## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

A few years ago when I looked into the NutriScan it was broken up into 2 groups & cost quite a bit more. However, I seem to remember they had a lot more information on the website then. I can't seem to find much about the test itself. This is the site I went to: NutriScan Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Test for Cats and Dogs - Dr. Dodds. 

Previously it seemed like your dog had to have eaten the tested foods within a recent time frame before the test. I did not see that mentioned as an issue. Is that no longer needed?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I haven't gotten the test materials yet, but I know that they test for IgM and IgA. IgM is the immunoglobulin (antibody) of primary immune responses and so finding IgM would most likely indicate a recently developing sensitivity. It has a pretty short half life. IgA is often referred to as secretory antibody. It is found in secretions like mucus, breast milk and would also be found in the gut over the course of its slightly longer half life. So yes you would need the dog to have relatively recently consumed the things it is sensitive to. I plan to have Lily and Javelin eat all of the things they have normally been eating until picking up all of the food the night before I collect the samples.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I have done the Nutriscan food test. I remember that Dodds says that the test can show a reaction that has occurred within 6 months, so the dog would have needed to have eaten the food within that time frame.

I did the test on one of my dogs for a chronic loose stool issue. It showed a lot of food reactivity and all of the offending foods were removed from the diet. It was effective in solving the problem.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Minnie said:


> I just went online to order this for my two but noticed the form at the top has Veterinarian info. Do you know if you have to go through a vet?
> 
> Unfortunately as much as I do like the vets in the practice, they are very old school and would likely not support this...


Nope, no need to go through a vet. You can leave the vet info blank if you want. Or you can provide it. All it means is that the results will be given to your vet in addition to you.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

The test kits arrived yesterday. Since I didn't get home until after 10:00 PM I didn't open the package until this morning. The instructions are very clear and the materials looks very straight forward to use. Since they need to do an overnight fast (food only, water okay) I plan to take up the food at bed time Friday night and collect on Saturday morning. Since I am very interested in seeing the results asap I will probably invest in 2 day delivery.

I'll let you know what we find out as soon as I have information (could be a couple of weeks).


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Searcher said:


> A few years ago when I looked into the NutriScan it was broken up into 2 groups & cost quite a bit more. However, I seem to remember they had a lot more information on the website then. I can't seem to find much about the test itself. This is the site I went to: NutriScan Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Test for Cats and Dogs - Dr. Dodds.
> 
> Previously it seemed like your dog had to have eaten the tested foods within a recent time frame before the test. I did not see that mentioned as an issue. Is that no longer needed?


Quoted on a current Nutriscan test result I have: 

"Antibodies to IgA measure the immune response to certain foods in secretions like saliva that have occurred over the last 2 years."

Antibodies to IgM measure the body's primary immune response to a recent exposure of certain foods within the last 6 months."


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## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

Minnie said:


> I just went online to order this for my two but noticed the form at the top has Veterinarian info. Do you know if you have to go through a vet?
> 
> Unfortunately as much as I do like the vets in the practice, they are very old school and would likely not support this...


I just saw this thread - I did my NutriScan this morning and mailed it out...

I actually work in a vet's office. And while I love them and my job, my vets are also very old school. They don't believe in grain free and aren't as open to new opportunities in the field. So I contacted the company and they sent me the test packet. I only put my info on it - not the vet's. 

So why did I do NutriScan?

Auguste is just over a year old but has been having issues. His stool has always been soft and he strains a lot without actually defecating much. I constantly have to clean him up after he poops. 

He also seems a little more itchy than most (especially when rubbing his face on the carpet) but doesn't seem to be chewing at himself. Oddly enough, he also has some hair loss. But it's hair loss that I have NEVER seen before. On one side of his leg the hair is super short - like the groomer buzzed him with a blade. No hotspots, no chewing, so scaling or crusty skin. It's been months and that spot hasn't grown back yet (and no, the groomer didn't get too short there). The skin does not look irritated at all. Last night I noticed the inside of the same leg is also missing hair in the same manner. I've looked and looked online and can't seem to find anything close.

Auguste also has gunky tear boogers and watering. His breeder says that she never has tear stains, especially on 8 pound dogs like Auguste.

So I spent the last few weeks introducing him to more foods (I tried to hit everything on the panels) since I'm spending my money, I want as much information from it as possible. I fasted him overnight and this morning tried to get him to chew on the rope (which was trickier than I expected). I felt like it was wet enough, shoved it in the tube and sealed it. Away it went! I'll update everyone once I get results.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Caniche said:


> I just saw this thread - I did my NutriScan this morning and mailed it out...
> 
> I actually work in a vet's office. And while I love them and my job, my vets are also very old school. They don't believe in grain free and aren't as open to new opportunities in the field. So I contacted the company and they sent me the test packet. I only put my info on it - not the vet's.
> 
> ...



Caniche I am glad that you ordered the NutriScan, but maybe it would be better if we both posted in our separate threads on this topic. I wouldn't want people to get confused over what our concerns were, what the results end up showing, the solutions and whose dogs we are talking about. I think our issues and concerns are very different. I don't have bald spots, eye boogers or bad bowel issues, not do you have waxy ears or urinary crystals.


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## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

lily cd re said:


> Caniche said:
> 
> 
> > I just saw this thread - I did my NutriScan this morning and mailed it out...
> ...


I was actually just answering your original post whereas you asked if anyone had used it yet and *why* they used it. I specifically gave some background, answered why I am using it, and said I sent the test in. I never said that I was going to update on this particular thread. 

Also, I tend to think that people are smart enough not to confuse you and I. Although I am confused why you asked people why they used Nutriscan and are now concerned because their reasons don't match up with yours? Did you not really want an answer to your question?

But don't worry. I'll sulk over to a different thread. Good luck with everything.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I wanted to know if people had done it already and had resolved their problems. If you feel the need to sulk, that is your right and your choice.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I was unaware they did testing like this on dogs and I'm curious about what you discover.

Babykins had loose stool/diarrhea, mucous and blood as well as throwing up bile a few times - she did have Giardia at the beginning (she was eating poop at that time when outside, not any more). She has been dewormed several time to make certain that wasn't the cause. So now we're between allergies and/or colitis. I have her on a very limited diet that is low fat high fibre and she is doing very well. We're doing an elimination diet. This test can help rule out allergies that they test for. But I don't think it can determine food intolerance or problems due to high fat or low fibre? And with Lily's crystals in her urine - that possibly could be too much protein?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Hi Skylar, if you get sensitivity readings with NutriScan then you don't have to do an elimination diet. You will be able to eliminate foods that she is sensitive to right away.

One of this issues I've thought about related to elimination diets is along these lines. If you eliminate, let's say chicken and switch to another protein source but that food contains another ingredient that the dog is sensitive to then you presumably won't see an improvement and will think the new protein source isn't right either. 

I am not entirely sure that NutriScan will point directly at the root cause of Lily's crystals, but it will give me information about what she is intolerant of in the event I switch her to a urinary health food. For Javelin we are very sure that his ear wax is a food sensitivity, so I will know what to take out of his diet quickly once I have results. I do lean towards it being cheese. But that is my hunch and not a data set.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

lily cd re said:


> Hi Skylar, if you get sensitivity readings with NutriScan then you don't have to do an elimination diet. You will be able to eliminate foods that she is sensitive to right away.
> 
> One of this issues I've thought about related to elimination diets is along these lines. If you eliminate, let's say chicken and switch to another protein source but that food contains another ingredient that the dog is sensitive to then you presumably won't see an improvement and will think the new protein source isn't right either.
> 
> I am not entirely sure that NutriScan will point directly at the root cause of Lily's crystals, but it will give me information about what she is intolerant of in the event I switch her to a urinary health food. For Javelin we are very sure that his ear wax is a food sensitivity, so I will know what to take out of his diet quickly once I have results. I do lean towards it being cheese. But that is my hunch and not a data set.


I am preparing the bulk of Babykin's food so I control what is added. She is also eating some Rx kibble for allergies (hydrolyzed protein). While I don't enjoy preparing all her food - I'm used to it because our previous toy poodle had pancreatitis and I prepared her food for 10 years.

I can see where you could eliminate immediately anything that they are allergic too - which is a huge plus and why I'm interesting in this service. But you can test the cheese by just removing it from Javelin's diet - it may be an allergy, or it may be a food intolerance which won't produce antibodies.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

NutriScan will read both sensitivities and intolerances.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Skylar said:


> I am preparing the bulk of Babykin's food so I control what is added. She is also eating some Rx kibble for allergies (hydrolyzed protein). While I don't enjoy preparing all her food - I'm used to it because our previous toy poodle had pancreatitis and I prepared her food for 10 years.
> 
> I can see where you could eliminate immediately anything that they are allergic too - which is a huge plus and why I'm interesting in this service. But you can test the cheese by just removing it from Javelin's diet - it may be an allergy, or it may be a food intolerance which won't produce antibodies.


It's actually the opposite. Nutriscan tests for sensitivity/intolerance (IgA and IgM) and NOT allergies (measured by IgE). Allergies will NOT show up on nutriscan test results. 

The issue with a food trial and food intolerance is that the reaction to foods is delayed. So it is very difficult to accurately determine what foods a dog is intolerant to with a food trial.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Skylar said:


> I was unaware they did testing like this on dogs and I'm curious about what you discover.
> 
> Babykins had loose stool/diarrhea, mucous and blood as well as throwing up bile a few times - she did have Giardia at the beginning (she was eating poop at that time when outside, not any more). She has been dewormed several time to make certain that wasn't the cause. So now we're between allergies and/or colitis. I have her on a very limited diet that is low fat high fibre and she is doing very well. We're doing an elimination diet. This test can help rule out allergies that they test for. But I don't think it can determine food intolerance or problems due to high fat or low fibre? And with Lily's crystals in her urine - that possibly could be too much protein?


Nutriscan will not diagnose a true allergy. It will diagnose a sensitivity or intolerance to a particular protein. It will not help determine if she just struggles with high fiber or fat.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

CharismaticMillie, thanks - OMG it's been several decades since I took immunology and clearly I don't remember what I was taught.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Skylar said:


> CharismaticMillie, thanks - OMG it's been several decades since I took immunology and clearly I don't remember what I was taught.



Well if you have immunology questions ask me. I am an immunologist! CM is correct allergies provoke IgE and I don't think a salivary sample would show it well since once produced it mostly binds to the mast cells throughout the body.

IgA is the secretory antibody so well detected in a sample like saliva. IgM is the primary response antibody and will be there before any other class of Ig.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

lily cd re said:


> The only part of all this that I am a little freaked out over is the idea that I may have to figure out how to feed everybody something different and get them to eat regular meals. They all free feed out of the same bowls and the same food!
> 
> The science of figuring out the real root causes rather than taking stabs in the dark is just too important to ignore.



I used to have this issue because my last dog had severe food aggression. What I did was feed the little dogs in the crates or another room and my food aggressive dog in the living room. I used to just leave the food out for the cat but I've found set feeding times to be really great in weight maintenance. Also, one of my cats developed UTI issue and had to go on prescription food so I feed them separately with different food. I googled what NutriScan was....pretty cool!


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

Yeah, sorry, don't ask me anything about immunology, LOL! Just reciting what Dodds website says  I didn't mean to imply anything about immunology....just that allergy tests, (your typical blood tests) test IgE and Dr. Dodds' test measures IgA and IgM in the saliva. And that Dodds specifies that this test will not diagnose a true allergy. You would need to do the blood allergy tests for that.

Quoted from her website: 

"For instance, the body produces the antibody IgE to fight off a food allergy and reacts immediately and violently (anaphylaxis). However, these types of true food allergies are rare. Typically, testing for food allergies involves either a skin prick test or a blood test. Throughout the veterinary profession, these tests for food allergies are considered unreliable and inaccurate. 

In contrast to food allergy reactions, the body produces the antibodies IgA and IgM to combat food sensitivity and intolerance, which is more common and can be a long term reaction. Sensitivity is a response to a particular food or compound found in a range of foods that is often exhibited through skin and/or bowel.

Sensitivity can be a result of several reasons such as the absence of specific chemicals or enzymes needed to digest a food substance or an abnormality in the ability to absorb certain nutrients. For instance, an irritable bowel (also called “leaky gut”) can be due to malabsorption or other abnormalities."

http://www.nutriscan.org/knowledge-center/food-sensitivities.html


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## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

Are there any peer review studies or supporting evidence other than the website promos about NutriScan?


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

NutriScan Statistical Results Dodds


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

CM thanks for posting the link to the NutriScan page that give the information on the trials in Europe and in Florida! I've been out at my club all morning and well into the afternoon. Also even if you were reciting what you read on NutriScan you were correct about the antibodies. Searcher when I have a chance over the weekend I will dig deeper and find the original publications on those studies in Europe and Florida. But since they were double blind studies as noted on the NutriScan page I am sure I will find them to be sound. Double Blind studies are the gold standard of how these kinds of evaluations are to be done.


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## Searcher (Aug 7, 2009)

CM: That is the kind of info I want to see. Thank you for linking to the studies.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

*NutriScan, next step done*

I fasted the poodles last night and collected the saliva samples this morning. It was not the easiest thing to do. Neither of them had much gusto for chewing the rope, so I hope I really got enough. The ropes were wet, but I would have loved it if I could have gotten them to chew enough to make the ropes dripping wet.

I am bundling up the samples and the paperwork now and plan to go to the post office this morning to send them together in one package for 2nd day delivery. Then it will be about two weeks for results to come in.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I never have them chew the rope, I just stick it in the side of their mouth and hold their mouth shut and show them a cookie so they get some saliva going.


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## aasteapots (Oct 6, 2013)

FireStorm said:


> I am also interested to hear the results. I've been considering doing it for Hans, he had really bad dandruff until we switched to a raw diet. If it returns now that he's eating commercial food while we are on vacation, I may do the Nutriscan. I just want to make sure that even though he does better on the raw diet I'm not feeding him anything he shouldn't have.
> 
> I wish I had something like Nutriscan for my last dog...he was sensitive to corn, wheat, soy, rice, potatoes, chicken, lamb, and beef by the time he died of cancer at age 11. We had to do elimination diets with him, and it was a nightmare. It would've been so nice to just know.


why not feed freeze dried raw when you are not able to use regular raw?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

CharismaticMillie said:


> I never have them chew the rope, I just stick it in the side of their mouth and hold their mouth shut and show them a cookie so they get some saliva going.


That is basically what I ended up doing. Lily was particularly annoyed by the whole thing so I am a little bit unsure about her sample, but Javelin's was good.


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