# My golden's food allergies



## DogOwner (Jul 30, 2015)

Black stuff in ears could be dirt. I don't know if it is food related. What makes you think that? Food Allergies could mean skin irritations, excessive licking..... JMO
I noticed that one of my puppy's ears gets so dirty in one day....so tomorrow I am going to the vet. 

I never listen to the vet about foods.


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## Wenderwoman (Jan 7, 2013)

Yes, I agree, the ears may not be a sign of allergies. My girl usually has one ear worse than the other but I don't attribute that to a food allergy.

As a puppy though, we had a lot of trouble with her skin that could have been allergies. She was actually losing hair and the skin looked red and raw. I have a new puppy that is having the same problem. What are the odds? In both cases it is really apparent that something is not right. We treated her for demodex and I put her on a Blue Buffalo grain free for puppies and it cleared up. I'm still waiting for my puppy to clear up but I am feeding her Nature's Recipe grain free.

Around 8 months, I switched her to Fromm Chicken ala Veg and I have not seen any problems. They say it many puppies do have food allergies as puppies though.

As far as what to say to your vet, just tell them you want to feed them something else.


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

People will disagree but I swear by fish based grain free food. No allergies and clean ears.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

A lot of people have had excellent luck with Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach. It really seems to help.


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

It really comes down to trial and error. I used to be skeptical about food allergies, but when I put my dog on a Rx diet, he did much better. Every dog is different and you are your dog's advocate. Just because a vet recommends something, doesn't mean you have to blindly follow. In my opinion, it's a partnership with your vet. Their role is to lay out the options and your role is to evaluate the pros and cons for your pet. If you don't have that kind of relationship with your vet, it may make sense to find another.


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## Summertime15 (May 15, 2015)

Another resource that might be helpful is the Nutriscan website. Dr Jean Dodds has some excellent information there, including some articles on food sensitivity in a "knowledge center" section on the website. I have also seen positive reviews regarding the Nutriscan test that Dr. Dodds has created. She also recently published a book titled "Canine Nutrigenomics" that discusses canine diets in detail.


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## Mom Fischer (Dec 3, 2014)

Murphy1 our Lucy is on fish based grain free free several other trials she has no issues anymore with either her ears, rash or loose poops. I totally agree.

Gurda19 I think it is ok to discuss what you think works or doesn't wrk with the vet. Of they do t want to budge r accept it I would move on. I have had numerous food discussions with our vet and they never pushed us to one food brand. There is 4 in our clinic we really like 3 won't see the 4th again.


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## artbuc (Apr 12, 2009)

No way to diagnosis a food allergy at 7 months. Something else is going on. Way too many food changes. It takes up to 2-4 months to see if a food works. You are literally chasing your tail. Pick a simple food and stick with it.


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

Food Allergies in a seven month old pup?? Way too early to reach that conclusion. 

Did the Vet culture the debris found in the ears? Is it yeast ? Is it bacteria? Is it dried blood? Is it just dirt?

Seriously, I would go back to the food the breeder was feeding.


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## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

Why did you switch from the food the breeder had him on? If it was working for him, theres really no reason to switch around.


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