So, a chicken allergy?

[Akari_32]

I'm thinking Bentley has developed a chicken allergy (new environment, new life style, new and high quality food). The only other thing that I can find with similar symptoms is one of the types of mange, and I don't think that's it LOL

Anyways, he's biting and licking at his paws and legs, and occationally his tail. Around his mouth is kind of red (he has pink skin), and so is his tummy, and after he poops, his butt is, too. He is fully on his Innova Puppy, now, and I don't think his poop is as hard as should be, as well. He itches else where, too, but more so than a normal dog, should, just not as much as he seems to bother his legs and paws. His eyes seem to be a bit glassy, as well.

We were just at the vet last week, and he was given a clean bill of health, so all that's really left is a food allergy, and I think I've got it narrowed down chicken. I'm not the food allergy expert, though, so that's where you guys come in!

I have been looking at chicken and grain free foods, and I think I'm going to put him on the fish, grain free TOTW. Fish because my mom and I are allergeic to him, and the oils and such should help with shedding and making his skin nice and healthy to keep dander down, and grain free because... I can...? I dunno lol I didn't see a fish non-grain-free formula, though, but I didn't look too hard and I was just at a local pet store when I was looking in person. I still have PetSmart and Pet Supermarket to look at. Looking online doesn't help much.

Anyways, thoughts, etc?  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Grain free is definitely best for your carnivorous canine
Chicken allergy is certainly possible.  

[Akari_32]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

Grain free is definitely best for your carnivorous canine
Chicken allergy is certainly possible.

Do you think it could be anything else? Another allergy, or something else entirely?

This was the food I was looking at, I think. I don't think there's another similar to it.... Could be wrong though lol the pic is too small on my phone to say for sure.

http://www.petsupermarket.com/products/petsupermarket/pid-741960958.aspx?pn=taste of the wild pacific stream dog food  

[Kithy Kitty]

A food allergy is a possibility but depending on where you live may be a change of season or something is bugging him. The cedar around here drives a lot of people and pets nuts. My godmother's dog has terrible allergies in the spring and summer and has to be put on medication.

I'm not sure if they can test for allergies like that can for children but it might be worth a phone call.  

[Akari_32]

Kithy Kitty

A food allergy is a possibility but depending on where you live may be a change of season or something is bugging him. The cedar around here drives a lot of people and pets nuts. My godmother's dog has terrible allergies in the spring and summer and has to be put on medication.

I'm not sure if they can test for allergies like that can for children but it might be worth a phone call.

The only way to "test" for allergies is by experimenting with their food :/ I don't think it's a change in the seasons. Most dogs here just get little doggy colds when it's gets warmer or cooler... Guess you never know, though lol  

[Ailinea]

The most common allergies are corn, soy, grain, and chicken from what I understand. Also an interesting note; some dogs are allergic to cooked chicken but not to raw chicken.

Of course I advocate raw, but I know it's not ideal for everyone. I think switching to a grain-free food is a great place to start. You might also consider looking for food with "different" proteins like lamb, duck, venison, bison, etc. Fish is OK, but usually used for weight management and doesn't contain much fat. Not really ideal, but you can always try it. You can also try adding a good-quality fish oil supplement to your dogs food. I recommend looking for human-grade fish oil compared to pet specific fish oil, and make sure the oil doesn't contain "mixed tocepherols" which is mostly soy-derived.  

[Akari_32]

Ailinea

The most common allergies are corn, soy, grain, and chicken from what I understand. Also an interesting note; some dogs are allergic to cooked chicken but not to raw chicken.

Of course I advocate raw, but I know it's not ideal for everyone. I think switching to a grain-free food is a great place to start. You might also consider looking for food with "different" proteins like lamb, duck, venison, bison, etc. Fish is OK, but usually used for weight management and doesn't contain much fat. Not really ideal, but you can always try it. You can also try adding a good-quality fish oil supplement to your dogs food. I recommend looking for human-grade fish oil compared to pet specific fish oil, and make sure the oil doesn't contain "mixed tocepherols" which is mostly soy-derived.

He's not, despite 1/2 his mix (jack Russell), a very active puppy. Obviously he gets feisty and spazy a time or two every day, but other than that, he's content to just hang out on the couch with you, sleep in his bed, or chew on his toys all day. So, I don't think something as low calorie and fat as fish would make much of a difference for him. Could be wrong, though. He's got a bit of a pudge actually, but being a puppy, I'd rather offer him a bit more food than not enough. Once he's done growing, we'll even out the amount we feed him. I do feed him according to the bag, though, which is a 1/2 cup. I am, of course, open to any and all ideas. I just picked fish because of our allergies to HIM, and his supposed allergy to chicken.  

[Azusanga]

Akari_32

Ailinea

The most common allergies are corn, soy, grain, and chicken from what I understand. Also an interesting note; some dogs are allergic to cooked chicken but not to raw chicken.

Of course I advocate raw, but I know it's not ideal for everyone. I think switching to a grain-free food is a great place to start. You might also consider looking for food with "different" proteins like lamb, duck, venison, bison, etc. Fish is OK, but usually used for weight management and doesn't contain much fat. Not really ideal, but you can always try it. You can also try adding a good-quality fish oil supplement to your dogs food. I recommend looking for human-grade fish oil compared to pet specific fish oil, and make sure the oil doesn't contain "mixed tocepherols" which is mostly soy-derived.

He's not, despite 1/2 his mix (jack Russell), a very active puppy. Obviously he gets feisty and spazy a time or two every day, but other than that, he's content to just hang out on the couch with you, sleep in his bed, or chew on his toys all day. So, I don't think something as low calorie and fat as fish would make much of a difference for him. Could be wrong, though. He's got a bit of a pudge actually, but being a puppy, I'd rather offer him a bit more food than not enough. Once he's done growing, we'll even out the amount we feed him. I do feed him according to the bag, though, which is a 1/2 cup. I am, of course, open to any and all ideas. I just picked fish because of our allergies to HIM, and his supposed allergy to chicken.

Something that might help with your allergies to him is a.) allergy medication for you, and b.) brushing him every day, whether it seems like he needs it or not. Also, get a damp wash cloth or towel and run it over him. This'll help pick up shed, as well as remove some of the dander and dirts. It works surprisingly well.  

[Akari_32]

Allergy medications don't work for us, unfortunately. Neither do a lot other medications.... Yay for us.... Lol

I've been using a comb for him, but a comb is a comb. They don't do much other than help him dry after a bath. I don't think his fur is thick enough for even a puppy or cat slicker brush, either.... A rubber brush, maybe?

Will the damp cloth rub off his frontline (just curious)? Even after just one bath, with the frontline being on him for a week or so before hand, I saw a flea on him a few days after the bath. Haven't seen any since, though.  

[Akari_32]

Ok, so I actually found TOTW puppy food! It's amazing! LOL I actually found it when I was up at school an hour away from home, at a local pet store down the street from my school. They have Venison and bison, and they have salmon. Which do you guys recommend?



 

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Both would probably be all right*. Try one for a month or so, then the other - feed the same option all the time and he'll get bored - you want to vary it a bit sometimes.


*Personally, I'm not super keen on TOTW as it's kind of high on carbs/low on proteins so far as grain free goes, and where I am at least it's no cheaper than higher protein/lower carb options like Acana. I know lots of people really seem to like and advocate it, though, and it's not a bad food by any means.  

[Akari_32]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

Both would probably be all right*. Try one for a month or so, then the other - feed the same option all the time and he'll get bored - you want to vary it a bit sometimes.


*Personally, I'm not super keen on TOTW as it's kind of high on carbs/low on proteins so far as grain free goes, and where I am at least it's no cheaper than higher protein/lower carb options like Acana. I know lots of people really seem to like and advocate it, though, and it's not a bad food by any means.

This is actually cheaper by $4 than Innova (though one less pound), and is, as far as I can gather, one of the best foods available here. I did find Oirjen (is that was it is?) but it was $20 for 5 pounds and that's just not something I can afford, with 200 pounds of big dogs to feed, as well. Theres Blue Buffalo, and something called Earthbound, I think? Blue Buffalo would be ok price wise for me, I think. I don't remember exactly how much it was. But basically, I'm looking at $10-15 a 5+ pound bag. TOTW is $12 which is good for me. The only reason I have Innova, which is $15 a 6 pound bag, is because I had a $10 off coupon, so I got it for 5 bucks. They got bought out though, so they're recipie is going to change here soon, as their contract to not change it for 2 years is up...  

[Animelover955]

I feed my crew TOTW(well 2 out of the 3 the puppy gets wellness CORE puppy) and love it. For one it's what I can afford, and second it's one of the only foods my boxer does well on. I just recently like two days ago purchased a bag of the new formula(the wild boar one) and my guys loved it. And right now it's costing me about $25 for a 15lb bag of food which lasts about a month with the two big dogs. It also costs me $25 instead of the full $30 because I get $5 off coupons for pet supermarket(YAY for coupons!)...

If you haven't already go to the TOTW website and send an e-mail requesting some sample bags. They are extremely generous in their samples and send you two bags of each formula.  

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Akari_32

~ Aki - Fairy ~

Both would probably be all right*. Try one for a month or so, then the other - feed the same option all the time and he'll get bored - you want to vary it a bit sometimes.


*Personally, I'm not super keen on TOTW as it's kind of high on carbs/low on proteins so far as grain free goes, and where I am at least it's no cheaper than higher protein/lower carb options like Acana. I know lots of people really seem to like and advocate it, though, and it's not a bad food by any means.

This is actually cheaper by $4 than Innova (though one less pound), and is, as far as I can gather, one of the best foods available here. I did find Oirjen (is that was it is?) but it was $20 for 5 pounds and that's just not something I can afford, with 200 pounds of big dogs to feed, as well. Theres Blue Buffalo, and something called Earthbound, I think? Blue Buffalo would be ok price wise for me, I think. I don't remember exactly how much it was. But basically, I'm looking at $10-15 a 5+ pound bag. TOTW is $12 which is good for me. The only reason I have Innova, which is $15 a 6 pound bag, is because I had a $10 off coupon, so I got it for 5 bucks. They got bought out though, so they're recipie is going to change here soon, as their contract to not change it for 2 years is up...

Here in AB, when I tried TOTW (a year or so ago), it was ~$18 for five pounds, same as Acana Prairie five and a half pounds, and a bit more of TOTW has to be fed, so really it was costing me about the same, if not more.
Orijen is maybe a couple dollars more than Acana

Earthborn's not bad, but not great. Similar in quality to Blue Buffalo (regular line) and TOTW, by the looks of it.  

[Akari_32]

Animelover955

I feed my crew TOTW(well 2 out of the 3 the puppy gets wellness CORE puppy) and love it. For one it's what I can afford, and second it's one of the only foods my boxer does well on. I just recently like two days ago purchased a bag of the new formula(the wild boar one) and my guys loved it. And right now it's costing me about $25 for a 15lb bag of food which lasts about a month with the two big dogs. It also costs me $25 instead of the full $30 because I get $5 off coupons for pet supermarket(YAY for coupons!)...

If you haven't already go to the TOTW website and send an e-mail requesting some sample bags. They are extremely generous in their samples and send you two bags of each formula.

I love coupons! LOL You know for every $4 off coupon they also have a $2 off one that you just have to look for? Comes out like 2 week after the $4 off one wink Also, PetCo, if you have one near you, does $5 off ones too. You have to google those, though, even though they are on the PetCo website.

I'll have to do that! I was just on there last night, but I was on the mobile site (only have my iPhone) and didn't see that!