Update on Ida...

[Gertie's Mom]

So Ida HATED the new food, to the place that she just refused to eat it. Last Fri. she went back to the vet and he agreed that she may have allergies and he was totally okay with trying allergy treatment before we go to surgery. He gave us eye drops for her and she gets eye drops and Benedryl twice a day and we have noticed a big change in her. Her face isn't near as red and her eyes are better. Since she wouldn't eat the grain-free food and I figure it'll be easier to see what's happening if we don't try too many new things all at once, she's still on her regular food for now. If the eye drops and Benedryl do the trick, we won't have to do the grain free food or surgery.

 

[Lucy-licious]

Oh thats such a relief fingers crossed the drops and benadryl do the trick, but looking a a food change may still be a good idea because she is allergic to something and the meds will work better if that something is also eliminated. Is there anything else she could be alergic too?

 

[BruceP]

Did you mix 25% new food to 75% old food to start the change? If so did she just pick out the old food? Maybe reduce the new food percentage even more so she is only getting a taste of it at first..

 

[Alice Kable]

That is such good news!

 

[bullmama]

That is great news, how does her overall activity seem? Does she seem like she feels better? I sure hope so!

 

[Lacey28]

That is great!

 

[sheshistory]

You might want to try weaning her on grain free food because Benadryl is just masking the underlying allergy problem. If she's allergic to one or more of the grains in her food, you will have to keep giving her eye drops and Benadryl indefinitely, which you don't want to do.

Did you try the Nature's Variety Instinct? Mine love it and it might be similar tasting to the Nature's Variety Prairie.

 

[Gertie's Mom]

Actually, I went to Pet Club intending to buy the Instinct. But they had a very small variety. I didn't want to get the biggest bag they sell, just in case it wasn't what she needed. They had mostly 30 lb. bags, very few smaller bags, none in Salmon. I started talking to the manager and she really seemed to know what she was talking about. Ask me what kind of dog I have? what she's eating now? what her symptoms are? I told her the whole story and we discussed different possibilities. I discovered they now carry a very small amount of Fromm, but because I didn't want to go too high on the protein, didn't want chicken or turkey (just in case), we decided to try the Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish. Yes, I did start her out at 25 % and she wasn't trying to pick thru it. She just ate a little and wouldn't finish it, which is soooo NOT Ida. She usually inhales her food in under a minute, leaving nothing but the bowl.

I was wondering about the drops and Benedryl. How long do I need to use them? And how do I know if it's a food allergy, or a non-food "seasonal" type allergy? Can you have your Bully on a grain free food, just for no reason? Gertie has shown no sign of any problems, so could I just put everybody on grain free, "just in case"? Or do I need to only give it to Ida because she appears to some sort of issue? I was hoping to be able to only give it to Ida, but that turned out to be a big mess, trying to keep Ida eating out of Ida's bowl and Gertie eating out of Gertie's. So I tried to separate them to eat and that seemed to just completely un-do Ida. She seemed so confused to have the routine changed, she just wouldn't eat at all. So I think if I go grain free, it would be best to switch everybody at once and feed them all the same food.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Actually, I went to Pet Club intending to buy the Instinct. But they had a very small variety. I didn't want to get the biggest bag they sell, just in case it wasn't what she needed. They had mostly 30 lb. bags, very few smaller bags, none in Salmon. I started talking to the manager and she really seemed to know what she was talking about. Ask me what kind of dog I have? what she's eating now? what her symptoms are? I told her the whole story and we discussed different possibilities. I discovered they now carry a very small amount of Fromm, but because I didn't want to go too high on the protein, didn't want chicken or turkey (just in case), we decided to try the Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish. Yes, I did start her out at 25 % and she wasn't trying to pick thru it. She just ate a little and wouldn't finish it, which is soooo NOT Ida. She usually inhales her food in under a minute, leaving nothing but the bowl.

I was wondering about the drops and Benedryl. How long do I need to use them? And how do I know if it's a food allergy, or a non-food "seasonal" type allergy? Can you have your Bully on a grain free food, just for no reason? Gertie has shown no sign of any problems, so could I just put everybody on grain free, "just in case"? Or do I need to only give it to Ida because she appears to some sort of issue? I was hoping to be able to only give it to Ida, but that turned out to be a big mess, trying to keep Ida eating out of Ida's bowl and Gertie eating out of Gertie's. So I tried to separate them to eat and that seemed to just completely un-do Ida. She seemed so confused to have the routine changed, she just wouldn't eat at all. So I think if I go grain free, it would be best to switch everybody at once and feed them all the same food.

I agree with sheshistory, if you rely on the benedryl and the eye drops you may just be treating the symptoms and not actually resolving the issue. I would think that if it is just seasonal allergies that they will persist thru the spring while the pollen count is so high. Samson's seasonal allergies seem to flair up during the spring with the pollen count being high and during the fall when it starts getting windy and dry out. Dogs do not need grain at all in their diet, in the end it is just a filler. If I were you I would switch to grain free for all the pups. I know the instinct cost more than the praire but you will also need to feed alot less so in the end the cost difference should be minimal. Have you considered ordering from petflow.com, then you can get the salmon formula. I know some people are hesitant to order online so your other option would be to ask this pet store to order you the size bag and formula you want. If they already carry that food anyway they should be more than happy to accomodate your request. The problem is that they can suffer from both seasonal AND food related allergies like in Samson's case and Vegas B's case [MENTION=900]KMARINO[/MENTION]. Samson gets allergic reactions from poultry proteins and grain BUT even being on the proper food doesn't keep him from suffering during the sping and fall months. I manage the seasonal allergies with an antihistamine but his eyes still water a bit more than usual. I know how hard you tried to avoid these allergy issues and having to go grain free, sorry you guys are having to deal with this! Nature of the beast though with bullys!

Only my personal opinion, if I were in your place. I would do EVERYTHING to avoid surgery, including switching to grain free along with the eye drops and benedryl.