General Question Information Overload Re: allergy ridden bullie and what to feed her!

[MrMrsDevilDoc]

Hello there fellow bullie lovers!

I am having a difficult time deciphering all the information I have read re: my allergy ridden (red itchy paws, yeasty stinky ears, red in her face folds, itchy spots on her body) 6 year old female bullie, Ally. She is so itchy and stinky, I feel awful for her.
I do feed her grain free (have been rotating brands trying to find one that works) but nothing seems to be helping. I wash and dry her feet. I wipe her wrinkles regularly and use panalog. I have used coconut oil, ACV, plain yogurt, omega 3 supplements, flaxseed,.... with not avail.

I have read about "yeast starvation diets" that seem to be raw recipes... beef, eggs, and rice. Anyone had any luck with that? I believe I need a grain free with NO potatoes, both white and sweet. I'm so confused!!!

I would love for her to have some relief... she is so tired of seeing me come at her with wipes, tissues, lotions, sprays, q-tips... ha!

Any advice and/or pointing me to some threads already out there re: this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, wow, I'm so sorry that you are going through this with Ally, and my heart goes out to both of you. Poor sweet girl. It sounds like you have been doing everything right, with trying the grain free foods, giving her the supplements, and keeping her clean. It must be really frustrating and worrisome trying to find the right solutions for her. I also have a female bully named Blossom who suffers from allergies to chicken, salmon, corn and grains, she had all the same symptoms as Ally did, and we switched her foods 4 times before we found one that she tolerated and didn't have any allergy issues with. We found Fromm's Beef Fritatta, grain free, and she has been on this food for 21 months and is doing really well with this brand. It really is a trial and error process to find the right food. Which brands have you tried, and how long have you tried each food for? The reason I'm asking is that it can take a whole month before you see any improvements from a food change, as it takes this long for the old food to leave their system. Have you just tried the supplements like yogurt, coconut oil, etc. or do you give them to her regularly? Yogurt, Omegas, and ACV, are things that really help and boost the immume system, which helps her fight allergy symptoms, but they have to be given everyday to work, and see long term benefits. Have you tried changing her drinking water to filtered water? Sometimes tap water can cause allergy symptoms as well as some of her symptoms could be environmental. Have you tried giving her Benadryl? And if you have, does she get any relief from the allergy symptoms? I'm not familiar with yeast starvation diets, or raw feeding, but hopefully some members who do will come along soon and give you some advice. The only other advice I can offer is maybe your vet can offer some solutions, and maybe some allergy testing may give you the answers you need. Allergy tests can reveal exactly what she is allergic to, and then you'll know what to eliminate in her diet and environment. There are so many environmental factors that could also be giving her symptoms such as grass, trees, pollen, laundry soap, shampoos you may be using, or tap water. Maybe Benadryl, or other allergy medications can help her, or maybe with the help of your vet, through other medications and elimination of known allergy causing triggers you can find a solution for her. If you can at least determine which proteins she is allergic to, you can find a dog food that she tolerates, or you could maybe home cook her food with the base of the food being a protein that Ally tolerates, and then using very limited and basic ingredients. I hope you find a solution for her so she gets the relief from her symptoms. Sending lots of hugs and prayers your way. Please keep us posted on how she's doing and if you find any answers that help.

 

[bullmama]

Have you read the article in the home page regarding allergies? Poor baby, it's very hard to give them relief. What kind of shampoo do you use?


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[RiiSi]

She can be allergic to storage mites that is present in all kibble. Have you considered home cooked or raw food?

 

[2BullyMama]

I am also thinking the storage mites..... try storing the kibble in the freezer and feeding her that way --- see if she gets any relief, if yes, then it is the mites

 

[BullyDozer]

Hello there fellow bullie lovers!

I am having a difficult time deciphering all the information I have read re: my allergy ridden (red itchy paws, yeasty stinky ears, red in her face folds, itchy spots on her body) 6 year old female bullie, Ally. She is so itchy and stinky, I feel awful for her.
I do feed her grain free (have been rotating brands trying to find one that works) but nothing seems to be helping. I wash and dry her feet. I wipe her wrinkles regularly and use panalog. I have used coconut oil, ACV, plain yogurt, omega 3 supplements, flaxseed,.... with not avail.

I have read about "yeast starvation diets" that seem to be raw recipes... beef, eggs, and rice. Anyone had any luck with that? I believe I need a grain free with NO potatoes, both white and sweet. I'm so confused!!!

I would love for her to have some relief... she is so tired of seeing me come at her with wipes, tissues, lotions, sprays, q-tips... ha!

Any advice and/or pointing me to some threads already out there re: this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys!

I battled with allergy issues too. I now feed my dog Earthborn Meadow Feast. It is grain free and potato free.

 

[MrMrsDevilDoc]

Thank you for the kind words and concern Monica... I appreciate it.

Which brands have you tried, and how long have you tried each food for?

I have used Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast Grain-Free Dry , Taste of the Wild Wetlands, Wellness CORE Grain Free Original Dry for Adult dogs, Orijen 6 Fish Dry Dog Food, Taste of the Wild Sierra... and I have tried each one for appox one month.

Have you just tried the supplements like yogurt, coconut oil, etc. or do you give them to her regularly?

I used the whole jar of the coconut oil and when I didn't see any improvement, I didn't buy any more. The ACV is hit or miss (I still give it to her sometimes) b/c she doesn't seem to like the taste of her water or food when I put it on. The yogurt I am doing now and have been doing for almost a month now. Before I did the yogurt I gave her an acidophilus pill in her food each morning... I just figured using fresh plain yogurt was probably healthier for her.

Have you tried changing her drinking water to filtered water?

I do try to be good about giving her only the Brita filtered water we drink... but I know my son and husband are not as consistent about it. I need to reiterate the importance of this to them!

Have you tried giving her Benadryl?

I give her a Claratin in her food each morning.

I think you are right that maybe some allergy testing is a good idea. Perhaps narrowing down the allergens will help me pick a good food. I know it could be environmental... but I just really feel it's systemic. I do wipe her down each time she comes inside just to get any pollen and such off of her.

Thank you again for your advice!

 

[MrMrsDevilDoc]

Have you read the article in the home page regarding allergies? Poor baby, it's very hard to give them relief. What kind of shampoo do you use?


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I'll definitely check out that article, thanks! I have been using the shampoo the vet gave me...KetoChlor. I don't bathe her all that often though. Maybe I need to bathe her more???

 

[2BullyMama]

Thank you for the kind words and concern Monica... I appreciate it.

Which brands have you tried, and how long have you tried each food for?

I have used Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream, Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast Grain-Free Dry , Taste of the Wild Wetlands, Wellness CORE Grain Free Original Dry for Adult dogs, Orijen 6 Fish Dry Dog Food, Taste of the Wild Sierra... and I have tried each one for appox one month.

Have you just tried the supplements like yogurt, coconut oil, etc. or do you give them to her regularly?

I used the whole jar of the coconut oil and when I didn't see any improvement, I didn't buy any more. The ACV is hit or miss (I still give it to her sometimes) b/c she doesn't seem to like the taste of her water or food when I put it on. The yogurt I am doing now and have been doing for almost a month now. Before I did the yogurt I gave her an acidophilus pill in her food each morning... I just figured using fresh plain yogurt was probably healthier for her.

Have you tried changing her drinking water to filtered water?

I do try to be good about giving her only the Brita filtered water we drink... but I know my son and husband are not as consistent about it. I need to reiterate the importance of this to them!

Have you tried giving her Benadryl?

I give her a Claratin in her food each morning.

I think you are right that maybe some allergy testing is a good idea. Perhaps narrowing down the allergens will help me pick a good food. I know it could be environmental... but I just really feel it's systemic. I do wipe her down each time she comes inside just to get any pollen and such off of her.

Thank you again for your advice!

are all those food choices fish based protein? If yes, that could be the allergy.... my girl is high allergic to chicken but also has a sensitivity to salmon

 

[MrMrsDevilDoc]

@RiiSi and [MENTION=2894]2BullyMama[/MENTION] I've never heard of storage mites before... I'll have to see how much I can fit in the freezer. I am guessing that if my other two are ok, that I can just freeze hers??? (for the sake of space) Right now their food is kept in a sealed tupperware container in the kitchen, but that is refilled by a big storage tote full of food in the garage.

 

[bullmama]

I'll definitely check out that article, thanks! I have been using the shampoo the vet gave me...KetoChlor. I don't bathe her all that often though. Maybe I need to bathe her more???

If she has bad allergies, probably. Ketoclor has antibacterial and antifungal so it should really help. I actually don't prefer that brand and use pharmaseb because it really seems to last longer.


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[MrMrsDevilDoc]

She can be allergic to storage mites that is present in all kibble. Have you considered home cooked or raw food?

I have been researching home made food (cooked and raw... I think I'm more comfortable with cooked though) and found a "yeast starvation diet" of hamburger meat, eggs and a supplement called Dinovite. Have you heard of it? What are some recipes you recommend?

 

[tyree213]

Freezing will kill the mites but wont solve the issue if the dog is allergic to the mites. They'll just be dead mites in the kibble (Will still cause allergic reations) Only alternatives if this is actually the case is home cooked or raw diet.

 

[magnolia]

My Maggie has severe allergies as well. She is 10 and I was so close to putting her down because she lost all her hair and she was so miserable. I made one more effort around the holidays and changed her diet to all raw. It took some time but she has gotten her hair back and she has a little pep in her step now. She has a few very small hot spots and she is constantly licking her paws. I do give her the ACV but maybe I need to try filtered water and just found out at her last vet visit she is allergic to the pollen and grass so now I need to give her benedrlyll. You should definately try the raw food and don't make it yourself. It is so hard to get the ratio correct or else you will mess up her insides and through her BM off.

 

[Peter Lynn Westre]

Natural balance Limited ingredient dog food? Lola is very tolerant of food changes but the natural balance seems to work best. I have not run across a protein that she has an intolerance for eating.

Grain free really does seem to be the number one hint.

Have you tried an elimination approach?

Diphenydramine and hydroxyzine work very well for histamine release prevention.