Sophie needs a sugar daddy

[OutandAbout]

I fed Sandy Natural Balance Duck and Sweet potato also. Cleared up the ear allergies. The rest had to eat what she ate and all did well on the stuff. Linda

[BirdbyBird]

Herschel tried to post right after he heard Sophie was having difficulties, but as the record shows it didn't make it to the web. Pretty much he said what these guys are saying. Allergies can be both air borne and food related in dogs. The ears and the feet and the general skin condition can flair up ...just sort of depends on the particular dog. Herschel had very little trouble in his youth....but developed more reactions as he has aged. It is money or money. The more expensive food cuts down on the dr visit and the other medications. I think is also helps the immune system overall so that hopefully the reaction to the airborne stuff is not as major. The licky feet issue brings on the evil cycle of moisture, yeasty infections, more itching and then more licking and skin break down and bacterial infections system wide. As BJ mentioned you are looking for a product like Natural Balance that has limited products. Many dogs react to the preservatives and many dogs have difficulty with the grains so owners try to avoid corn and wheat especially. Apparently there are some allergy tests that can be run on dogs $$$$

Herschel will probably have some difficulty with his ears and feet for the rest of hi life as he has also developed allergies seasonal stuff just like a person. I keep predisone and benedryl around at all times and flush his ears regularly especially if he goes swimming. A dog still has to have fun, don't you know!

Good luck Sophie. ...and Herschel melts to the floor whenever he hears the magic words, "Ear checks!"

[Nasoosie]

Very interesting to read all the allergy problem remedy suggestions. Poor little Molly has had terible itchies down here in FL, hot spots developing, red and itchy under her arms and inside her legs. They seemed to disappear when the frosts came and the grasses stopped growing. However, at the same time they began again, I had also changed her forever food, Purina Little Bites, to Purina Beneful. Now the itchies are back with a vengeance. I bought an expensive spray from a farm store, designed to treat hot spots, itchiness, redness, etc. in many animals, and it seems to work a bit. BUT----the itchies are still there, from paw gnawing to scratching to chewing. (No fleas, and she is on monthly feaa and Tic stuff anyway.)

So....that same store gave me some samples of glueten-free foods (which I left back in the trailer) and I guess I need to try these to see if they make a difference. I still think it;s something in the grasses down here that are causing Molly's problems, but I could be wrong. She has always been a hardy little creature, with no itchy problems at all, and it's driving me crazy to try to control it, not to mention driving her crazy with being itchy!

[Redetotry]

Check the ingredient lists on whatever brand of dog food you are feeding, meat should be the first ingredient followed by a grain, preferably rice. The meat should be listed as chicken meal or lamb meal not chicken (etc) by-product as there is a wide variation in the quality and type of by-products that are available to pet food producers. Also ingredients to be avoided are artificial colors, flavors sugar or other sweeteners and of course corn gluten.
I get the Whole Dog Journal and they publish a list of the best safest dog foods each year along with where the food is made and a bit about each company.They also list their criteria of how they make their choices of the companies they recommend.

[OutandAbout]

Soos, I think you are right about the grasses and other vegetation affecting poor miss Molly. Upstate NY and FL have very different kinds. There is something in the grass here that gives one of my puppies a red, itchy belly. I usually put on benadryl cream and that seems to help a lot. Good luck with whatever you are trying. Linda

[flick4411]

i just learned recently that dogs and cats go after their paws with the allergy stuff cuz that's where they secrete histamines! And as we all know, histamines cause the itchies. Even with my cats, I had to find a grain free diet because as they got older, they couldn't process the grains anymore. The same company, Orajen, has some good dog foods. All their ingredients are good enough for human consumption. I buy from http://www.PetFoodDirect.com. They are a great company and carry many of the better brands. There may be better prices elsewhere, but I trust these folks...I have an auto-ship set up so I don't have to remember to order on time. And I can change the delivery date even to ship tomorrow. You can even put the shipments on hold if you are on vaca!

[dpf]

Have any of you ever tried Missing Link supplement? It is available in both canine and feline varities. Radar was shedding terribly, I mentioned it to our vet and he suggested trying it. His wife had purchased it for their lab and he was impressed with the results. Since he wasn't selling it in his office at the time yet recommended it I figured that it must be good because he wasn't trying to sell me something that he was going to make a profit! It's also good for skin allergies. It did alleviate a lot of the shedding, her coat is shinier than ever and she doesn't lick her feet near as much as she used to. Although I should mention that we have noticed that she licks her feet mostly when she is in a stressful situations...such as my sister visiting with her dog. When we had our house re-shingled last summer she spent the days at my friends and Missy said Radar laid her bed and licked her feet most of the day. Okay...I digress. It's a dry supplment that you sprinkle on their food and she loves it... dances around and barks as soon as she see me take the bag out of the refrigerator. If I don't stir it up in her dish she will only eat the pieces of kibble that it is on. Reminds me of me eating popcorn and only picking out the pieces with the butter on it! I have recommended it to several of my friends and they have been very impressed. There is a variety for older dogs that contains glucosamine, since Radar hit the big 10 last month I'm going to start buying it when this bag is gone. It's normally only sold in pet stores or vet's offices...you won't find it in Wally World. A one pound bag lasts her quite awhile since under 20# dogs get 1 tsp per day. Google it and look for reviews.

[Petsittin]

Try looking for a food that doesn't have grains. Corn, wheat and rice aren't easily digested by dogs. It can stress their system and manifest in different ways.
Taste of the Wild, Origin, and Great Life are high quality grain free dog foods. Be sure the treats you give are grain free too. People are realizing that grains can be the culprit for many disorders in pets ranging from skin issues, to intestinal problems, even some behaviors improve once grains are taken out of the diet.
The best option is a balanced raw diet without grains. Veggie carbs are better than grain carbs. Think of it as an Atkins diet for pets.