Food Allergies

[ArkRescue]

The vet and the groomer both think my dog has allergies and most likely it's to food. He used to eat Science Diet (briefly) and that stuff gave him gas really bad. When I switched him over to Flint River Ranch (regular formula) he didn't have gas anymore but he is still showing signs of having an allergic reaction via skin inflammation and inflamed ears (inside).

So I switched him to the Flint River Ranch Lamb & Millet (L&M). As I was running out I grabbed a bag of Rachael Ray's dog food and mixed it into the L & M until I could get more L & M. Well his skin inflammation became worse. Anyway, I was told I need to use the L & M food for 3 months to see if his allergies calm down.

I spoke to the groomer at Petsmart today after he was done and she said that Corn and Wheat are common allergens for dogs. Anyone familiar with this type of allergy? It causes his skin to be inflamed, he itches, and it also makes him stink.

 

[Macluvr]

The vet and the groomer both think my dog has allergies and most likely it's to food. He used to eat Science Diet (briefly) and that stuff gave him gas really bad. When I switched him over to Flint River Ranch (regular formula) he didn't have gas anymore but he is still showing signs of having an allergic reaction via skin inflammation and inflamed ears (inside).

So I switched him to the Flint River Ranch Lamb & Millet (L&M). As I was running out I grabbed a bag of Rachael Ray's dog food and mixed it into the L & M until I could get more L & M. Well his skin inflammation became worse. Anyway, I was told I need to use the L & M food for 3 months to see if his allergies calm down.

I spoke to the groomer at Petsmart today after he was done and she said that Corn and Wheat are common allergens for dogs. Anyone familiar with this type of allergy? It causes his skin to be inflamed, he itches, and it also makes him stink.

Yes! We had a pug that was allergic to corn and wheat, so we had to start feeding him venison and rice that we had to cook up, you can also just try lean hamburger and rice or chicken and rice. It worked like a charm. He no longer itched and no longer smelled like a dirty, stinky man shoe.

 

[Cowgirl]

There are lots of grain free dog foods out there. Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, and Evo are good ones and fairly easy to find.

 

[remaxrealtor]

There are lots of grain free dog foods out there. Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, and Evo are good ones and fairly easy to find.

Mine is allergic as well and has done well on natural balance, they have an allergy specific formula...good luck to you and pup!

 

[ArkRescue]

The smell is awful and I will be happy when he gets better. I'll keep him on the FRR Lamb & Millet for a while to see if that helps and if not will try something else. The food says:

Flint River Ranch's Lamb, Millet & Rice oven-baked food is specially formulated for dogs with sensitive stomachs and/or food allergies...so your food-sensitive dogs can enjoy the benefits of our super premium foods, too!

So that's why I picked that one to try on him as he does seem to also have a sensitive stomach.

Yes! We had a pug that was allergic to corn and wheat, so we had to start feeding him venison and rice that we had to cook up, you can also just try lean hamburger and rice or chicken and rice. It worked like a charm. He no longer itched and no longer smelled like a dirty, stinky man shoe.

 

[ArkRescue]

PS - the ingredients list is in this paragraph I just copied:

Flint River Ranch's Lamb, Millet & Rice oven-baked food is specially formulated for dogs with sensitive stomachs and/or food allergies...so your food-sensitive dogs can enjoy the benefits of our super premium foods, too! Our protein source includes Lamb and Menhaden Fish, and the grains includes ground whole millet, whole rice and rice bran. This formula contains no Wheat, no Corn and no Chicken. As with all Flint River Ranch formulas Lamb Meal, Millet & Rice food contains only high-quality, all-natural ingredients without fillers, by-products or chemical preservatives. To aid your sensitive pup's digestion, this formula also contains probiotics and digestive enzymes to aid in food digestion and nutrient absorption.

 

[cattitude]

You are a distributor of Flint Hill Ranch dog food?

 

[ArkRescue]

Was looking at some of the prices in Petsmart earlier for some of the premium foods - yikes $49 for a bag of dog food? It better be REALLY good.

I prefer to find a bagged food than make food myself so I really hope the current food helps him. Oh the groomer said Benadryl would help him for now but a friend told me to get Chlortabs instead as it's a different type of histamine blocker. I feel bad him being so itchy.

There are lots of grain free dog foods out there. Taste of the Wild, Natural Balance, and Evo are good ones and fairly easy to find.

 

[cattitude]

Was looking at some of the prices in Petsmart earlier for some of the premium foods - yikes $49 for a bag of dog food? It better be REALLY good.

I prefer to find a bagged food than make food myself so I really hope the current food helps him. Oh the groomer said Benadryl would help him for now but a friend told me to get Chlortabs instead as it's a different type of histamine blocker. I feel bad him being so itchy.

Give him a salmon oil capsule (or fish oil) with his food, it's very good for their skin. Acidolphilus is great for helping with gas..it keeps the intestinal bacteria balanced...just add a capsule of acidolphilus to his food too. You also need to keep the carbohydrate percentage very low.

 

[cattitude]

Was looking at some of the prices in Petsmart earlier for some of the premium foods - yikes $49 for a bag of dog food? It better be REALLY good.

I prefer to find a bagged food than make food myself so I really hope the current food helps him. Oh the groomer said Benadryl would help him for now but a friend told me to get Chlortabs instead as it's a different type of histamine blocker. I feel bad him being so itchy.

Petsmart doesn't really have many very good foods and their prices are very high. Peppers Pet Pantry in Solomons carries better choices and the prices are good, better than Petco for better quality food.

 

[frequentflier]

Petsmart doesn't really have many very good foods and their prices are very high. Peppers Pet Pantry in Solomons carries better choices and the prices are good, better than Petco for better quality food.

We recently started carring Taste of the Wild; it is similar to EVO but is lower in protein and is less expensive. Stop in for samples.

 

[Cowgirl]

We recently started carring Taste of the Wild; it is similar to EVO but is lower in protein and is less expensive. Stop in for samples.

I love TOTW! For the dogs, I mean.

 

[ArkRescue]

Yup that's why I tried the L & M on him, but was looking in Petsmart in case there was a lower priced alternative, and wondered what others used for allergies.

I may be dropping the distributorship as it costs me money and without enough customers it's not worth the expense of buying literature and paying membership dues.

You are a distributor of Flint Hill Ranch dog food?

 

[ArkRescue]

About how much does it run per pound? The FRR runs approx. $1.60 a lb which isn't bad but I have been comparing the quality foods vs. price per pound.

I recently switched away from the FRR cat food as it's around $2 a pound now. I have some Meow Mix Wholesome Goodness (not bad quality and a little over $1 a pound) and was planning to try TOTW also to mix in.

We recently started carring Taste of the Wild; it is similar to EVO but is lower in protein and is less expensive. Stop in for samples.

 

[Dupontster]

I have a black lab that has a very sensitive stomach....He can't have any beef at all...We buy ground turkey and cook it and mix it with rice...He loves it and it doesn't cause any stomach problems...He doesn't have any rashes but his ears itch inside all the time...He rattles his head until I think it's going to come off sometimes...His ears are checked and cleaned all the time but they still itch...Wonder if I switched his diet to something else like the TOTW or L&M or Flint River it would help his itching...

 

[ArkRescue]

My dog has inflamed ears also (digs in them so much poor thing) and the last time I took him to the vet I was given Optibiotic to put in his ears which doesn't seem to help, and the prior ear med didn't either and prior to that he was on Prednisone (sp?).

I'll let you know if the FRR L & M seems to help in the coming weeks/months. I gave him his first dose of Chlortabs ($3 for 100 at Walmart) a couple hours ago. I hope that helps him in the short term.

When people make food for their pets, do they also give multivitamins to fill in the nutrients they are not getting that are added to pet foods?

I have a black lab that has a very sensitive stomach....He can't have any beef at all...We buy ground turkey and cook it and mix it with rice...He loves it and it doesn't cause any stomach problems...He doesn't have any rashes but his ears itch inside all the time...He rattles his head until I think it's going to come off sometimes...His ears are checked and cleaned all the time but they still itch...Wonder if I switched his diet to something else like the TOTW or L&M or Flint River it would help his itching...

 

[cattitude]

I have a black lab that has a very sensitive stomach....He can't have any beef at all...We buy ground turkey and cook it and mix it with rice...He loves it and it doesn't cause any stomach problems...He doesn't have any rashes but his ears itch inside all the time...He rattles his head until I think it's going to come off sometimes...His ears are checked and cleaned all the time but they still itch...Wonder if I switched his diet to something else like the TOTW or L&M or Flint River it would help his itching...

I'm betting it's a yeast problem. You might want to change up his diet. If all he's eating is turkey and rice, he's not really getting any vitamins that he needs.

You can use white vinegar to clean out his ears. Also, you can give him two "good-size" tablespoons of plain, fat-free yogurt or an acidolphilus capsule in his food (or both). This will help balance the bacteria and will stop the overproduction of the yeasty bacteria.

 

[Dupontster]

I'm betting it's a yeast problem. You might want to change up his diet. If all he's eating is turkey and rice, he's not really getting any vitamins that he needs.

You can use white vinegar to clean out his ears. Also, you can give him two "good-size" tablespoons of plain, fat-free yogurt or an acidolphilus capsule in his food (or both). This will help balance the bacteria and will stop the overproduction of the yeasty bacteria.

Thanks...I'll give that a try....

 

[ArkRescue]

Let us know how the white vinegar works. So far I've given several doses of the Chlortabs and he's still scratching ......

Thanks...I'll give that a try....

 

[Dupontster]

Let us know how the white vinegar works. So far I've given several doses of the Chlortabs and he's still scratching ......

He hates yogurt and will not eat it...
Mixed it in with turkey and it's all gone....