Could he have an allergy to his food???

SBrewer

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Jul 2, 2015
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Pork Chop & Ribeye
Hello all. I am new to this site and was wondering if you may have any suggestions or info for me. I have two English Bulldogs Mr. Pork Chop and Mr. Ribeye. They're brothers and were born June 2010. We started off feeding them Science Diet because the vet we got them from had been feeding it to them. We changed them to Purina Pro Plan Shredded Blend (Chicken and Rice) when we could no longer find the SD formula we had been feeding them. We've also got a Black Lab, Haley, and all three of them eat it and love it.

Ribeye and Haley very rarely have problems but Pork Chop has had several ear infections, is itchy and has been waking up in the morning with a very "goopy" eye. Sometimes after he has eaten he will throw up clear mucous and some of the food he has just eaten. He's been to the vet multiple times and we are just told he has allergies and he is given drops for ears and drops for eyes but nothing really seems to cure his ailments.

Ribeye sheds ridiculously and Pork Chop sheds a lot. The other day, just for the heck of it, I decided to get online to see if there was anything out there that may help with their shedding and came across a couple of posts that hinted to me that it may be possible that some of Pork Chop's issues may be being caused by an allergy to his food.

- I never even thought about his food because he was fine on it for so long but is it possible that he could have become allergic to it 2-3 years after being put on it?

- If so are there any recommendations of food I could try to test the theory?

- I see a lot about Fromm but is there a specific formula it would be best to try first?

- I also see Salmon Oil recommended to help alleviate part of the shedding issue. Do I add this to their food or give it to them like a medicine? Should I change their food and start giving them Salmon Oil at the same time?

- If recommended to change food and then add the oil later (or vice versa) how long should I wait between these changes?

- Ideally I would like to feed all three of them the same food, however I know this is not always possible but when I change Pork Chop's food I will more than likely change Ribeye and Haley's as well. Can you tell me if the Fromm formula recommended for English Bulldogs is also good for Labs?

- I've also read that the ZoomGroom or a brush like it also helps with shedding. Is this something that will need to be used daily in order to be effective or how often would you recommend using it?

I know this is a lot but any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.
 

TyTysmom

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Nov 4, 2014
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Hi! Welcome to EBN :)

I'm definitely thinking it could be the food. Chicken & rice are the top two contributors to allergies in bulldogs. Fromms is a wonderful option. Really, anything that is "grain free - chicken free" would work best. Many here do Pork n Peas, Beef Frittata, Salmon, Lamb.... Bulldogs and any dog for that matter will do so much better on a higher quality food. So yes, your other dogs can absolutely benefit as well. Just keep in mind that you won't find these higher quality foods at your local Petsmart or Petco. You'll have to look for Natural pet food store not sure what is in your area... but on the Fromms website, if you search their providers, it will show you where you can find it.

I would do the switch gradually. Do not just switch cold turkey. Transition them over slowly each day increasing the new food, and decreasing the old. Also, I would do do the food change - see how they do on that, and then start adding other supplements. You may see that with just switching the food to a much better quality that alot of your problems disappear :)

Please keep us posted on the switch and how they do! We'd love to see some pics of all your babies!

Add: Be patient with the switch, you have to fully allow all the old food to be gone before you start seeing changes, could take at least a month or maybe more. And yes, they can develop allergies to certain foods, even after time.
[MENTION=14446]SBrewer[/MENTION]
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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Hi! Welcome to EBN :)

I'm definitely thinking it could be the food. Chicken & rice are the top two contributors to allergies in bulldogs. Fromms is a wonderful option. Really, anything that is "grain free - chicken free" would work best. Many here do Pork n Peas, Beef Frittata, Salmon, Lamb.... Bulldogs and any dog for that matter will do so much better on a higher quality food. So yes, your other dogs can absolutely benefit as well. Just keep in mind that you won't find these higher quality foods at your local Petsmart or Petco. You'll have to look for Natural pet food store not sure what is in your area... but on the Fromms website, if you search their providers, it will show you where you can find it.

I would do the switch gradually. Do not just switch cold turkey. Transition them over slowly each day increasing the new food, and decreasing the old. Also, I would do do the food change - see how they do on that, and then start adding other supplements. You may see that with just switching the food to a much better quality that alot of your problems disappear :)

Please keep us posted on the switch and how they do! We'd love to see some pics of all your babies!

Add: Be patient with the switch, you have to fully allow all the old food to be gone before you start seeing changes, could take at least a month or maybe more. And yes, they can develop allergies to certain foods, even after time.
@SBrewer


DITTO --- Jessica has given great info.... slow transition to a new food for all three of your babies. Even after many years on a food they can develop issues/allergies. I went to Fromm Beef Frittata first and then after about a year I went to Pork and Peas which was the winner for my girl
 

2bulldogsstuff

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Feb 15, 2015
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Us also switched from Costco brand to Fromm Beef Fritata to Pork and peas grain-free. So far so good


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
SBrewer

SBrewer

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Pork Chop & Ribeye
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Thank you so much for your replies. I'm sorry I'm late in responding but I set this thread up so that I would get email notifications when I had responses but never ended up seeing an email.

I've checked to see where Fromm is sold in my area and am going to run by ASAP! I'm so excited to have possibly found some help for my poor Pork Chop. (While feeling super bad that I hadn't figured this out sooner.) :(

I'm not a stranger to paying a decent amount for their food as the Pro Plan isn't exactly cheap but would still like to save a $ where possible especially since we tend to go through it fairly quickly around my house. :) I noticed that Amazon also has Fromm. Has anyone had any experience buying it on Amazon and saving any over their local suppliers?

Apparently I set my profile pic but didn't set an avatar so the pic didn't come through on my post. I've added an avatar now so I'm thinking it may come up now?? Those are the only two pics I had on my work computer when I set up my account.

I found another that is a little more recent and have attached it below. Hopefully it comes through. I'll have to get some current ones and post them. Thanks again to all of you for your help.

PC & R.jpg

Pork Chop (Fawn) Ribeye (White)
 

TyTysmom

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Nov 4, 2014
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Tyson aka "Ty-Ty"
Thank you so much for your replies. I'm sorry I'm late in responding but I set this thread up so that I would get email notifications when I had responses but never ended up seeing an email.

I've checked to see where Fromm is sold in my area and am going to run by ASAP! I'm so excited to have possibly found some help for my poor Pork Chop. (While feeling super bad that I hadn't figured this out sooner.) :(

I'm not a stranger to paying a decent amount for their food as the Pro Plan isn't exactly cheap but would still like to save a $ where possible especially since we tend to go through it fairly quickly around my house. :) I noticed that Amazon also has Fromm. Has anyone had any experience buying it on Amazon and saving any over their local suppliers?

Apparently I set my profile pic but didn't set an avatar so the pic didn't come through on my post. I've added an avatar now so I'm thinking it may come up now?? Those are the only two pics I had on my work computer when I set up my account.

I found another that is a little more recent and have attached it below. Hopefully it comes through. I'll have to get some current ones and post them. Thanks again to all of you for your help.

View attachment 88770

Pork Chop (Fawn) Ribeye (White)


Yeay! Oh man, look at those studs! That pic is great, those faces!!!

So glad you found a retailer that sells Fromms, you know I don't have any experience with Amazon & Fromms, I know a few members use Petflow :) I would try out one flavor first, see how they do on it, and then once they are doing well on it, go ahead and set up the reoccurring. (if you want it shipped) also ask the place where you are buying from, bc I know with our store, they do rewards, so once I buy 10 bags, the 11th is free, etc.

Also, just a side note once they are fully on the Fromms after transition - you will notice a change in their poop - probably a lighter color, maybe less in amount. Remember Fromms is a much higher quality food vs Purina so their bodies absorb more of the food (less waste) - you may even be able to cut back how much you feed. How much do you feed now? I would safely say 1 cup x twice a day is good.
 
OP
SBrewer

SBrewer

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Lol thanks! I kinda like 'em...

One of the retailers isn't too far off the route that my husband takes home from work so I'm going to have him run by there today if he can. I'll have him check to see if they have any kind of rewards program. That would be awesome! However, not quite as awesome as less poop! :D

I actually meant to ask about feeding schedules as well. When we got them the vet recommended we feed them once a day and that is what we stuck with. Right now we feed them each about 2 cups each per day. Usually in the evening when we have dinner. Would it be better to feed them each 1 cup twice a day instead? Is it bad to feed them only once a day? Weekdays they are left alone from about 7:30am until about 4:00pm if my step son is home otherwise about 5:30pm and I don't want to crate them but I wonder if they would be ok for that long after having eaten if they haven't pooped by the time we have to leave.
 

TyTysmom

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Nov 4, 2014
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Katy, TX
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Tyson aka "Ty-Ty"
Lol thanks! I kinda like 'em...

One of the retailers isn't too far off the route that my husband takes home from work so I'm going to have him run by there today if he can. I'll have him check to see if they have any kind of rewards program. That would be awesome! However, not quite as awesome as less poop! :D

I actually meant to ask about feeding schedules as well. When we got them the vet recommended we feed them once a day and that is what we stuck with. Right now we feed them each about 2 cups each per day. Usually in the evening when we have dinner. Would it be better to feed them each 1 cup twice a day instead? Is it bad to feed them only once a day? Weekdays they are left alone from about 7:30am until about 4:00pm if my step son is home otherwise about 5:30pm and I don't want to crate them but I wonder if they would be ok for that long after having eaten if they haven't pooped by the time we have to leave.

That's fine too - if it's been working well - stick with that. I used to also feed just once a day. I switched due to other problems with hunger & belly issues. But I would keep on as you have been :)
 
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SBrewer

SBrewer

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That's fine too - if it's been working well - stick with that. I used to also feed just once a day. I switched due to other problems with hunger & belly issues. But I would keep on as you have been :)

Ok good. I think that my husband is going to be able to go by the "Feed and Seed" today to pick up some Fromm. I'll be sure to update as we go and I'm sure I'll end up with other questions as well.

Again thank you so much.
 

brutus77

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Ok good. I think that my husband is going to be able to go by the "Feed and Seed" today to pick up some Fromm. I'll be sure to update as we go and I'm sure I'll end up with other questions as well.

Again thank you so much.
Just make sure you do a slow transition. 1/4 cup of new to 3/4 of old for a few days then gradually start changing the ratio until you have more new than old. I feed one cup twice a day due to the fact that Brutus will throw up if his tummy is empty. You may find that on a better food, you might have to feed twice a day as the better will have less fillers in it and your guys may be hungry with one feeding.
 
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SBrewer

SBrewer

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Just make sure you do a slow transition. 1/4 cup of new to 3/4 of old for a few days then gradually start changing the ratio until you have more new than old. I feed one cup twice a day due to the fact that Brutus will throw up if his tummy is empty. You may find that on a better food, you might have to feed twice a day as the better will have less fillers in it and your guys may be hungry with one feeding.

That makes sense. I will transition them over to the new food and then I will start on transitioning them over to one cup twice a day. Thanks!
 

brutus77

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That makes sense. I will transition them over to the new food and then I will start on transitioning them over to one cup twice a day. Thanks!
No problem. Good luck.
 
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SBrewer

SBrewer

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It's been two days now on 1/2cup Fromm Pork and Peas:3/4cup Purina. So far so good. They are absolutely loving it too! Both go straight to their food bowls and eat until its gone whereas they were just kind of going and eating a little and then finishing it later whenever they felt like it. I'll probably give them 1/2cup again this evening and if they continue not having any trouble I'll probably do 1/2 and 1/2 tomorrow. :)
 

Vikinggirl

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Oct 8, 2012
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Hello all. I am new to this site and was wondering if you may have any suggestions or info for me. I have two English Bulldogs Mr. Pork Chop and Mr. Ribeye. They're brothers and were born June 2010. We started off feeding them Science Diet because the vet we got them from had been feeding it to them. We changed them to Purina Pro Plan Shredded Blend (Chicken and Rice) when we could no longer find the SD formula we had been feeding them. We've also got a Black Lab, Haley, and all three of them eat it and love it.

Ribeye and Haley very rarely have problems but Pork Chop has had several ear infections, is itchy and has been waking up in the morning with a very "goopy" eye. Sometimes after he has eaten he will throw up clear mucous and some of the food he has just eaten. He's been to the vet multiple times and we are just told he has allergies and he is given drops for ears and drops for eyes but nothing really seems to cure his ailments.

Ribeye sheds ridiculously and Pork Chop sheds a lot. The other day, just for the heck of it, I decided to get online to see if there was anything out there that may help with their shedding and came across a couple of posts that hinted to me that it may be possible that some of Pork Chop's issues may be being caused by an allergy to his food.

- I never even thought about his food because he was fine on it for so long but is it possible that he could have become allergic to it 2-3 years after being put on it?

- If so are there any recommendations of food I could try to test the theory?

- I see a lot about Fromm but is there a specific formula it would be best to try first?

- I also see Salmon Oil recommended to help alleviate part of the shedding issue. Do I add this to their food or give it to them like a medicine? Should I change their food and start giving them Salmon Oil at the same time?

- If recommended to change food and then add the oil later (or vice versa) how long should I wait between these changes?

- Ideally I would like to feed all three of them the same food, however I know this is not always possible but when I change Pork Chop's food I will more than likely change Ribeye and Haley's as well. Can you tell me if the Fromm formula recommended for English Bulldogs is also good for Labs?

- I've also read that the ZoomGroom or a brush like it also helps with shedding. Is this something that will need to be used daily in order to be effective or how often would you recommend using it?

I know this is a lot but any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much.

Hi Stephanie, you are describing my guys Bulldozer and Blossom to a tee. When we picked them up from the breeder 3 years ago, they were fed Royal Canin, when I came home and read the food label, I saw that it contained a lot of corn, fillers and grains which I knew were not the greatest for dogs. I switched them to Go Natural and both of them became a mess, hives, goopy eyes, excessive paw licking which is an allergy symptom and a sign that they are itchy, they had excessive shedding, warm red ears (yeast), and loose stools. Many bullies are allergic or sensitive to chicken, and grains, which many dog foods contain including SD and Purina. Also these two food brands are not the best choices of food. They are rated at a 1 or 2 Star food on the Dog Food Ratings which can be found on the Home Page, or you can search it at the top of the page on the right. I discovered that Blossom was very allergic to chicken, and Dozer was a little sensitive, so we switched them to Fromms Salmon, and again Blossom didn't tolerate the food. We then switched to Fromms Beef Frittata, and they both did really well on this food for two years, Blossom was okay, but Dozer who had always been fine started showing many allergy symptoms, he was shedding excessively, he had goopy eyes, excessive paw licking which caused the fur on his paws to change colour, and he got yeasty ears. I switched them to Fromms Lamb and Lentil grain free and they have been on this for about a year and are doing great. I hope they continue and don't become allergic to this protein as well. Figuring out what they are allergic too is really trial and error and can be a frustrating process. You can try starting them on a bland diet of just plain boiled rice and ground beef until their symptoms subside, then choose a high quality dog food that is rated a 4 Star or better, examples of these are Fromms, Wellness, Blue Buffalo, Arcana, or Orijen
do a slow transition over two weeks when changing foods to avoid tummy upsets and diarrhea. Start with 2/3 of the of the old food mixed with 1/3 of the new food for a few days, then mix 1/2 of the old food with 1/2 of the new food for a few days, and then mix 2/3 of the new food with 1/3 of the old food, and then finally all new food. It can take up to a month to see any improvements or benefits to a food change, as it can take that long for the old food to leave their systems.
I would wait until you know they are tolerating their new food well before adding any other treats, or supplements. If you want to give them a reward or want to get them to something offer them a piece of their own kibble as a reward. Once you know that they are good on their food you can start to introduce new treats or supplements. When starting any new treat, supplement or add on always give one at a time, and wait a week to see if they show a reaction, the way you will always know which new thing caused a reaction and can eliminate it. Blossom is allergic to Salmon, so she didn't tolerate the salmon oil, I give our guys Coconut Oil for the Omega Fatty Acids. I also give them 2 Tbsps of plain unsweetened yogurt to their morning kibble, which is a good source of Probiotics which aids in digestion and boosts the immune system which helps with allergies, I also add 1 Tbsp. of apple cider vinegar to their evening kibble ( don't mix it with the yogurt as it will cause the yogurt to curdle) there are many benefits to ACV, such as its a natural anti inflammatory, and a natural anti bacterial and anti fungal, which kills the bad bacteria in your body so boosts the immune system, it also balances the Ph levels of the blood and AIDS in elimination. I also give them 1 tsp of Kelp from the perform store ,I use the Pet Kelp brand from PetValu. Kelp has all the vitamins and minerals your dog will ever need. I like all all these supplements because they are both natural and inexpensive and can be easily found at the pet food store or at a Natural or Health food store or in the Organic section of the grocery store.

I also use use the Zoom Groom brush and love it, it removes all the loose hair, and is soft and is easy to clean. The hairs don't stay on the brush. The furballs like it too, they enjoy being brushed. I always brush them after their bath which is once every two weeks and then once or twice a week in between. I hope these answers helped you out.
 

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