Hi all,
We are finally considering getting an allergy test for Thor. Some background:
He came to us on Eukanuba (ugh), with a case of Giardia. While that was clearing up we did a slow switch to Earthborn Meadowfeast. He was mostly OK except for he'd lick his paws a lot. Based on some of the comments here I did a slow switch to Earthborn Great Plains. His paw licking minimized but never really stopped. However, he had always had a lot of eye gunk so I got courageous and tried a slow switch to Fromm Beef Frittata to see if I could get rid of the paw licking AND eye gunk. That's when the whole thing took a huge downturn and he started chewing his paws until they were raw, rolling around to scratch his back and scratching his face nonstop. We immediately took him in and he was given antibiotics, a prednisone shot and a bag of Hill's Z/D Ultra (the hypoallergenic vet diet). I went along with it because I just didn't know what to do, and seeing him like that was so upsetting.
The prednisone shot had next to no effect on him, but once we started the Hill's Z/D he has settled back into a manageable level of licking his paws, rolling and itching his face. We keep him clean, clean his face, clean the house. He has been tested for parasites and our vet doesn't believe he has a skin condition. His coat looks great, shiny, no dandruff. If he eats *anything* but the Hill's food he has diarrhea for days. Our other dog (also a bully) doesn't show any allergy signs. Even on the Hill's food, he goes through cycles of being stopped up then diarrhea. The eye gunk is gone although his eyes are still somewhat watery.
I'd really like to get him to a point where the paw licking, rolling and face scratching stops, and his tummy is stable. I don't feel it'd be fair to put him through any more types of food especially after the reaction he had to the Fromm BF. Those of you who have had allergy tests done on their bullies (I know I've read posts by a few of you!!), I have some questions...Did you get the blood test? The intradermal test? Do those include food allergies? (I've heard they do, and I've heard they don't) Our vet says he doesn't believe in allergy tests, needless to say we're on the hunt for a new vet for multiple reasons. We just want to know what to feed him!
We are finally considering getting an allergy test for Thor. Some background:
He came to us on Eukanuba (ugh), with a case of Giardia. While that was clearing up we did a slow switch to Earthborn Meadowfeast. He was mostly OK except for he'd lick his paws a lot. Based on some of the comments here I did a slow switch to Earthborn Great Plains. His paw licking minimized but never really stopped. However, he had always had a lot of eye gunk so I got courageous and tried a slow switch to Fromm Beef Frittata to see if I could get rid of the paw licking AND eye gunk. That's when the whole thing took a huge downturn and he started chewing his paws until they were raw, rolling around to scratch his back and scratching his face nonstop. We immediately took him in and he was given antibiotics, a prednisone shot and a bag of Hill's Z/D Ultra (the hypoallergenic vet diet). I went along with it because I just didn't know what to do, and seeing him like that was so upsetting.
The prednisone shot had next to no effect on him, but once we started the Hill's Z/D he has settled back into a manageable level of licking his paws, rolling and itching his face. We keep him clean, clean his face, clean the house. He has been tested for parasites and our vet doesn't believe he has a skin condition. His coat looks great, shiny, no dandruff. If he eats *anything* but the Hill's food he has diarrhea for days. Our other dog (also a bully) doesn't show any allergy signs. Even on the Hill's food, he goes through cycles of being stopped up then diarrhea. The eye gunk is gone although his eyes are still somewhat watery.
I'd really like to get him to a point where the paw licking, rolling and face scratching stops, and his tummy is stable. I don't feel it'd be fair to put him through any more types of food especially after the reaction he had to the Fromm BF. Those of you who have had allergy tests done on their bullies (I know I've read posts by a few of you!!), I have some questions...Did you get the blood test? The intradermal test? Do those include food allergies? (I've heard they do, and I've heard they don't) Our vet says he doesn't believe in allergy tests, needless to say we're on the hunt for a new vet for multiple reasons. We just want to know what to feed him!