Beth G Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 So we are trying the Nutro brand. all natural lamb and rice. Wish us luck with poor Pepper. she is starting to have bald spots where she is going at her fur with her teeth. We showed the vet a couple days ago. She said we could give her some antihistamine. We also got some oatmeal bath but I hate to bathe her again as her coat is sooo dry already... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Allie has been getting the Nutro Ultra Adult Holistic and she does well with it. I hope Pepper does well on it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheri McDonald Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Beth have you tried Canidae? I swear by it and so does my daughter with her very food sensitive dog. Check their website. Some amazing before and after photos. My duaghter pitty mix was chewing her feet off, two months on Canidae and she was totally healed up and not scratching at all. Best of Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 I'll ditto that recommendation of Canidae. Good food at a good price. Mine are on Innova now, but I had great success with Canidae, and for anyone who might be concerned with price, it's a good choice in that respect, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneen Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 I hope she does well with the Nutro! I've heard that California Natural is good for dogs with food allergies, as there are very simple proteins in it. ~Kelly Deneen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitch Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 I fed Dublin Canidae before I switched to raw. It is a good food. Regardless fo what you are feeding, I would add some fish oil caplets daily. I give Dublin 2/day and it worked wonders with his dry fur and itchy skin. It takes a while for the fur to improve; the itchy skin goes away faster. You can pick up the fish oil in the human vitamin aisle. You can also order the liquid type from some pet supply places (the human version is fine, though. If you have a dog that doesn't take pills well - like Dublin - you can always poke a hole in the gel cap and squeeze the fish oil over the kibble.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoe Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Are you switching foods 'cos they didn't have the one you normally give ? I was coming to the end of a bag of Canidae once, so called my supplier and they said they were out and wouldn't have any for a month :eek: I order over the 'phone and have it delivered from another part of Japan as I can't buy it anywhere in Tokyo ! So I spent all morning on the internet and finally found another supplier who had some. Now I always have a spare bag. It was a good lesson because it made me think about what I would do if there was a major earthquake or other disaster in this very earthquake prone region. I don't know if you have any scary stuff like that in WA, but it might be a good idea to have an extra bag on hand, just in case your store runs out again. Hope she does well on the new food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted May 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 Kitch- I have no probs pilling either dogs, just gently open the mouth and down the gullet,I'm used to pilling all the animals...lol. And, we cannot put in treats anyway. Right now she is trictly fed nothing but dogfood, as we are trying to rule out the allergens...she is allergic to. Also the package said not to dare add vitamins or supplements...but still should I? Ok if this brand doesn't work I will sure try the Canidae. Oh and Pep, was biting out chunks of fur due to the itching. Plus, she also has another rash. That along with the diarrhea, which both vets say it all is food related. And also get this dogfood dealer told us to come buy on Weds as you get 10% on your dog food that day of the week every week, and also, your fifth bag is always free!!! AND... also they always have mail in coupons for that brand!! Way cool!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 I'm glad for this thread! I have been thinking of switching foods for my two and this encouraged me to do a little research. I used to feed Natural Balance duck & potato and both dogs did very well on it, but no one sells it anywhere near me (we moved last year). I switched to Solid Gold and they like it, but my dogs both lose weight very quickly if their exercise increases even a tiny bit. I'd rather their weight was a bit more stable. The SG seems to not have much substance or something. I think I will try Canidae and see how they do. Since I am in the middle of a bag of SG right now it is a good time to start a switch. Everyone talking about it encouraged me to do a search in the archives and it seems to work for a lot of dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted May 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 Good luck with it! Today Pepper actually had formed and very firm stools! Yay! Hope she stays this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitch Posted May 13, 2006 Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 Great news! I hope her skin/fur improves soon. If it were me, I would give her fish oil caplets but you need to go with your gut. Ask your vet what they think. I've never heard of a dog having an allegic rxn to fish oil, but others might be more informed on that than me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted May 13, 2006 Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 That's great news about Pepper! May she continue to improve. Allie + Tess & Kipp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted May 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 Ok. Thanks guys! I definately will get some fish oil capsules than. where do I go? Like Walmart or a petstore adn how much do I dose her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted May 13, 2006 Report Share Posted May 13, 2006 I use Canidae but, I just switched off Nutro and it worked fine. The puppy is going to get one 15lb bag of solid gold hund and flocken and then switch to the canidae with everyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitch Posted May 14, 2006 Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 I pick them up at Walmart in the vitamin aisle. I would start with one capsule for a week or so to see how she does and then up it to 2. It takes a bit but you should see an improvement in her skin and coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted May 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 ok cool, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted May 14, 2006 Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Here's another thought for supplements for coat... I tried salmon oil for Kipp (he is a bit itchy, but only in 4-5 spots--weirdo). I tried that, and I tried a few other things. I gave each thing at least 6 weeks to work. I got something called Bio-Coat with biotin in it (I had a lot of success with biotin supplements for my horse's hooves & coat) and have been giving him that for a month. I have noticed that his coat and Tess's coat both are much softer and shinier. I am doing the food switch, but I will keep the biotin supplement for quite some time. I did a search for biotin and dogs on google, and the national institute of healthy did a study on biotin and did actually help most of the dogs in the study with itchiness. I assume that for the study food allergies, environmental allergies, flea allergies, etc. were all ruled out and these were just itchy dogs or something but I'm not sure. ( link to study info) I told my husband that if the Canidae (sold in three places local to me) after a 6-month trial does not improve their coats and weight stability, I will go back to the Natural Balance and just drive the distance to get it and get it in huge quantities, vacuum seal it, and freeze it to store it. Ugh. I don't know why no one nearby carries it! So, a biotin supplement is something else you might consider. Allie + Tess & Kipp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted May 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2006 Yeah really. Me neither. It seems to be a good food. Wish more people carried it... Ok i will check out the Biotin too! Um...where do I get some?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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