New member, food issues

[Ricothebully]

Hi, I have a 2 year old very picky boy here. I live in Canada and I got him in the USA. The breeder was feeding him Victor high pro plus. We don’t have that food here so I switched him to Acana junior. He had soft stool and seemed to start getting allergies soon after the switch. It’s been downhill from there. He has dry flaky skin in his ears, red paws and he scratches so much he wil draw blood to his ears and face. I tried the Acana singles line in all the different proteins and there was no change. He has been to the vet and they just say he has allergies. I have tried so many foods over the past 2 years I feel like I have gone crazy, he has not had any changes. He has tried allergy meds from the vet and they gave him horrible side effects. I have even tried raw and that made him vomit every night, so that was terrible. I feel so defeated and hopeless. My heart is broken seeing him suffer and live in a cone for over a year. I don’t know what to do anymore. The only thing I can think of is, every food I have tried him on has had peas, since they have all been grain free, could the peas be the problem? He is currently eating Zignature lamb, which has peas, and there is no change. Any suggestions please? Thanks

 

[helsonwheels]

Hi, I have a 2 year old very picky boy here. I live in Canada and I got him in the USA. The breeder was feeding him Victor high pro plus. We don’t have that food here so I switched him to Acana junior. He had soft stool and seemed to start getting allergies soon after the switch. It’s been downhill from there. He has dry flaky skin in his ears, red paws and he scratches so much he wil draw blood to his ears and face. I tried the Acana singles line in all the different proteins and there was no change. He has been to the vet and they just say he has allergies. I have tried so many foods over the past 2 years I feel like I have gone crazy, he has not had any changes. He has tried allergy meds from the vet and they gave him horrible side effects. I have even tried raw and that made him vomit every night, so that was terrible. I feel so defeated and hopeless. My heart is broken seeing him suffer and live in a cone for over a year. I don’t know what to do anymore. The only thing I can think of is, every food I have tried him on has had peas, since they have all been grain free, could the peas be the problem? He is currently eating Zignature lamb, which has peas, and there is no change. Any suggestions please? Thanks

Rare there’s food allergies with Acana but that being said, most certainly can be a specific product in the bag, have the tried their duck? Easier to digest. If you want to eliminate food allergies, go raw. Don’t mix the proteins. Do one at a time for a weekish, check how that went. If it’s a green light then put it aside n do another protein n repeat.

Bare in mind it’s been cold in Canada especially in Alberta. That cold will most definitely dry up any skin even on dogs. They will scratch for sure. But not sure where in Canada you are

 

[Ricothebully]

Rare there’s food allergies with Acana but that being said, most certainly can be a specific product in the bag, have the tried their duck? Easier to digest. If you want to eliminate food allergies, go raw. Don’t mix the proteins. Do one at a time for a weekish, check how that went. If it’s a green light then put it aside n do another protein n repeat.

Bare in mind it’s been cold in Canada especially in Alberta. That cold will most definitely dry up any skin even on dogs. They will scratch for sure. But not sure where in Canada you are

Hi, I’m in Toronto. I have tried all the proteins in Acana including the duck. His itching remained and the soft stool. He has been suffering with this since he was 10 months old. He is 2 now. I have tried raw with just one protein at a time. Every night he would vomit. It was unbearable.

 

[Cbrugs]

Try Open Farm with ancient grains. They are a Canada based company. I feed my girl that and she does very well on it with no issues.

 

[anatess]

It could be that it's not his food but something environmental.

In any case, might be worth it to shell out some money to get him an allergy test.

 

[helsonwheels]

Hi, I’m in Toronto. I have tried all the proteins in Acana including the duck. His itching remained and the soft stool. He has been suffering with this since he was 10 months old. He is 2 now. I have tried raw with just one protein at a time. Every night he would vomit. It was unbearable.

Since 10 months old is way too long if there was no change with the food trails you did. @anatess gave you good advice. Worth getting a full allergy test n especially bloodwork cause could be an organ issue like the stomach. Like acid and/or enzymes not breaking down the food etc.

 

[2BullyMama]

Hi, I have a 2 year old very picky boy here. I live in Canada and I got him in the USA. The breeder was feeding him Victor high pro plus. We don’t have that food here so I switched him to Acana junior. He had soft stool and seemed to start getting allergies soon after the switch. It’s been downhill from there. He has dry flaky skin in his ears, red paws and he scratches so much he wil draw blood to his ears and face. I tried the Acana singles line in all the different proteins and there was no change. He has been to the vet and they just say he has allergies. I have tried so many foods over the past 2 years I feel like I have gone crazy, he has not had any changes. He has tried allergy meds from the vet and they gave him horrible side effects. I have even tried raw and that made him vomit every night, so that was terrible. I feel so defeated and hopeless. My heart is broken seeing him suffer and live in a cone for over a year. I don’t know what to do anymore. The only thing I can think of is, every food I have tried him on has had peas, since they have all been grain free, could the peas be the problem? He is currently eating Zignature lamb, which has peas, and there is no change. Any suggestions please? Thanks

I wonder if he is allergic to mites, which live in kibble. break the bag into smaller bags and keep in freezer till fed… see if that helps at all.

 

[chauncey_pancakes]

We have tried every store brand & holistic brand dry and wet food. We've seen a dermatologist, allergist, injections, and allergy medication such as Apoquel over several years. All of which has help but the side effects/cost did not work out for us. Our Chauncey would often have dry eye, itchiness, licking paws, ear infections, upset stomach, vomiting. These three things have been the major game changers for my dog's quality of life:

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 years and years. We found a good dry kibble in 2015 (grain/corn free etc, 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. I also noticed certain store bran dog treats/jerky would trigger severe gagging 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.

 

[Ricothebully]

We have tried every store brand & holistic brand dry and wet food. We've seen a dermatologist, allergist, injections, and allergy medication such as Apoquel over several years. All of which has help but the side effects/cost did not work out for us. Our Chauncey would often have dry eye, itchiness, licking paws, ear infections, upset stomach, vomiting. These three things have been the major game changers for my dog's quality of life:

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 years and years. We found a good dry kibble in 2015 (grain/corn free etc, 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. I also noticed certain store bran dog treats/jerky would trigger severe gagging 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.

Thanks for your reply, when you say fresh diet, do you mean raw or home cooked?

 

[chauncey_pancakes]

Thanks for your reply, when you say fresh diet, do you mean raw or home cooked?

Right now we are using 'The Farmers Dog' which is gently cooked at low temperatures then quickly frozen and shipped in pre-portioned meals. I did the trial first before deciding. There is an extensive quiz you can take to target your dog's specific breed/age/weight. I was able to make a two week trial last almost 4 since we were transitioning with the dry kibble. If we try another company i will post.

I have not tried any other companies since this is our first time. I have tried home cooking but you have to make sure you add supplements to make sure they are getting enough nutrition. Hope this helps!