Desperate For Allergy Relief - changing food again - need input

[Noyes27]

Its been a while, we adopted a 7 month old pitbull, and I must say going from 1 dog to 2 is a BIG difference. Maybe because she is so young. Mack didn't take kindly to her at first, but she is so playful and easy going that she didn't even notice, and eventually Mack realized he had no choice but toget over his gripes. Haha. Now they BOTH sleep in our bed, and get along great. I will post pics later, but of course I have allergy questions about Mack AGAIN.
The change to Fromm Beef & Veg Frittata was great, for a while, now he is back to being really itchy. I am going to try taking him to a different vet, and see what they say. But I really thought that my vets at the current office were pretty competent, one has French bulldogs, and the other has an EBD. So before ditching them I thought about making one more food change. To Merrick Grain Free Pork. On EBN and on dogfoodadvisor.com it is rated the highest. (surprisingly Fromm is not rated highest on dogfoodadvisor). Merrick is a bit cheaper, rated higher, and sold at petco, which is a block from my work, and another is a mile from my house.
My concern is that so many members here have had GREAT results with Fromm Beef Frittata, and I am not. Does anyone here feed Merrick? I don’t think I have EVER seen anyone mention it here. But it is also on the top sellers from petflow.com.
I would like to start his transition as soon as possible because he is now scratching so bad he bleeds and has scabs. Imagine the horror when I woke up to a HUGE pink circle on my brand new carpet and Mack panting and breathing heavy. Thankfully after some water and affection he calmed down and everything was fine.
I know that his allergies may be seasonal, especially since our pollen counts have been so high, and my brother-in-law has been MISERABLE, but Benadryl, Claritin, Zyrtec – none have helped, Benadryl helps the most, but only bc he sleeps more. When he is awake, it is right back to scratching. Coconut oil helps topically, but he wont eat his food if it is in it, and he is an oily greaseball if I put it on him everywhere he itches. Apple cider vinegar has helped his breath, and his balding, but he is still itching till he bleeds. We have don’t steroid pills, which helped a lot, but the vet said they are not a long term solution.
I am going to transition to Merrick, see how that goes and keep Fromm on hand incase we need to switch back, but in the mean time, HELP! Insight? Thoughts? Recommendations?
Sorry for rambling but My heart is so broken for him, I feel like nothing I do is right or if it is right, it isnt helping! The pitbull is so much easier, she has no allergies at all, and would readily eat ANYTHING we put in her bowl….sorry for the spacing it wont let me insert a return with the enter button...

 

[Twice]

All dogs are different in their needs. Some do great on Fromm, as you know some don't. I have had great success with Orijen and Earthborn, those are the only brands of dry food that I will buy. I can tell you that I tried feeding the Merrick Pork flavor to my guys (for the same reasons you listed... price and availability) and now for the first time in his life Otis has the most awful tear stains.

If Claritin, Benedryl or Zyrtec don't help you can try Allegra. That is why I'm currently giving Otis and Tankers for their allergies, it's working great. For instant itch relief you can steep a tea bag in water and use the bag like a cotton ball, rubbing it all over his itchy spots.

Feeding these guys is a lot of trial and error. You just have to be patient and work through the rough spots

 

[dalmatina38]

Have you thought about homemade food for a little while to see if that helps? With homemade you can start with the simple ingredients and get an idea of what he can or cannot tolerate and then maybe work from there to decide on a kibble that may work. I would start out with a gluten free rice (jasmine is a good one) and build from there. What I found during homecooking is Amber has a terrible time with sweet potatoes, many others have enormous success with them but not my Amber. Some of the meats that are reasonable are beef liver, chicken liver (be careful, some cannnot handle chicken) fish, ect. I buy the swali fish in walmart for about 8 dollars and mix it with green beans, carrots, small amount of jasmine rice, eggs and yogurt and that is one week of groceries for Amber and Ruby all mixed together. I usually broil the fish and add a little lemon and both of them love their groceries. Just a suggestion; I do have blue buffalo kibbles (bison) at home for when I am unable to make their groceries but no experience with anything else. Good luck.

 

[traceylynn172]

You might try finding a food that doesnt have potatoe in it he might be allergic to that.

 

[Noyes27]

Have you thought about homemade food for a little while to see if that helps? With homemade you can start with the simple ingredients and get an idea of what he can or cannot tolerate and then maybe work from there to decide on a kibble that may work. I would start out with a gluten free rice (jasmine is a good one) and build from there. What I found during homecooking is Amber has a terrible time with sweet potatoes, many others have enormous success with them but not my Amber. Some of the meats that are reasonable are beef liver, chicken liver (be careful, some cannnot handle chicken) fish, ect. I buy the swali fish in walmart for about 8 dollars and mix it with green beans, carrots, small amount of jasmine rice, eggs and yogurt and that is one week of groceries for Amber and Ruby all mixed together. I usually broil the fish and add a little lemon and both of them love their groceries. Just a suggestion; I do have blue buffalo kibbles (bison) at home for when I am unable to make their groceries but no experience with anything else. Good luck.

unfortunately I barely have time to cook for myself! But honestly, if the situation doesn't improve, im not going to have a choice! Homecooked/raw just seems way to complicated, I would be worried that he wasn't getting the nutrition that he needs! I mean, is there a doggie multivitamin?? anyways, I guess we will see how the Merrick pork goes, problem is that almost ALL food that don't have chicken do have potatoes. so the search continues. I actually looked at my past posts, and realized Mack has been on Merrick before, but it was the duck. Which led us to believe that he was allergic to poultry in general. Maybe a new vet will be able to give some insight, iw orry though bc a lot of vets recommend science diet right??? uuuuughhh

 

[Noyes27]

All dogs are different in their needs. Some do great on Fromm, as you know some don't. I have had great success with Orijen and Earthborn, those are the only brands of dry food that I will buy. I can tell you that I tried feeding the Merrick Pork flavor to my guys (for the same reasons you listed... price and availability) and now for the first time in his life Otis has the most awful tear stains.

If Claritin, Benedryl or Zyrtec don't help you can try Allegra. That is why I'm currently giving Otis and Tankers for their allergies, it's working great. For instant itch relief you can steep a tea bag in water and use the bag like a cotton ball, rubbing it all over his itchy spots.

Feeding these guys is a lot of trial and error. You just have to be patient and work through the rough spots

I haven't tried allegra! Thanks! What is the dosage, do you know? Mack is 45-50 pounds.

 

[Twice]

One pill, once a day. Only Benedryl requires several daily doses and weight measurements. As for the multi vitamin you asked about, a lot of people here use nuVet.

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[dalmatina38]

unfortunately I barely have time to cook for myself! But honestly, if the situation doesn't improve, im not going to have a choice! Homecooked/raw just seems way to complicated, I would be worried that he wasn't getting the nutrition that he needs! I mean, is there a doggie multivitamin?? anyways, I guess we will see how the Merrick pork goes, problem is that almost ALL food that don't have chicken do have potatoes. so the search continues. I actually looked at my past posts, and realized Mack has been on Merrick before, but it was the duck. Which led us to believe that he was allergic to poultry in general. Maybe a new vet will be able to give some insight, iw orry though bc a lot of vets recommend science diet right??? uuuuughhh

Actually, there is a multivitamin called Nuvet that a good portion of folks on this forum use, myself included. Amber and Ruby get one a day and once you order you can do an automatic refill option and have them delivered so you don't run out. That is what I do. Many folks think the homecooking is complicated but it really isn't once you get the hang of it; you just make a large quantity and I put it in portion controlled bags; what I have found is I battle tear stains regularly with my bullies but on the weeks I am feeding them the broiled fish, veggies, eggs and jasmine rice the tear stains all but go away completely. Either way, I hope all works out for you and you soon find your solution. Good luck.

 

[cowsmom]

perhaps if i had a list of what foods you have fed and what happened i could perhaps help you narrow things down. if you can get merrick then perhaps try natures variety instinct in the limited ingredient its sold at petco. they have duck, lamb, and turkey. i hate to say it but natural balance has some limited ingredient foods to sold at petcoto. merrick is a good brand and im using it myself for my bostons but when dealing with bullies and their allergies less is more sometimes. we have a couple of people here using it with good results. perhaps try the fromm pork n peas. i am myself doing a bit of home cooking and adding it to sarahs kibble just to see what she is allergic to and i am not a cook. so far white rice is out and pinto beans and garbanzo beans seems to be out to. im trying green beans now. she gets canned food on her homecooked so she will eat it. im around if you need help.

 

[Noyes27]

perhaps if i had a list of what foods you have fed and what happened i could perhaps help you narrow things down. if you can get merrick then perhaps try natures variety instinct in the limited ingredient its sold at petco. they have duck, lamb, and turkey. i hate to say it but natural balance has some limited ingredient foods to sold at petcoto. merrick is a good brand and im using it myself for my bostons but when dealing with bullies and their allergies less is more sometimes. we have a couple of people here using it with good results. perhaps try the fromm pork n peas. i am myself doing a bit of home cooking and adding it to sarahs kibble just to see what she is allergic to and i am not a cook. so far white rice is out and pinto beans and garbanzo beans seems to be out to. im trying green beans now. she gets canned food on her homecooked so she will eat it. im around if you need help.

Thanks ill let you know how it goes. First meal off combined food for dinner was today. Here's to hoping for normal poops and then reduced allergies!

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[2BullyMama]

The team has given you great advice.... just wanted to wish you luck and prayers that you find what is bugging your baby

 

[MamaAndi]

I'm a big fan of raw feeding. I know it isn't for everyone but sometimes it's just the thing to help stop allergy woes.

Good luck either way!

 

[gracoliv]

Not sure how long you had him on the Fromme, but it takes about 8 weeks (without any other treats etc...) to rid the body of allergens etc.. from old food. That being said I swear by an Omega 3 Oil supplement for your pup. It is GREAT for their skin/coat (so soft now its crazy) and other things (arterial walls etc..), but I know it is what made all the difference to my dogs itchiness. I found Omega 3 oil recommended on many sites when searching for a cure for my own dogs ichiness, who both would scratch themselve bloody. Please try it, its absolultey fantastic. I am using Grizzly Salmon Oil (wild alaskan all natural), comes in a large pump bottle ($36 here in canada), last forever , sold at a regular pet store. I squirt 1 or 2 squirts on each meal. I will use until the day they die its awesome.