My dog's are horribly sick with allergies that are still a mystery to the 20+ vets I've seen so I've decided to try a more hollistic approach and was wondering if anyone else has tried this or had any luck with something else?

On Fri, 3 Feb 2012 18:34:55 +0000, Manda
wrote:


My dog's are horribly sick with allergies that are still a mystery to
the 20+ vets I've seen so I've decided to try a more hollistic approach
and was wondering if anyone else has tried this or had any luck with
something else?

Again, what are you feeding your dogs? You don't say what you mean by
"more holistic approach", so it's difficult for people to answer that.
Jo suggests seeing a dermatologist for evaluation for possible food
allergies. I agree that food allergy is likely, but testing for
canine food allergies is still, as far as I know, unreliable at best.
I have fed my dogs a raw diet for a couple of years now with very good
results - am certainly not a raw feeding zealot and don't claim that
it cures or avoids all ills - but in this situation that would be my
suggestion. If not that, look closely at what you're feeding and
evaluate for quality and possible sensitivities. You can throw all
kinds of additives into the mix, but they're not going to help if the
food is the problem.

sighthounds & siberians wrote in rec.pets.dogs.health:

On Fri, 3 Feb 2012 18:34:55 +0000, Manda
wrote:


My dog's are horribly sick with allergies that are still a mystery
to the 20+ vets I've seen so I've decided to try a more hollistic
approach and was wondering if anyone else has tried this or had any
luck with something else?

Again, what are you feeding your dogs? You don't say what you mean by
"more holistic approach", so it's difficult for people to answer that.
Jo suggests seeing a dermatologist for evaluation for possible food
allergies. I agree that food allergy is likely, but testing for
canine food allergies is still, as far as I know, unreliable at best.
I have fed my dogs a raw diet for a couple of years now with very good
results - am certainly not a raw feeding zealot and don't claim that
it cures or avoids all ills - but in this situation that would be my
suggestion. If not that, look closely at what you're feeding and
evaluate for quality and possible sensitivities. You can throw all
kinds of additives into the mix, but they're not going to help if the
food is the problem.

Agreed. I have a friend who's dog has what to me seemed extremely odd.
A meat allergy. She has to feed him vegetarian.

I have 2 dogs with grain alleries (one not radical but will get ear
infections fast on grain and one radical who's fur was gone off her
belly and it was cracking and bleeding over it when we got her).

What the person is feeding now is essential knowledge if you want
advice.

Bags of dog food that just say 'holistic' are generally pretty crappy
food at a high price charged to make you 'think' they are good stuff.

--

And a number of folks I've known who have fed raw have claimed that they
could feed their dogs meats that they previously, with commercial foods,
seemed to be allergic too. This suggests that it may not have been the
meat or grains at all, but some other ingredient(s) besides the meat
and/or grains..... or dyes, soy, or preservatives.... the things we look
for first.

I suggested the dermatologist/allergist because they've seen it all and
could have some ideas that could be helpful.... specific supplements,
etc. And yes, testing for food allergies is largely useless, it's so
inaccurate.

The OP also doesn't say whether they tried an elimination diet.... or
"exotic" ingredient foods... like kangaroo, moose, emu, ostrich,
rabbit....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

Thanks guys! That's good to know about the allergy testing because that was going to be the next step.
They're currently on a home made diet, consisting of pureed fresh fruits and veggies and about %75 meats, so far mostly fish because the chicken necks and hearts as well as liver doesn't seem to be getting digested well. We have tried a couple of 'weird to eat animals' before switching to a home made diet with the worst results I've had so far.
The elimination diet was a little better at first but after a few months of it they started getting consistently worse. We even moved in hopes that it was mold or something in their environment causing it.
That would make so much sense for it to be an additive or something to the dry dog food.
I would like to feed them a deer my cousin hunted, could anyone recommend good veggies to put with it or how it should be prepared? I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to cook it or not... I've been a vegetarian since I was a little kid, so my first meat cooking experience was a few weeks ago.... It turns out Google is not a good way to try to figure that out...

Thanks guys! That's good to know about the allergy testing because that was going to be the next step.
They're currently on a home made diet, consisting of pureed fresh fruits and veggies and about %75 meats, so far mostly fish because the chicken necks and hearts as well as liver doesn't seem to be getting digested well. We have tried a couple of 'weird to eat animals' before switching to a home made diet with the worst results I've had so far.
The elimination diet was a little better at first but after a few months of it they started getting consistently worse. We even moved in hopes that it was mold or something in their environment causing it.
That would make so much sense for it to be an additive or something to the dry dog food.
I would like to feed them a deer my cousin hunted, could anyone recommend good veggies to put with it or how it should be prepared? I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to cook it or not... I've been a vegetarian since I was a little kid, so my first meat cooking experience was a few weeks ago.... It turns out Google is not a good way to try to figure that out...

On Feb 4, 5:18*pm, "cshenk" wrote:
sighthounds & siberians wrote in rec.pets.dogs.health:









On Fri, 3 Feb 2012 18:34:55 +0000, Manda
wrote:

My dog's are horribly sick with allergies that are still a mystery
to the 20+ vets I've seen so I've decided to try a more hollistic
approach and was wondering if anyone else has tried this or had any
luck with something else?

Again, what are you feeding your dogs? *You don't say what you mean by
"more holistic approach", so it's difficult for people to answer that.
Jo suggests seeing a dermatologist for evaluation for possible food
allergies. *I agree that food allergy is likely, but testing for
canine food allergies is still, as far as I know, unreliable at best.
I have fed my dogs a raw diet for a couple of years now with very good
results - am certainly not a raw feeding zealot and don't claim that
it cures or avoids all ills - but in this situation that would be my
suggestion. *If not that, look closely at what you're feeding and
evaluate for quality and possible sensitivities. *You can throw all
kinds of additives into the mix, but they're not going to help if the
food is the problem.

Agreed. *I have a friend who's dog has what to me seemed extremely odd.
A meat allergy. *She has to feed him vegetarian.

Dogs can be allergic to certain meats but by switching proteins you
can find some that they aren't allergic to. She does not *have* to
feed him vegetarian. A dog is not able to digest vegetables, they
don't have the stomach acids to get the nutrition from them so it's
very likely that dog is malnourished.

On Feb 3, 1:34*pm, Manda wrote:
My dog's are horribly sick with allergies that are still a mystery to
the 20+ vets I've seen so I've decided to try a more hollistic approach
and was wondering if anyone else has tried this or had any luck with
something else?

--
Manda

Switching to a raw diet allows you to feed one single ingredient and
so find out if there are allergies to that ingredient. After a few
weeks on that one protien you simply add a second one and see how that
goes. Then add another and another. It could not be any easier.

Cyndi

How did your dog get those skin irritations? Are you sure they are from allergies?

Manda wrote in rec.pets.dogs.health:


Jo Wolf;385142 Wrote:
And a number of folks I've known who have fed raw have claimed that
they
could feed their dogs meats that they previously, with commercial
foods,
seemed to be allergic too. This suggests that it may not have been
the meat or grains at all, but some other ingredient(s) besides the
meat and/or grains..... or dyes, soy, or preservatives.... the
things we look
for first.

I suggested the dermatologist/allergist because they've seen it all
and could have some ideas that could be helpful.... specific
supplements, etc. And yes, testing for food allergies is largely
useless, it's so inaccurate.

The OP also doesn't say whether they tried an elimination diet....
or "exotic" ingredient foods... like kangaroo, moose, emu, ostrich,
rabbit....

Jo Wolf
Martinez, Georgia, USA

Thanks guys! That's good to know about the allergy testing because
that was going to be the next step.
They're currently on a home made diet, consisting of pureed fresh
fruits and veggies and about %75 meats, so far mostly fish because
the chicken necks and hearts as well as liver doesn't seem to be
getting digested well. We have tried a couple of 'weird to eat
animals' before switching to a home made diet with the worst results
I've had so far. The elimination diet was a little better at first
but after a few months of it they started getting consistently worse.
We even moved in hopes that it was mold or something in their
environment causing it. That would make so much sense for it to be
an additive or something to the dry dog food.
I would like to feed them a deer my cousin hunted, could anyone
recommend good veggies to put with it or how it should be prepared?
I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to cook it or not... I've been a
vegetarian since I was a little kid, so my first meat cooking
experience was a few weeks ago.... It turns out Google is not a good
way to try to figure that out...

Hi Manda, Dogs dont need fruits and unless there is a problem, their
veggies needs are fairly minimal. The deer would be fed raw but they
need the instrines and organs and such as a part of it (not all, that
will make them sick).


--