pcchenard

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Dec 31, 2013
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Lola McWigglebutt, Bruno (1996-2007)
Has anyone tried the VitaHound Supplement to get rid of food allergies? They make some pretty bold claims, but I'm getting desperate. My almost 1.5 yr old Bulldog Lola has pretty bad food allergies and I have tried several different foods as well as coconut oil with no improvement what so ever. Although the coconut oil did give her a nice shinny coat, it didn't help with the inflamed skin. If anyone has any experience with this VitaHound supplement I would like to hear from you.

My vet is recommending trying Hill's Prescription z/d Ultra Allergen Free dog food. It uses only hydrolyzed chicken proteins so the dogs body won't seem them as normal proteins and won't have an immune response. At least that is the claim.
 

bullmama

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Looks like they are trying to copy Nuvet plus, I would ask them where they source their ingredients - as Nuvet is all from USA.

Edit: was looking closer at the ingredients and while some are the same as nuvet many are different, or not included.
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TyTysmom

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Nov 4, 2014
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Tyson aka "Ty-Ty"
Has anyone tried the VitaHound Supplement to get rid of food allergies? They make some pretty bold claims, but I'm getting desperate. My almost 1.5 yr old Bulldog Lola has pretty bad food allergies and I have tried several different foods as well as coconut oil with no improvement what so ever. Although the coconut oil did give her a nice shinny coat, it didn't help with the inflamed skin. If anyone has any experience with this VitaHound supplement I would like to hear from you.

My vet is recommending trying Hill's Prescription z/d Ultra Allergen Free dog food. It uses only hydrolyzed chicken proteins so the dogs body won't seem them as normal proteins and won't have an immune response. At least that is the claim.

Personal opinion here - but I would stay clear away from Hill's or any prescription food as they aren't the best quality. Bad bad food. Just read the ingredients. Ekkkk. Few questions, when you were trying different foods, did you read all the specific ingredients in each one? Many foods have more than one protein regardless of the name. So even if its called "Beef Tenderloin" - you may find that it also contains chicken, chicken fat, pork meal, etc. My suggestion would be to find a food with one single protein to start. Preferably not chicken as chicken tends to be a big allergen for bullies. Natures Variety makes a grain free line, that is super limited. It has no chicken, no grain, no dairy, no eggs, no beef, no fish. I would try maybe the turkey or lamb. Duck is very rich, but it's up to you. Fromms also has single proteins (Pork & Peas) is one... there may be others, just read every single item listed in the ingredients, that is key!!

As for the supplements, I'd go with Nuvet, but maybe wait until you find a good food. You could also try some local honey for allergies if they are environmental, or even benadryl. Sometimes its hard to distinguish the exact cause - be it food or environmental, but going back to basic, very limited will really help you determine it best. Don't combine too many things at once, bc then you'll never know what is triggering the reactions. So if she has treats as well, maybe find some with the same protein as well, or temporarily stop giving them during the trial. Also give the trial at least at a month or more, you need all the prior food to completely work its way out of her system.

Best of luck to you - keep us posted on any progress!
 
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pcchenard

pcchenard

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Lola McWigglebutt, Bruno (1996-2007)
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All of the foods I have tried have all been high quality foods rated 4 stars or better on DogFoodAdvisory. I'd have to find my notes to list which ones I have tried though to see how many were a one protein food because I can't remember. But none of the different foods have helped.

She takes benadryl 2-3 times every day. I have tried eliminating fabric softeners from the wash when doing her bedding. I have tried changing her bedding materials. She never gets human food or treats of any kind, only whatever kibble she is on at that time. I just had to take her into the vet because she was developing a staff infection. Then she ended up having an allergic reaction to the Keflex medication which looked like she was stung by a thousand bees which required an IV steroid to alleviate. I'm at my wits end and going broke in the process.
 

icyjay

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pepper
My 4yr old female also suffers from food allergies, my father is a Vegan and feeds his dog V-Dog brand food with good results. I have put pepper on V-Dog for 2 months now and she has done very well on it so far.

Has anyone tried the VitaHound Supplement to get rid of food allergies? They make some pretty bold claims, but I'm getting desperate. My almost 1.5 yr old Bulldog Lola has pretty bad food allergies and I have tried several different foods as well as coconut oil with no improvement what so ever. Although the coconut oil did give her a nice shinny coat, it didn't help with the inflamed skin. If anyone has any experience with this VitaHound supplement I would like to hear from you.

My vet is recommending trying Hill's Prescription z/d Ultra Allergen Free dog food. It uses only hydrolyzed chicken proteins so the dogs body won't seem them as normal proteins and won't have an immune response. At least that is the claim.
 

TyTysmom

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Nov 4, 2014
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[MENTION=10711]pcchenard[/MENTION] I know how frustrating it can be. Maybe try something other than kibble? V-dog is kibble but vegan. Then there's The Honest Kitchen, or even Raw. I know that [MENTION=8859]Marine91[/MENTION] - feeds THK and his Harlea has done wonderful on it. We've tried it as well, just the bases - Tyson loves it, we still do kibble but add that as well from time to time. I hope you find the right combo soon!! Your definitely a great bully parent for doing all this, trust me when I say I feel your pain on the expense ... I think I have at least 8-10 bags of dog food to take to a shelter from all our trials.


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pcchenard

pcchenard

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Dec 31, 2013
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Lola McWigglebutt, Bruno (1996-2007)
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@pcchenard I know how frustrating it can be. Maybe try something other than kibble? V-dog is kibble but vegan. Then there's The Honest Kitchen, or even Raw. I know that @Marine91 - feeds THK and his Harlea has done wonderful on it. We've tried it as well, just the bases - Tyson loves it, we still do kibble but add that as well from time to time. I hope you find the right combo soon!! Your definitely a great bully parent for doing all this, trust me when I say I feel your pain on the expense ... I think I have at least 8-10 bags of dog food to take to a shelter from all our trials.


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Thanks for the suggestion, but THK food is WAY out of my price range. That is crazy expensive.
 

bullmama

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Thanks for the suggestion, but THK food is WAY out of my price range. That is crazy expensive.

I think because you add water a small bag goes a long way, I've tried the grandma Lucy's and for 1 cup of mix I added the same amount of water.



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pcchenard

pcchenard

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Dec 31, 2013
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Michigan
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Lola McWigglebutt, Bruno (1996-2007)
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A 10lb box of THK is $95. According to the attached feeding guide that would only last a 40lb dog about 30 days. That's almost 3 times as much as a good quality kibble.

thkfeeding.JPG
 

JerryFarmGuy

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Mar 19, 2015
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Tanks
I'm a long time dog owner however new to this forum and Bulldogs. I have been actively searching for info to help our dog we recently rescued. He is a bulldog around 4 years old and has some type of chronic rash on his belly. We actually met one of the founders from Vitahound at their booth during a Horse Show in Arizona, apparently their experience in creating specialized diets for their horse breading operation lead them to the Vitahound dog supplement formulation. Our new dog named Tanks has been on it for almost 4 weeks and the rash is disappearing. I will continue to use the supplement, however I would really like to find a dog food that does not create the issue to start. Our other dogs, 2 terriers have been eating Blue Buffalo without a problem and although Tanks had the rash when we got him I'm hoping there are suggestion for a food that may also help.
 

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