Axel will be 11 months old on November 20th. Since we got him at 8 weeks he has been on Acana large breed puppy food. He's always done amazing on it. Perfect stool, soft shiny coat, growing really well. But over the last month or two I have noticed some food allergy symptoms. I first thought it was seasonal but it doesn't seem to be. The vet thinks he has developed an allergy to his food. He is loosing some fur around the eyes and he licks his paws like crazy and chews them. I was going to change Axel to adult food at 12 months but now I'm thinking ill wean him into adult food now as I have just under half a bag of this puppy food left. I guess my questions are... 1- is it too soon to switch him to adult? I would prefer to keep him on Acana as otherwise he has done wonderful on it. 2- do I have to choose an adult large breed food or can it be any adult food 3- has this happened to any of your pups? Okay on food then all the sudden develops an allergy to it?
Oh and another question. I cut axels food down over the last couple months. He was getting 5 cups a day and now down to 4 a day as I figured he's done growing besides bulking over the next year. The vet said he was in perfect condition when he saw him last, which was before I cut his food down by a whole cup. but since then he is feeling extra 'boney'. And I weighed him and he weighs the same as he did a month ago- 40kg but yet like I said his ribs and spine are easily felt and seen in some angles. Was I wrong to cut his food down? But at the same time I want to keep him on the lite side. Ah so confused
I can not only feel Charlie's ribs, I can see the last one easily and two or three of them clearly when he turns. I can feel his backbone pretty easily too. He has a sharp tuck up, and his waist is very obvious. I think he is just on the slim side of normal, and this is where I want him to be. My vet does not think he is too thin, he thinks he is fine but alway says 'no heavier'. Critically, Charlie is really well muscled. If I ever thought his muscle was reducing, I'd think about feeding more but so long as his bulk stays as all muscle, I'm really happy to see his ribs. To be honest, I think lots of people who think their dogs are ok just don't really get what a slim dog looks like - if they can see a vague waist, they think the dog is fine. I think the waist should be very obvious. Unless your vet agrees your dog is too thin, I'd carry on as you are.
Yes, but not one that showed in a skin problem. Charlie developed an intolerance to chicken, and he had been fed on a chicken and rice puppy food. He is fed duck as a protein source now.
Have you put the heat on in your house? Could be dust and mould blowing around, just enough to bother him. Call Acana and ask if they have changed any ingredients. I fed Acana, they are good to deal with but dog food companies are permitted to use up old packaging which may not reflect changes in ingredients. Yes, it's not too soon to go to adult food. Can you call your breeder though? And ask what she/he thinks? Most people, I think, do not consider Labs fitting in with the standard for height and weight to be a large breed. And, if you carefully check the ingredients you might find there is very little difference in the foods anyway. Yes, absolutely an allergy can just develop seemingly out of the blue. True food allergies are not common though. food intolerances are more likely than true allergies. Environmental allergies are more common. We did the Nutriscan test even though we were sure Oban had environmental allegies and it came back with some foods he should avoid. After his gut issues materialized, got desperate, got fixed, all his itching problems disappeared and are still gone over two years hence.
Yes the vet checked for mites and such when I brought him in for the hair loss and bumps around his eyes. He tested negative. He is also on flea/tick meds as well. The vet gave us some meds to try and it completely cleared up all his little bumps and red paws but as soon as the meds stopped it all came back. I can't help but think it's a chicken issue in his kibble but I won't know for sure until I cut that food out. I'm wanting to change him over to a fish based kibble and see how that goes. Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I'll gradually start making the switch to adult kibble in hopes to relieve his poor skin issues. Axel's breeder said to keep him on puppy food until 12 months old but one month earlier for Axel's sanity seems like a good reason to switch sooner. Thank you for the advice on body shape @JulieT he still has a decent amount of skin to grow into which is why I guess I had a slight worry that I cut his food down too early. I have caught Axel running on slow mo camera a few times and his skin was bouncing around where his shoulder muscles will grow one day lol
Which flea/tick meds do you use? There's controversy rising about the oral tablets causing itching and serious skin problems.
Ohh ok. Uhm nexgard Is the name that comes to mind. I finished his last dose last month so I don't have the box on me anymore. I would have to call the vet and ask. Is nexgard the one you're thinking of?
Do the symptoms only last for a month? I was giving a dose every month on the 20th for two months. Last one though was Oct 20th until next year so if so he will have symptoms until November 20th. Funny enough.. That's roughly when his symptoms started I just never pieced it together
I'm only going on what I've read. You can find facebook pages with lots of people writing about their experiences. With Snowie and Bravecto, he'd been seizure-free for 7 months. We'd been in a biliary area and he had ticks so we got nervous and gave him Bravecto and then he had two seizures within 6 weeks. And he got more itchy than ever and so we resorted to cortisone tablets because it was worse than ever - and it was winter which was most unusual cos that was when his itching would abate. I cannot conclusively say what has made Snowie so much itchier because he's always been itchy, but there are so many terrible stories that I cannot ignore them. If you're worried, the recommendation I have read is to have liver and kidney tests and take it from there under your vet's guidance.
