I realize others have posted on probably a similiar issue, I'd still like to post about my lab's issue. It seems like ever since we got her, she's itched here and there. It isn't every second, but it's fairly often. When she gets out of her crate to be let out, she will itch. Also a lot of times she gets on her back and I think it's to itch her back. I didn't really think much of it at first, there's a few scabs that have fallen off (no blood underneath) - on her back right foot being one of them. I recently took her to the vet and they prescribed fish oil and to have us give her a benadryl twice a day, fish oil once a day. An actual pill of fish oil. I don't think it's really helping that much or making a difference. I thought maybe it was because I didn't brush her enough. I don't think that is it though. We haven't given her a bath since this past March or April, until Sunday. We wanted to see if it's a dry skin problem or something. Doesn't seem to make much of a difference. I don't know if it's seasonal allergies as she has itched even when there was snow on the ground. She often plays in the bushes and grass. Again, in the winter when the grass is dead, doesn't seem to make a major difference. This is what makes me think maybe it's something in her food she has an allergy to? We've been feeding her Purina Dog Chow, when she was a puppy, the breeder and we continued giving her Purina Puppy Chow before switching to Purina Dog Chow. I know when I went to the allergy doctor a few years ago, the doctor put some things on my back and saw the reactions and there was a reading for what I was most allergic to, in my case it was ragweed. Is there a similiar test available for dogs and food? I'm wondering if it's wheat or corn that is the culprit? Any information or advice is welcome. I'm afraid it may be a trial and error type thing in trying different foods. What brands do you all feed your lab that had food allergies if in fact they had them? Many have spoke highly of Blue Buffalo, but there's about 20 different flavors it seems like. Let me add the vet says she doesn't have fleas, I've never seen them on her, if she has ticks, I don't see any on her although I admit I will have to google what they look like exactly. We give her Frontline every month. I'm looking forward to the responses. Thanks, Nick
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress Hi Nick , yes dogs can have allergy tests which can narrow down the possible culprits , they can be expensive but then if it saves you trying different foods , it could well be worthwhile thinking about . Hope you can get to the bottom of it before too long, its such a worry when our dogs have an issue and we don't know how to deal with it .
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress Dogs can become itchy due to quite a few things...pollen (springtime), mould spores (autumn), preservatives, certain foods.... I'd be seeing a veterinary skin specialist - they will help you get it the bottom of it much quicker
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress My last Lab had itchy skin and if I didn't catch it in time it would become infected. After trying several foods we settled on tinned tuna and brown rice for most of his life. However he did need a course of steroid tablets a couple of times a year. During the last 18 months of his life he needed to be on daily Metacam so couldn't have steroids, so we tried Malaseb baths which helped a bit. Towards the end of his life he went off the rice so I fed Symply brand salmon and potato kibble. If you've got insurance I'd talk to your vet about running tests to find out the cause of the itching. If you decide to try changing food you need to rule out one ingredient at a time - e.g. try a wheat-free kibble. Hope you can find a way to make her more comfortable.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress [quote author=kateincornwall link=topic=8611.msg121553#msg121553 date=1415126047] Hi Nick , yes dogs can have allergy tests which can narrow down the possible culprits , they can be expensive but then if it saves you trying different foods , it could well be worthwhile thinking about . Hope you can get to the bottom of it before too long, its such a worry when our dogs have an issue and we don't know how to deal with it . [/quote] I'm going to call my vet and see if they offer it. If they don't, will have to see if there's a allergy specialist around? People keep saying it's expensive. How much roughly? Over $1k? I recently purchased pet insurance.... the only reason why a test would be beneficial is the obvious: less trial and error with other foods.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress [quote author=Joy link=topic=8611.msg121623#msg121623 date=1415139112] My last Lab had itchy skin and if I didn't catch it in time it would become infected. After trying several foods we settled on tinned tuna and brown rice for most of his life. However he did need a course of steroid tablets a couple of times a year. During the last 18 months of his life he needed to be on daily Metacam so couldn't have steroids, so we tried Malaseb baths which helped a bit. Towards the end of his life he went off the rice so I fed Symply brand salmon and potato kibble. If you've got insurance I'd talk to your vet about running tests to find out the cause of the itching. If you decide to try changing food you need to rule out one ingredient at a time - e.g. try a wheat-free kibble. Hope you can find a way to make her more comfortable. [/quote] I am so sorry to hear of that with your lab. I do indeed have insurance, just got it a week or so ago.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress What do all you lab owners feed your dogs if allergies are linked to corn, wheat, soy, etc?
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress In the UK there are a wide range of hypo- allergenic kibbles on the market and I'm sure there must be in the US too. Or of course feed either a raw or home cooked diet of meat and/or fish and rice and/or potato plus possibly other veggies.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress The DivaDog itched to the point of bare skin patches on her elbows, paws and ears. We changed her food to Pero Labrador Life .... http://pero-petfoods.com/dog-food/b...abradors-staffys/pero-labrador-life-15kg.html which is a brown rice and salmon complete (kibble) and she is now, a year and a half later, completely itch free. But, it was 6 weeks before we really saw the itchiness becoming a thing of the past and about two and a half months before it was totally gone.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress For food allergy diagnosis, I would go for a completely different and very restricted diet compared to your usual diet. So, 1 protein source that hasn't been fed before and 1 carbohydrate source. Feed x 6 weeks and reassess. However, this really needs to be done under veterinary supervision as food allergic dogs which have a secondary bacterial or yeast infection (which in themselves cause itching) will continue to itch despite having removed all the allergens hence causing problems with the diagnosis. A restricted diet is more meaningful in diagnosing food allergy than blood testing is, but needs good veterinary supervision to get the most out of it. Hope this helps.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress [quote author=Joy link=topic=8611.msg121768#msg121768 date=1415214726] In the UK there are a wide range of hypo- allergenic kibbles on the market and I'm sure there must be in the US too. Or of course feed either a raw or home cooked diet of meat and/or fish and rice and/or potato plus possibly other veggies. [/quote] There are so many different things out there that it can become somewhat overwhelming. Hearing feedback from other lab owners I feel is equally if not more important than a vet's recommendation. I've read a few things googling about lamb harming a dog.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress [quote author=MadMudMob link=topic=8611.msg121929#msg121929 date=1415287557] The DivaDog itched to the point of bare skin patches on her elbows, paws and ears. We changed her food to Pero Labrador Life .... http://pero-petfoods.com/dog-food/b...abradors-staffys/pero-labrador-life-15kg.html which is a brown rice and salmon complete (kibble) and she is now, a year and a half later, completely itch free. But, it was 6 weeks before we really saw the itchiness becoming a thing of the past and about two and a half months before it was totally gone. [/quote] I will keep this link handy above, specifically designed for labrador retrievers? Neat. This last Friday, I designed to have an allergy testing done. It tests like 24 different foods and stuff from outside. It was quite expensive, but not as bad as I was thinking from what others made it sound like. I did this because I don't really want to experiment with 10 different foods and run into diarrhea if I can avoid it. They said 2-3 weeks will have results, took blood and sent it away to a lab for testing. I am predicting she is allergic to corn.....
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress [quote author=Lochan link=topic=8611.msg121946#msg121946 date=1415290373] For food allergy diagnosis, I would go for a completely different and very restricted diet compared to your usual diet. So, 1 protein source that hasn't been fed before and 1 carbohydrate source. Feed x 6 weeks and reassess. However, this really needs to be done under veterinary supervision as food allergic dogs which have a secondary bacterial or yeast infection (which in themselves cause itching) will continue to itch despite having removed all the allergens hence causing problems with the diagnosis. A restricted diet is more meaningful in diagnosing food allergy than blood testing is, but needs good veterinary supervision to get the most out of it. Hope this helps. [/quote] Well written post Lochan. I had to read it twice. We had a allergy test done last Friday and it should help us get some answers. Am just waiting for the results to come in. If it doesn't say corn is the #1 ingredient or the first one listed but is still in the ingredients, I am assuming to steer clear of it if she is indeed allergic to it. The company doing the lab testing is The Spectrum Group - http://www.vetallergy.com/pet-parent/ In looking at a sample result sheet, I sent it to my vet and they said it's not fully accurate and to pay attention to the brochure they gave me. They only wrote 24 on it. If Poultry Mix = turkey, chicken, how would you narrow down which allergic to.....
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress My lab friends - allergy results are in and they are very, very interesting. Zelda is allergic to: N - Negative (0-99) P - Positive (100-5000) Total Reacting Allergens: 18 Grasses Bluegrass/June Grass Orchard Fescue Bermuda Johnson Grass Weeds Ragweed Pigweed/Careless Weed Marsh Elder English Plantain Russian Thistle Trees Ash Pecan/Hickory Birch Fungi Penicillium Rhizopus Foods Beef 105 Corn 141 Flax 148 Barley 182 Kelp 133 Indoor Kapok Orris Root Insects Cockroach There are numbers associated with the results and barley is the highest in foods, followed by flax, then corn. Beef is in there too. Per the vet, are going to be switching to a different heartworm pill as heartgard has beef in it. We now have to go to the stores and look at all the ingredients and let her know what we find and ask her for the go-ahead. Is Bison beef? A google search says it isn't but it seems too close isn't it? I read Taste of the Wild has Bison in it. The vet said we could look for something moderate price wise. I am not fond of going with Science Diet if I don't have to. Rawhides are no more which really sucks. Whimzees I looked at ingredients and it appears safe. I am indeed concerned about treats though and diarrhea. She didn't react to a all natural type treat when she was in puppy class a year ago. I don't remember the brand.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress Oh my goodness, that is not easy. But at least you know now, and can work with it. I wouldn't worry about using Science Diet (Hills??), if that works for your dog.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress I'd go for a salmon and rice kibble looking at that list or salmon and potatoe. A white fish like cod and potatoe is also good if your dog has a sensitive stomach. Salmon can be a bit rich it was for my old lab so I stook to white fish. Hope you find a food that suits. In the UK I'd recommend Fish4Dogs.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress You should find it fairly easy to find a suitable food, look for poultry/duck/fish with rice or potato recipes, just be aware that corn is listed as maize on some bags.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress Thank you all for your feedback. After careful review, have decided on the food below. I read some stuff on dog food advisor website about upset stomachs and someone said the protein may have been too high. That was for a Merrick food though. Decided on the below because it is clean of what she is allergic to according to all the ingredients, and it says 25% protein. Her current problematic Purina Dog Chow been feeding her says 21% protein. The jump isn't as high as Taste of the Wild's Duck one that is 32%. In short, was concerned about transitioning her from say 21% to 32%. http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/dogs/dry_food/pacific_stream_canine_formula/ Ingredients Salmon, ocean fish meal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, canola oil, salmon meal, smoked salmon, potato fiber, natural flavor, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, tomatoes, blueberries, raspberries, yucca schidigera extract, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus reuteri, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, niacin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin (vitamin B2), vitamin D supplement, folic acid. 10 days to transition to new food long enough you all think? I hear 2 weeks from some people, I believe the bag of food said 10 days. My wife figured out the fractions on how much new and old and such. Blue Buffalo - every single one I looked at at the store last night has kelp in it. She is allergic to it. Candidae had some trouble ingredients as did Merrick and Natural Balance (or called something like this) Flaxseed is several of them as is kelp and barley.
Re: Itching problem mystery in progress Glad you have managed to find a food that will hopefully agree with Zelda
