Dog allergies
Dog Allergies and what you can do to make your dog more comfortableArchive for Dogs
Dogs licking and chewing their paws and feet
Dog licking paws and chewing feet.
I hope to relate to you the type of injuries and thing you should look out for when your dog gets older and begins to have paw problems. Nine times out of ten it’s either a foreign objects stuck in the foot or matted fur, even an allergy will cause so much itching a dog will try to lick it away.
I know I have had more and more problems as I have grown older. Now my two dogs are having paw problems.
Some of the most common problems a dog can have with his paws are;
- Injuries
- Splinters or pieces of glass
- burrs and weeds
- Fungal infections such as yeast
- Nail problems
- Matted hair
- Dog licking paws until they are raw
Dog bites
HOW TO NOT GET BITTEN BY A DOG
If you’ve never had a dog or dislike dogs here is some information you need to know so that if you encounter a dog you don’t create an environment where the dog will bite you and it will be your fault.
Don’t approach an unknown dog that is alone without its owner.
Never pet a dog without asking the owner if you can touch his dog.
If you see an injured dog be very careful how you approach it. Wear gloves and heavy clothing. Usually dog in pain will bite.
Don’t go near a dog that is eating or sleeping or has it’s favorite toy. If he does not know you he will want to guard the toy.
Never tease a dog. Don’t yell at dogs. Don’t run at them. Don’t skateboard or ride bikes near dogs. If you have to, then be prepared for some barking.
If you see a dog running at you, stand perfectly still and do not look at him at all. Do not make eye contact. If you are attacked then fall to the ground and roll up into a fetal postion. If you can mimic the cry of a baby dog do this.
If you want to make friends with a dog talk in a very high voice, like a baby dogs sound. 99% of dogs will not hurt puppies.
Don’t put your self into a situation where you might get bitten by a dog. Walk the other way, cross the street, do something and do it quietly.
Check out my site on dog allergies with breeds
This is a Portuguese Water Dog that the Obama's just brought into the White House
Are you allergic to dogs?
If you are one of the many people, just like Michele Obama, who is allergic to dogs there are dogs that do well with human allergies. Also they do not shed and don’t have much dog dander, if al all.
This week we are trying Wellness dog food
After having problems with the cost and the quality of Hills Prescription dog food we (I) decided to try some speciality dog food kibbles found only in the smaller private pet shops.
We tried Innova dog food which I thought was quite good except both dogs wouldn’t eat it unless it was disguised as chicken or beef.
I remember holding some of Hills dog food in my hand and later my hand was reaking of funky grease smell. I had to wash my hands but my dogs seemed to like the taste. Obviously Hill’s was coating the dog food with some cool dog smells. Remember dogs don’t taste then decide it’s good. They smell their food and taste it with their nostrals.
I decided to taste the Hills food. YUK! It was bitter and nasty. I just knew I was tasting chicken guts and cow lips.
Then I tasted Innova dog food. What a difference. It tasted fine. I looked at the ingredients. I couldn’t find any meat or chicken meal in the list.
Innova is a good food. They even have a kibble that has no grains in it what so ever. They also have a low fat diet for porkers like my female Westy’s. She was OK with eating the kibble. My male dog (who is incredibly picky and skinny) wouldn’t eat it.
Next we tried Wellness for allergies. It is an excellent dry kibble. I mix it with chicken or turkey and my picky dogs have had no bad reactions. The price isn’t too bad. Around $10.00 compared with $25.00 for Hills.
So far so good!
Update on Home cooked meals for dogs
As you all know I am an advocate of feeding good food to your dog and letting the big dog food industry go bankrupt.
Investigating specialty store dog foods.
I have been looking into some interesting brands of food out there that don’t seem to get a lot of attention because they don’t have the big money for advertising campaigns. These foods are often sold in speciality pet shop stores. You won’t find them at the grocery store or Wal Marts or the local Petco. I think it’s because the grocery stores can’t make much of a profit off of them and they are far superior to any other food out there. So try some of these dog foods out and let me know what you think. They will be a little more expensive but far less expensive than those you will find at the vet’s office.
Save Money on Dog Food and Receive a Healthy Pet
All of us are worried about the economy and the cost of dog food for allergic pets.
One of the essentials for me is feeding my dogs. I cut back on everything I can but going to the vet is very expensive and the food for allergies are typically around $56.00 per large bag and around $24.00 per case of canned hypoallergenic dog food.
This is a healthy dog
That is too much for me to pay right now. It is too much to pay when you have to pay the electric bills and the rent and the bare necessities. So I cook for myself and at the same time cook for my dogs.
Here is what I cook for me and my dogs. It’s really quite simple. I go to Costco and get those giant bags of broccoli. I hope you don’t hate broccoli because it has some of the most powerful anti cancer properties of all the vegetables.
I steam broccoli and cauliflower in a big batch, chop it and put into containers. I buy some peeled carrots and steam them and chop.
I buy chicken breasts without bones because you are not paying for skin, bones, fat and it’s fast and easy to prepare. I can poach it or boil it. Don’t cook too long or it will get dry. Remember it doesn’t have very much fat at all.
After the chicken has cooled, I chop it up. I put part of it into containers for myself and the rest for my dogs.
Now I have a good mixture of cancer fighting vegetables and good low fat protein.
For my dinner I make a salad of chopped apples, shredded carrots, sliced celery and some of the chicken breasts.
For the dogs dinner I mix together the chicken, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower together and add a tiny bit of dry kibble if you can afford it. Kibble is mostly corn or wheat so it’s not essential for a dogs diet but it will stretch the food you prepare for them.
Something interesting has happened since I started cooking for my dogs. They seem to love what I cook and their coats are shinier and their eyes are sparkling and ears pricked. And most importantly, their bouts with allergies has lessened.
You will have to experiment with the vegetables because your dog just might have an allergy to one of them so try them out and see what works.
Good luck in these hard times.
Dog Food Allergies and the food you should be feeding your pet.
Dog Food Allergies can cause a happy dog to lose interest in life. He will look unwell at times and have no energy to play and chase the ball. You might notice that he isn’t as hungry as he use to be.
dog food allergies can strike any dog who is fed commercial dog food – cook for your dog!
You could cook for your pet. What have you got to lose? You just might cure your dog. As long as you give him good healthy ingredients with no sugar or trans fats, you pet should improve. Always get your Vet’s approval before trying out these recipes.
Click here for free kibble diet that I have created with the help of my vet. I have talked extensively to my Vet’s about my dog’s allergies. He has always said it was a food allergy and we have tried many many different commercial dog foods in dry and canned dog food to help him but it remains the same, he kept getting sick and I firmly believe it is the additives in the dog food that are making my dog sick.
We’re here to help your dog avoid allergies with home made dog food. Try my recipes and see if your dog doesn’t feel better with more bounce and a smile on his face. My hypoallergenic dog food recipes are free!
Commercial Dog Food may be Shortening your dog’s life
Commercial dog food has ingredients in it that cannot be called food
Garbage would be a better description
When we talk about meat that is intended for canine consumption what you don’t know is that diseased meat and offal, including the intestines, skin, feathers, feet, chicken heads are all processed into “meal” and sold to the dog food companies. It is perfectly legal for a beef rancher, who has had cows die from disease, pile them up in a mound and wait a few days, while they rot, until the meat company comes by to buy it and then process it into dog food. Pretty awful, right? But it is legal.
Also in dog food are chemical preservatives. Two of the most used are BHA and BHT for the preservation of fat. These two compounds can cause liver and kidney damage, yet for years these products were incorporated into baby foods. Many countries have banned their use and importation. BHA and BHT were on the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) list because there were no known negative effects to the body of humans and animals. In 1991, these two chemicals were removed from the “GRAS” list, but some pet food companies are still using them in their products.
My dog has allergies
My dog had these scabby spots on her belly. I thought they were hot spots but they weren’t according to my vet. They show up looking like those scabs kids get when they fall off their bikes.
I put some ointment on the sores but they just came back again.
When my dog did not respond to this treatment I took her to the vet. He gave her some antibiotics which took effect almost immediately. No new outbreaks were seen and the infected areas were drying up and getting smaller.
Along with this treatment the vet also told me to bath her in a medicated shampoo called Malaseb.
Malaseb is a shampoo available from your veterinarian or online. This product was recommended to me by both my Vet and Groomer. It will help the skin heal and get back to normal faster. It is very effective for yeast, but will not treat bacterial infection, or underlying allergies. It also has the benefit of making your dog feel a lot better and that’s what we want for out pets.
* Things that may help you are:
* Medicated Shampoos such as Malaseb
* Wiping the dog down with Malaseb wipes
* Healthy food with no wheat (poisoned) or corn (genetically modified)
* Wash bedding at least every other day in dye free/ perfume free detergent
* Adding a good source of omega fatty acids like fish oils
* Use of prozyme or other similar product
* Immune boosting supplements
Finding a good dog food for dogs allergic to commercial dog food
Is there such a thing as a good dog food for allergies, because it seems as if all the dog food on the market is either tainted, substandard or mostly by-products.
It has become a concern to dog owners that dog food for allergies, available in markets and pet shops, is substandard. Because of the poison that has been found in the wheat products sourced from China, all of us, I believe, are worried about dog food allergies, and the food we give to our pets.
In addition corn which is a major filler in these foods is likely genetically modified. I believe most Americans are not aware that genetically engineered corn has entered the food supply for humans. A test crop of genetically engineered corn called StarLink was developed as a feed for livestock, eg cattle, and pigs. Because livestock has been fed genetically modified foods for years this can cause allergies and illness to our dogs, but when you choose a protein from a rabbit, duck or salmon, these animals have not been fed genetically modified corn or given growth hormones.
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I believe that dog food allergies in our dogs can stem from using these substandard grains as a filler. And as we go up the chain from wheat and corn to livestock, meat byproducts that are common ingredients in commercial dog food must also be suspect. How can we trust wheat, corn or the livestock that has been fed with grain that has been compromised or altered?
As I researched this problem of finding a good dog food for allergies, I have found that different dog breeds are of course from different parts of the world. An Eskimo dog living in the Arctic would eat fish, seal, and other meat with a high fat content. A dog from China who is raised inland and far from the ocean, would of course hunt local food sources. They hunted and ate a different food variety than that of dogs from different geographic regions.
Take for instance the West Highland White Terrier. West Highland White Terrier was bred on the Aisle of Sky, which lies of the western coast of Scotland.
This hardy little dog has good hunting ability for rats, rabbits, squirrels, and this was their main diet source. During our research we have found out that local game in Scotland duck, and salmon.
Potatoes, Oats, and salmon, are foods that are native to Scotland. Owners of West Highland Terriers a hundred years ago would keep these sturdy little dogs as vermin hunters around the farm to protect the Cairns or granaries from vermin infestation, so naturally it would seem logical that these little dogs would be given food such as potatoes, Oats and pieces of mutton to supplement their daily diet of mice and rats caught in the local Cairns.
If we look at the ingredients of kibble commonly sold in pet shops, we find the primary ingredient is wheat. The biggest proportion is wheat or corn. Then as we read the other ingredients we find that beef, and chicken meal, are used as fillers.
Since neither wheat nor corn was in the Westie’s diet, therefore why should we expect this terrier breed to thrive on foods of non-Scottish origin?
This consideration inspired me to develop specialized diets tailored for different dog breeds based on foods from their places of native origin. After extensive research I have formulated specific that are unique to each breed.
If your dog is not doing well on its current diet, I would suggest trying one of my specialized formulas. You will receive instructions on how to prepare a meal for your dog that will keep it healthy and happy.
Every dog breed has a history. Where did they come from? What did they eat?
Get your customized dog food recipe now!
