Allergic to Food, or something else?

[bulldogs1501]

Hello all!
So Moose is almost 4 years old and almost all of his life he has been on N&D Cod Grain Free. We've switched up the protein, but anytime we've done so he has had either upset stomach or his eyes start bothering him. So we stuck with what works.
Lately, he has started to throw up, and when he does its bile with a lot of mucus. So much mucus that it cuts off his airways and a couple of times it seemed like he almost fainted. We've talked to vet and our breeder (a reputable breeder that raises show dogs). Vet took blood work (ok) and said prilosec cuz it seems like acid reflux. Breeder said its the sign of allergies, that's why there's all that mucus. It could be environment or could be he developed allergy to the food.
So two questions. 1. Has anyone had a similar situation with their bully? 2. What other foods besides N&D would you reccomend? Thanks!

 

[helsonwheels]

Hello all!
So Moose is almost 4 years old and almost all of his life he has been on N&D Cod Grain Free. We've switched up the protein, but anytime we've done so he has had either upset stomach or his eyes start bothering him. So we stuck with what works.
Lately, he has started to throw up, and when he does its bile with a lot of mucus. So much mucus that it cuts off his airways and a couple of times it seemed like he almost fainted. We've talked to vet and our breeder (a reputable breeder that raises show dogs). Vet took blood work (ok) and said prilosec cuz it seems like acid reflux. Breeder said its the sign of allergies, that's why there's all that mucus. It could be environment or could be he developed allergy to the food.
So two questions. 1. Has anyone had a similar situation with their bully? 2. What other foods besides N&D would you reccomend? Thanks!

Never happened. Did you switched to a completely different brand? If so, I would stayed in the same brand but in different flavour.

 

[oscarmayer]

1. YES
2. I would not change food yet.
If this is happening 1-2 hours before meal time then it's likely NOT allergy related. It's caused by bile upsetting the stomach. Moose's stomach is saying it wants food and there's nothing there to digest.
Your Vet is on the right track, your breeder is not, IMO.
Try this for 1 week and report back: Divide current food ration into 3 smaller meals per day...feeding every 6-8 hours(for example 7AM-2PM-9PM).

 

[2BullyMama]

I agree with Chip


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chauncey_pancakes]

My senior bulldog has had this issue since 2013. We have had many ER visits and scary fainting/collapsing/urinating episodes (might also look up 'syncopal fainting episodes' which is common in bulldog breeds) For my dog, he would begin gagging, vomiting, fainting/choking, collapsing, then bowel movement. Every time he needs assistance to help breathing because of his oversized tongue prevents him from recovering (turns blue). It is very scary. He did have maybe 2 or 3 seizures when he around 4 or 5 but stopped since. He now has sleep apnea also so we have someone with him 24/7 and we monitor him on a home camera when we are away. I'm not sure what exactly causes the episodes, but i'm sure he has some type of airway syndrome. It took many vets, medications, methods to develop a good plan for him and he's finally in a happy healthy state. Hopefully our experience might give you some insight. We've tried so many things, but the frequency of the episodes greatly reduced when we did three major things.

1. Dental check up revealed infected teeth that were inflaming his sinuses and severely exacerbating his allergies. The Extraction and regular dental cleanings have changed his life. This year we have decided not to undergo sedated dental cleaning unless it is absolutely necessary due to his age so we've upped his home cleanings (try using a waterpik!)

2. Diet Change/Allergy management. This one took year and years. We found a good dry kibble in 2015, but i noticed his allergies/GI/stool were still causing issues and he was gaining weight/elevated protein levels. He wasn't excited about food and would often starve himself to the point of vomiting (triggering another episode). I also noticed certain dog treats/jerky would trigger episodes. Beef and Pork seemed to make it worse, we had to try a lot of different brands and combinations. I switched him to fresh food on 02/17/22 and i noticed instant results. He has lost over 5 pounds and his allergies/GI/stool/appetite/energy have improved trifold. His dry eye has also improved by over 75% (no more crazy boogers!) Its unfortunate i only discovered this 2 months ago. Fresh food is very pricey but it has helped in my vet costs and i do want to give him the best last years of his life and he is now obsessed with his new food.

3. Find good quality supplements. We use Prudence Hip and Joint High Potency Soft chews and Vet's Best Allergy chews which contains sea kelp. No slouchy hips here! Ask your local holistic dog feed store team they helped me with references on food brand and local vets that specialize in certain breeds.

I have also gotten him an elevated angled feeding bowl and have spread his feedings out to 3 to 4 times a day to avoid low blood sugar (another trigger) / bloating / aspiration.

Wishing you all the best with your pal.