Help Needed! Thought I was on the right path.... ugh

DAmbra

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Sep 13, 2017
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Sumo
So, my rescue, Sumo was on beniful when I got him. I switched him over to Purina one ( lamb and rice) without knowing much about dog food to be honest. I never realized how different and unhealthy it can actually be, especially for this breed. Ive been researching for weeks on what food to go with. I decided to go with fromms after reading all the great reviews on here. I got a small bag of pork and peas after reading a lot of OEBD are allergic to chicken. I mixed his old food with the fromms to transition him slowly, about half and half. His first serving was at 430ish Sunday evening and he had his bath . His second serving at 530 Monday morning. I feed him when I leave the house and again when I get home. I came home Monday at 11 to let him out, take him outside and play on my lunch break. I noticed he was really hot feeling, his snout and eyes were really red. He also has a spot on his back where the hair is gone. (no more fromms after that point) It has gotten much better in the 2 weeks that I had him at that point. It was RED and looked to be very irritated. He had his shots 4 days before this btw. The only other thing I had done besides the food change was give him a bath with new shampoo, petology coconut water (the same Sunday he had the new food). I gave him benadryl and stopped the fromms. The severity calmed down fairly quick. Some other info (sorry im all over the place, typing on my phone) in his morning food I give him his probiotic and coconut oil. Lately also been adding a few drops of colloidal silver. In the evening he has kelp powder and a raw egg in his food. I have already been doing that for a week and a half before this incident. I just got him some omega 3 gels but want to pin down what's gong on before i keep adding. I just don't want him to miss out on what he needs.
I'm not sure where to go from here. Looking back his snout has always been a little pink and not sure if that's normal. I go to a specialty pet store, spend a decent amount of money to get the good stuff and it gets worse. :( if he's already allergic to what he's eating how do I figure out if the new stuff I get him is the issue while transitioning? Should I stop everything while trying to figure out the food part? I read about a vegan diet for dogs but it seems like that would be lacking, I could be totally off, just don't know enough about it. Not sure if that would help anything.
He licks his paws and itches quite often. His coat and bald spots have gotten better but it seems like the other allergies have become worse.
Looking for guidance, just want my guy to be happy and healthy.

***Little update**** Just to test and know 100% I put a very small amount of the fromms pork and peas in his food this morning. The "spot" on his back became very red again.

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Here are pics if now and 1st day I got him
 

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Vikinggirl

Norwegian Rose
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Oct 8, 2012
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So, my rescue, Sumo was on beniful when I got him. I switched him over to Purina one ( lamb and rice) without knowing much about dog food to be honest. I never realized how different and unhealthy it can actually be, especially for this breed. Ive been researching for weeks on what food to go with. I decided to go with fromms after reading all the great reviews on here. I got a small bag of pork and peas after reading a lot of OEBD are allergic to chicken. I mixed his old food with the fromms to transition him slowly, about half and half. His first serving was at 430ish Sunday evening and he had his bath . His second serving at 530 Monday morning. I feed him when I leave the house and again when I get home. I came home Monday at 11 to let him out, take him outside and play on my lunch break. I noticed he was really hot feeling, his snout and eyes were really red. He also has a spot on his back where the hair is gone. It has gotten much better in the 2 weeks that I had him at that point. It was RED and looked to be very irritated. He had his shots 4 days before this btw. The only other thing I had done besides the food change was give him a bath with new shampoo, petology coconut water (the same Sunday he had the new food). I gave him benadryl and stopped the fromms. The severity calmed down fairly quick. Some other info (sorry im all over the place, typing on my phone) in his morning food I give him his probiotic and coconut oil. Lately also been adding a few drops of colloidal silver. In the evening he has kelp powder and a raw egg in his food. I have already been doing that for a week and a half before this incident. I just got him some omega 3 gels but want to pin down what's gong on before i keep adding. I just don't want him to miss out on what he needs.
I'm not sure where to go from here. Looking back his snout has always been a little pink and not sure if that's normal. I go to a specialty pet store, spend a decent amount of money to get the good stuff and it gets worse. :( if he's already allergic to what he's eating how do I figure out if the new stuff I get him is the issue while transitioning? Should I stop everything while trying to figure out the food part? I read about a vegan diet for dogs but it seems like that would be lacking, I could be totally off, just don't know enough about it. Not sure if that would help anything.
He licks his paws and itches quite often. His coat and bald spots have gotten better but it seems like the other allergies have become worse.
Looking for guidance, just want my guy to be happy and healthy.



View attachment 108500View attachment 108501




Here are pics if now and 1st day I got him

I am so sorry you're going through this, my male is allergic to 7 proteins so I know the struggle of finding a food that they tolerate. I will answer your post tomorrow, since it's 2:30 in the morning here, and I'm off to bed. I have lots of information and advice I can share with you, but need time to type it.
 

Momma2Bullies

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Hi - both of my dogs have complete allergies to animal proteins. After a couple of years with trial and error of basically every kind of dog food, i finally found success with a vet diet of hydrolyzed plant-based protein food. Royal Canin Vet diet HP, kibble and wet food (so you can only buy it at vets). It is a little pricier than store brands, but the money saved on constant rounds of antibiotics and vet visits is worth it. There are definitely other options, and I am sure you will get a lot of suggestions here! Anyway that is what has worked for my dogs :)
 

helsonwheels

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[MENTION=17589]DAmbra[/MENTION] have you tried every single protein one by one for minimum 2 weeks? Like most members would agree never give your pets RC. All grains n fillers even feathers! The issues with RC will be down the road. Why prep any pet for later issues. There are other suggestions out there. Raw n Honest Kitchen are 2 great suggestions. But if it's not feasible, try one protein per bag so you can eliminate the hit list. Stick to a quality kibble like Acana or Fromm. Yesterday Duke my little white face was exactly like yours. Red all around his mouth n eyes. All white face dogs tends to get more red than others cause of it's pigmentation. I recall asking that same question when I got Duke. Yesterday I gave him a big serving of beef. He turned red within a couple hours. So now im testing beef. He does well on duck n lamb. The thing is that we all want a magic pill to cure our puppies even ourselves. But there isnt one. If you're giving him all sorts you will get off track and wont know what worked or not cause it's given all at the same time. Go by steps and record it if you need to. And dont forget, when our fur balls gets shots, they can have reactions. Duke is almost finish his shots but I NEVER have him get all of then together. One at a time is my moto. Do your steps so you'll know what to remove from his diet.
 
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DAmbra

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No, I've only had him 3 weeks.
What is RC?
I Got him off the Beneful as quick as I could. Went to Purina one lamb from there then Fromms Pork. Im thinking he's allergic to both lamb and pork. That leaves me stumped as where to go from there. If I slowly transition how will I know if he is allergic to the new food if he is already allergic to his old? Do I just make sure it doesn't get worse?
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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No, I've only had him 3 weeks.
What is RC?
I Got him off the Beneful as quick as I could. Went to Purina one lamb from there then Fromms Pork. Im thinking he's allergic to both lamb and pork. That leaves me stumped as where to go from there. If I slowly transition how will I know if he is allergic to the new food if he is already allergic to his old? Do I just make sure it doesn't get worse?

if you are on Fromm and think it is the food.... try the beef frittata. It is single protein and you do not need to slow transition. Also, do not give any other treats till you know what the issue is... so use just the kibble as a treat.
 
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DAmbra

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if you are on Fromm and think it is the food.... try the beef frittata. It is single protein and you do not need to slow transition. Also, do not give any other treats till you know what the issue is... so use just the kibble as a treat.

He only had the Fromm for 2 meals before I pulled it so he never fully got off the Purina. In that case I do need to transition correct ?
 

oscarmayer

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I put very little importance in transitioning foods when the subject is having problems. If the new food causes loose stool for a few days, a week, no biggie. Like has been said, introduce foods with a single protein until you get no reaction. RC= Royal Canin...not particularly good food, IMO. But some have had good luck with it. Vets often recommend Hills and RC scrip diets because they get perks...not because it is the best choice. Too many Vets notoriously have too little knowledge of nutrition in pet foods.
Also, when bathing, be sure to rinse rinse rinse. And avoid any shampoos with heavy perfumes. We use Baby shampoos, medicated shampoos and even Dawn Dish liquid for our extra greasy models. Rinse rinse rinse.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
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He only had the Fromm for 2 meals before I pulled it so he never fully got off the Purina. In that case I do need to transition correct ?

Like Chip... i tend to not slow transition either, it can cause upset belly and poops, but usually it is only the first or second day. Give some pure pumpkin to lessen impact f you choose not to slow transition


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

helsonwheels

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No, I've only had him 3 weeks.
What is RC?
I Got him off the Beneful as quick as I could. Went to Purina one lamb from there then Fromms Pork. Im thinking he's allergic to both lamb and pork. That leaves me stumped as where to go from there. If I slowly transition how will I know if he is allergic to the new food if he is already allergic to his old? Do I just make sure it doesn't get worse?


RC=Royal Canin. Big no no

Like [MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] just mentioned, stick to Fromm. Must of misread you had him 3 weeks only.
Take your time as ive mentioned n write all down. You're going to understand more your dog. Like kids!
 

Dollys Owner

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I would try a limited ingredient food with a new protein you haven't tried before.

In my opinion, preferably raw, since it seems to cause less allergies. You can buy ground raw patties from local farms around you that meets the Prey Model diet of 80% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 5% liver, and 5% other secreting organ. Keep it frozen until serving to kill any parasites.

Or you can try, like I do, a dehydrated raw diet such as Honest Kitchen Marvel (turkey and parsnip).

If you want to stay with kibble an example of a single protein line would be the Acana Singles Line which includes lamb and apple, duck and pear etc.
 

aprilemari

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And don't get discouraged because pork and lamb may not be ok. Lots of fish based foods, bison, turkey, chicken, game, boar, venison. One of ours eats only boar as the protein, the other we switch between duck and beef (raw).
 
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DAmbra

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And don't get discouraged because pork and lamb may not be ok. Lots of fish based foods, bison, turkey, chicken, game, boar, venison. One of ours eats only boar as the protein, the other we switch between duck and beef (raw).

Im trying the zignature duck, so far so good. Snout is still a little pink, only put half a cup in last night and this morning. Stopped everything else besides the probiotic for now. Keeping my fingers crossed.
Thank yall for the advice:)
 

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