Trip to the Dermatologist

[Shahster]

Hello everyone,

Otis has been battling interdigitial cysts/redness in his paws and other skin issues since...forever. So July 17th, I switched him to the raw diet, redness and cysts were gone, but now he's itchy on his stomach. My vet suggested I see a dermatologist to resolve his paw issues (she also suggested feeding him Iams kangaroo and oat food, which I declined). I finally got an appointment and went (today). All I was really looking for was an allergy test to see what food/environmental issues he had. Apparently it's not that easy, they said the test they want to do (which I would have to do within the next couple of weeks), wouldn't be able to test for food allergies AND would cost close to 5000....so I declined that.

Then somehow we decided to do a food trial.....bringing us back to the stupid IAMS kangaroo and oat. I never agreed to feeding him that, but they somehow got me home with a bag of it. And eventually they want me to try feeding him the food I was feeding him before (Royal Canin, FROMM, and FirstMate). I really don't think it's a good thing to be mixing around his food on him, and I especially don't want to be feeding him IAMS or Royal Canin. Especially since Otis cannot tolerate grains. I also got the lovely lecture of how I should be cooking his food and how dangerous raw diet is for dogs.

Has anyone else had to do a food trial like this? Is it worth it? I really do not want to feed the poor guy that crappy food. Why do they push it so much?


They also said he has a lot of bacteria and yeast on his face (which I determined a week ago by my usual vet). So they sent me home with shampoo, ear drops, and a flush for his tail pocket.




PS- Feel free to move this to the food forum, I wasn't sure where it belonged.

 

[LynnA]

Can't your regular vet do an allergy test, mine did and it cost approx. $300.00 - test was for food and environmental. I personally would not want to do the food switch either, what do you feed him now? I do grain free taste of wild. My Otis was allergic to beef, rice, soy, wheat, peanut butter, house flies, grass, pollen etc etc

 

[Shahster]

I had originally asked my vet, they said the results wouldn't be accurate which is why they suggested the dermatologist.

I feed him raw food. I've been looking at different kibble but I'm just not sure what to feed him.

 

[dolphin]

I've tagged a couple of experts on food they should be along soon. I'm sorry they sold you on IAMS crap, might as well gave you a bag of potato chips and sent you home. Right now I'm using Fromms grain free pork & peas and it has worked wonders for Buster along with Salmon oil. Sorry Otis is going thru all of this and $5000 for a test is abominable!!

 

[Shahster]

I've tagged a couple of experts on food they should be along soon. I'm sorry they sold you on IAMS crap, might as well gave you a bag of potato chips and sent you home. Right now I'm using Fromms grain free pork & peas and it has worked wonders for Buster along with Salmon oil. Sorry Otis is going thru all of this and $5000 for a test is abominable!!

Thank you very much. They were very sneaky about the IAMS. I didn't know I agreed to it until they brought it over to me when I was paying! I'm feeding him raw pork, along with the salmon oil and he's doing fine....minus the itching. Otis was on FROMM pork and peas, but his paws were so red (and he got a cysts) so I stopped.

I sort of want to do the food trial, just to see what he reacts too. But then again, we don't know if it's environmental or the food itself. Does anyone think it's a bad idea for me NOT to do the food trial? How do I let the vet know I'm not feeding him that IAMS stuff?



I'm not objecting to going back to kibble at all. I just want whatever is best to get rid of the issues. Plus, if all the stuff they sent me home with (stuff to bathe him with, flush his tail pocket out, ect) stops the itching....why would I feed him crappy food?

 

[dolphin]

Thank you very much. They were very sneaky about the IAMS. I didn't know I agreed to it until they brought it over to me when I was paying! I'm feeding him raw pork, along with the salmon oil and he's doing fine....minus the itching. Otis was on FROMM pork and peas, but his paws were so red (and he got a cysts) so I stopped.

I sort of want to do the food trial, just to see what he reacts too. But then again, we don't know if it's environmental or the food itself. Does anyone think it's a bad idea for me NOT to do the food trial? How do I let the vet know I'm not feeding him that IAMS stuff?



I'm not objecting to going back to kibble at all. I just want whatever is best to get rid of the issues. Plus, if all the stuff they sent me home with (stuff to bathe him with, flush his tail pocket out, ect) stops the itching....why would I feed him crappy food?

I completely agree with you, if the raw diet is working good except for the itchy stomach I wouldn't do any kind of trial. I would check around and see if there might be a different doctor that would do the allergy test like you want. I think you're spot on with it being an environmental issue and a second opinion cant hurt.

 

[cowsmom]

my question is have you tried a different protein for him. maybe pork is good but not quite it hence the itching. finding a protein a bully tolerates is the first step then work out from there. if you want to do a food trial you can home cook some stuff like i do. i think home cooked mixes with raw but not sure would have to ask a raw feeder. i started with white rice and worked out from there to determine on my own what her allergies are. might be something you would do since the only problem seems to be some itching. i think i would try a different raw protein first before giving up on it. you will get more respones in the raw forum about that. if you want to do a kibble trial as always im around but raw feeders have had great success.

 

[Shahster]

my question is have you tried a different protein for him. maybe pork is good but not quite it hence the itching. finding a protein a bully tolerates is the first step then work out from there. if you want to do a food trial you can home cook some stuff like i do. i think home cooked mixes with raw but not sure would have to ask a raw feeder. i started with white rice and worked out from there to determine on my own what her allergies are. might be something you would do since the only problem seems to be some itching. i think i would try a different raw protein first before giving up on it. you will get more respones in the raw forum about that. if you want to do a kibble trial as always im around but raw feeders have had great success.

Oh yes, he's done beef, duck and turkey without any issues (wouldn't stop the itching though, but it has gone done lately). Chicken gave him very very loose stools, same with rice.

I don't want to give up on it either, but it's so hard to tell that to a vet! I don't think I'll be feeding him that IAMS stuff. He's so much happier and energetic on raw, I don't want to mess around with that right now.

Thanks!

 

[Twice]

Food allergies usually show as itching in the ears or butt area and red around the eyes. If he is itchy just on his stomach I'm thinking its something he is laying on that is irritating his skin. Have you changed the detergent in the house? How does he respond to antihistamines?

 

[Shahster]

Food allergies usually show as itching in the ears or butt area and red around the eyes. If he is itchy just on his stomach I'm thinking its something he is laying on that is irritating his skin. Have you changed the detergent in the house? How does he respond to antihistamines?

Hmm..I haven't changed the detergent and I haven't use an antihistamine, but I will tonight.

And thanks, I didn't know that about food allergies.

 

[Texas Carol]

This reminds me of the same sort of 'bullying' I received at the many, many
doctors & various referred specialists I went to trying desperately to find an
answer to my ever increasing, all over body pain & extreme fatigue, only to
hear...there's nothing wrong w/you...it's depression...there's nothing wrong
with you...it's depression...

So I DO understand how you paid for and came home with...crappy food!

I too, after paying out of pocket money~we had no insurance for about 12 years,
for test after test and sitting, staring at antidepressants I KNEW wasn't my answer,
wondered HOW it happened...yet again.

It burns my a** up that this happens way to often, it's criminal, taking your money
and never SOLVING the problem and never copping to the real fact...they DON'T
KNOW what's wrong therefore they just THROW this and that at you hoping some
thing works.

Sorry to rant but I'm having a bad week and knowing how worried you are about
your precious bully, enduring his suffering, spending your hard earned money and
to come up w/bad food (while pooh poohing REAL NUTRITION~RAW DIET) is the
last straw for me...I really ish we could hang every last one of them...varmits pure
& simple, robbing us blind!

I'll pray for Otis & you that a reason is found, asap. Again, forgive my rant

 

[brutus77]

This reminds me of the same sort of 'bullying' I received at the many, many
doctors & various referred specialists I went to trying desperately to find an
answer to my ever increasing, all over body pain & extreme fatigue, only to
hear...there's nothing wrong w/you...it's depression...there's nothing wrong
with you...it's depression...

So I DO understand how you paid for and came home with...crappy food!

I too, after paying out of pocket money~we had no insurance for about 12 years,
for test after test and sitting, staring at antidepressants I KNEW wasn't my answer,
wondered HOW it happened...yet again.

It burns my a** up that this happens way to often, it's criminal, taking your money
and never SOLVING the problem and never copping to the real fact...they DON'T
KNOW what's wrong therefore they just THROW this and that at you hoping some
thing works.

Sorry to rant but I'm having a bad week and knowing how worried you are about
your precious bully, enduring his suffering, spending your hard earned money and
to come up w/bad food (while pooh poohing REAL NUTRITION~RAW DIET) is the
last straw for me...I really ish we could hang every last one of them...varmits pure
& simple, robbing us blind!

I'll pray for Otis & you that a reason is found, asap. Again, forgive my rant

I am sorry you are having a bad week. Brutus and I are sending you a great big hug!

 

[Texas Carol]

I didn't want to leave everyone hanging...I DID find out what was wrong
with me...several autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune diabetes
which the idiots wrongly dxed as Type II and continued to ignore my pleas
the medicines were making me sicker. And they were, being autoimmune I
was ALLERGIC to those sulfa based oral medicines, they were poisoning me.
Autoimmune diabetes must be treated like Type 1's, with insulin.

I had become so ill, being poisoned w/no treatment as my undxed diseases
ravaged my body that I was bedridden...dying slowly & agonizingly. GOD gave
me the insight & the strength to start researching and it was I that marched
back into my Dr's office and demanded the ONE test that told them, I had auto
immune disease, Sjogren's (and from there...others were dxed later) All the
symptoms they ignored were all on the checklist...I could have been the poster
child for these diseases...how could so many doctors & specialists MISSED so
many symptoms of the same disease?

It's all about the dollar and how much they can squeeze from you.

 

[Texas Carol]

I am sorry you are having a bad week. Brutus and I are sending you a great big hug!

​Many thanks, Rosalie & Brutus...it helps! Cami & I send y'all a big ole slobbery kiss back!!

 

[dolphin]

I didn't want to leave everyone hanging...I DID find out what was wrong
with me...several autoimmune diseases, including autoimmune diabetes
which the idiots wrongly dxed as Type II and continued to ignore my pleas
the medicines were making me sicker. And they were, being autoimmune I
was ALLERGIC to those sulfa based oral medicines, they were poisoning me.
Autoimmune diabetes must be treated like Type 1's, with insulin.

I had become so ill, being poisoned w/no treatment as my undxed diseases
ravaged my body that I was bedridden...dying slowly & agonizingly. GOD gave
me the insight & the strength to start researching and it was I that marched
back into my Dr's office and demanded the ONE test that told them, I had auto
immune disease, Sjogren's (and from there...others were dxed later) All the
symptoms they ignored were all on the checklist...I could have been the poster
child for these diseases...how could so many doctors & specialists MISSED so
many symptoms of the same disease?

It's all about the dollar and how much they can squeeze from you.

OMG Carol! Im so sorry you went thru all of that.