Dog allergies
Dog Allergies and what you can do to make your dog more comfortableArchive for September, 2008
Dog Skin Allergies symptoms often show up in the first two years
Skin Allergies Symptoms
Skin Allergies often shows itself in the first two years. Skin allergy symptoms include rashes, very itchy skin, scratching constantly, rubbing the face often, chewing on their legs and/or frequently chewing on their paws Others will have red, inflamed ears, and/or frequent ear, bacterial and yeast infections may occur.
I hate skin allergies
What has happened to our meet food supply that most of the allergies come from meat that dogs have eaten for hundreds of years? There is a long list of causes of skin allergies in dogs. First we must look at the diet of your dog. According to veterinary allergists, animal protein can be an allergen. Since when?!!!
Some of our pets are allergic to beef, some to chicken, turkey. The animal protein most seem to do well on is duck, rabbit and salmon. If you wonder why they are not as allergic to these three meat sources can be easily explained. I was talking to my vet yesterday and we were discussing how very much better my dog was doing on a new kibble I had tried.
It had no beef, no chicken, no lamb no corn and no wheat. Why would those proteins cause allergic reactions? All beef, chicken and lamb go to the slaughter house. It is there that the different meats are sorted into groups and then processed. We’ve all heard about the hormones they inject all cattle with and the monstrous conditions in the slaughter houses. Meat is recalled on a regular basis when it is tested and found to have contaminants in them. Health inspectors go to the slaughter houses and randomly test. What about all the meat that does not see the hawk eye of the tester?
I'm helping mom.
Allergic to flea medication, grass and weeds
What about contact allergies due to the flea collar your dog wears, the flea shampoo or dip used on your pet, or the sprays you are using in your garden? All of these and more can cause skin allergies in your pets
I have noticed that every time I give my dog Advantage flea medication, he becomes sick and will not eat. Even the smallest amount I put on his skin causes him to be ill from allergies.
Let me also say that if you have a sick dog the first thing you must do is visit the vet and find out what is wrong. It could be something so serious that a change in diet will not help. Be safe and sure.
Dog Nutrition play a huge part in controlling allergies
Dog food nutrition.
Since the dog food recall more and more owners are asking themselves just how nutritious is the pet food they buy.
They are also looking at alternatives to pet shop pet foods and scrutinizing the labels trying to find the best natural dog food.
They want to know what exactly what is in the dog food they purchase and if it has enough nutrition for a healthy dog.
I believe the dog food manufacturers that don’t pay attention to consumers and their concerns will pay a heavy price at the cash register. Simply put, we will not buy dog food that doesn’t have good ingredients in it. In fact we will boycott it and tell our friends not to buy it.
There are many articles written about holistic dog nutrition and I have something to say about them. My dog has been eating holistic dog food for many years and has been a picky eater. He has always had food allergies and finding a dog food that agrees with him has been hard. I fed him bench and fields for quiet a while and thought I was giving him the very best food because it said it was a Holistic dog food.
What I didn’t realize was that most all dog food out there had wheat and corn in it. You know, the poisoned wheat from Canada and the bio-engineered corn from the USA. That was never a good idea and we all knew it but couldn’t stop it. When my dog got really sick during the dog food recall, my dog food manufacturer quietly took some of it’s dog food off the shelves and came up with a new formula that doesn’t include wheat or corn.
What an improvement! My dog started eating more, had less incidents of illness and started playing again. I decided the culprits were wheat and corn. What works for my dogs is Hills Prescription diet of duck and potato. This new dog food replaced others they had on the shelves. They removed Hill’s gravy so I substituted Hill’s ID. I hope you can also find the right dog food for you dog as I did. Just because it works for my dog doesn’t mean that Hill’s foods will work for yours. Every dog is different and you should work with your vet to find the best natural food for your pooch.
What your pet’s ancestor ate
Let’s pretend we’re looking in on an average day of a dog in the wild, the ancestor of today’s dogs.
He wakes up to the dawn. It might be raining, snowing or a bright clear day. Today’s dog would stretch, get up, walk over to his dog food bowl and either bang it around or whine because he wants food.
How let’s look at this dog’s ancestor. Quite another story This wild ancestor wakes up to anykind of weather, looks around for the kill he made the day before to find it gone. Some animal made off with it during the night. So he gets up and begins his day hunting for food and that means exercise and lots of it.
Read more about how dog’s ancestors got their nutrition from the food they hunted
Dog Food Allergies a big business for dog food companies
Hills Prescription Diet for dog food allergies costs around $25.00 per case of canned food.
My dog has to eat this dog food. If he doesn’t he will get an upset stomach and stop eating and drinking for anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. The bagged kibble food costs me around $76.00 per month.
I go through about two cases of canned food and 1 large bag of kibble per month.
My little dog napping while I type
That along with regular vet visits costs me quite a bit of $$$. It’s a good thing I am on a diet because my dogs food costs more than my trip to Trader Joes. I did try Trader Joe’s bagged kibble but this food did not agree with my dog and he was throwing up after two days.
Another option for you is to cook your own food. Try some dog food recipes at www.dog-food-recipes.com
Dog Allergies are being treated aggressively with Prednisone!
I have been hearing lately from people that dog allergies are being treated too aggressively with powerful drugs that if taken too long can lead to organ failure or Pacreatitis.
West Highland White Terrier out for a walk
This is exactly what happened tomy dog who has had allergies most of his life. They put him on Prednisone and after year he developed Pancriatitis which they said was because of long term Presnisone use.
I would advise any dog owner to get a second opinion about the use of Prednisone for allergy symptoms.
