# Alterative Diet to Prescription Hypoalleginic



## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

We had a terrible time with Ky's skin problems. After many RX's, tests ect I changed her diet to Innova grain free. She really likes it. We're on our 3rd large bag and she hasn't had a single sore since switching.


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

Is this all you've ever fed her? Remind me again how old is she? 

At this point if that is all you've fed her, I would personally look for a food that has a different protein. Pretty sure this one is chicken--so look for a lamb/duck/salmon based food and just give it a try. 

California Natural is very limited ingredient...but I would feed puppy (lamb) over adult because I like the protein/fat in them better.

Or you can also try Fromm 4 Star (Duck/Sweet Potato--or Salmon A la veg)--BUT, they are still pretty ingredient heavy and if it's not the protein, you may have trouble figuring it out. My excessively itchy golden did well on Fromm 4 Star though, which is why *I* personally would not be opposed to trying it.

I also had good luck with Pro Plan Sensitive Skin/Stomach (salmon). BUT, I have to be completely honest in that I am thrilled with the lack of itching, but not thrilled with the coat quality with it. So I'm in the process of going back to Fromm for my guys and hoping Wagner tolerates it well again. 

Just some options--plenty out there though. 

Is she itchy 24/7? Or have you noticed it's worse sometimes? Any fleas? Is her belly red? Her groin area?


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

Is there a reason that they determined the itching to be an allergy to food and not environmental? 
I had this problem with one of my dogs and after trying many different protein sources and no relief from the itching, I decided that it must be environmental. She is now on zyrtec and this was the only thing that gave her any relief from the itching. 
You mentioned that Mercy had an ear infection. Have you looked at the thread about the homemade ear medication. I tried it and it worked so well that now my vets office recommends it. I don't think it worked well for everyone that tried it on the forum, but it was the only thing that worked for one of my girls, and it only took one application. 
Also, you mentioned that you give Mercy lots of treats for training and also those dental chews. Could it be possible that is what is causing the itching? Just some things to consider.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Wagners Mom said:


> Is this all you've ever fed her? Remind me again how old is she?
> 
> At this point if that is all you've fed her, I would personally look for a food that has a different protein. Pretty sure this one is chicken--so look for a lamb/duck/salmon based food and just give it a try.
> 
> ...


Mercy had Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy. My breeder prescribed it that way. She said to then switch to PP when the SBP bag was only 10% full. If I had it my way, I would have given her Nutromax puppy formula. All of my breeders dogs are plush beauty queens (and kings) and I want Mercy to have a silky luscious coat like her relatives. I should have also asked which of these alternate foods also promote shiny silky coats. Her itching is not 24/7. There are no fleas nor is there a red belly. I had asked my vet about alternatives and she mentioned the alternative meat foods but would not name brands.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

goldhaven said:


> Is there a reason that they determined the itching to be an allergy to food and not environmental?
> I had this problem with one of my dogs and after trying many different protein sources and no relief from the itching, I decided that it must be environmental. She is now on zyrtec and this was the only thing that gave her any relief from the itching.
> You mentioned that Mercy had an ear infection. Have you looked at the thread about the homemade ear medication. I tried it and it worked so well that now my vets office recommends it. I don't think it worked well for everyone that tried it on the forum, but it was the only thing that worked for one of my girls, and it only took one application.
> Also, you mentioned that you give Mercy lots of treats for training and also those dental chews. Could it be possible that is what is causing the itching? Just some things to consider.


I will certainly consider looking into this stuff.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Pick a limited ingredient food, with only one meat source, preferrably only one grain source, and something other than chicken. You will also need to use treats that go along with whatever food you choose to avoid causing more reactions.

I would actually bet on environmental over food allergies though.


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## Golden999 (Jun 29, 2010)

Two generic benadryl in the morning, two in the evening. Make sure it's pure genetic benadryl, not combined with a decongestant as those are toxic to dogs. Add in two fish oil capsules at night. See if that helps. Works very well for my dog, and doesn't make him drowsy at all- he's his usual hyperactive self. 

Having said that, it doesn't work for every dog, and some it makes too drowsy to be a viable treatment. But worth giving it a chance for a while and seeing how your dog reacts.


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## Wagners Mom2 (Mar 20, 2012)

MercyMom said:


> Mercy had Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy. My breeder prescribed it that way. She said to then switch to PP when the SBP bag was only 10% full. If I had it my way, I would have given her Nutromax puppy formula. All of my breeders dogs are plush beauty queens (and kings) and I want Mercy to have a silky luscious coat like her relatives. I should have also asked which of these alternate foods also promote shiny silky coats. Her itching is not 24/7. There are no fleas nor is there a red belly. I had asked my vet about alternatives and she mentioned the alternative meat foods but would not name brands.


I'm betting it's probably more of an environmental thing from this. 

But, I have to say while I loved a lot of results I had from PP, the coats were not one of them. They were not horrible...but they're not fantastic like they have been on other foods.

We're in the process of going back on Fromm because of this. I've never had as good of results with coats as I did on this food, in as little as 2-3 weeks. (We use the Duck/Sweet Potato grain inclusive 4 Star).


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

MercyMom said:


> Can anyone recommend an alternative non-prescription diet that might not be as likely to cause skin allergies as Eukanuba Premium Performance?


Having tried most things on my sensitive dog I would say a fish, particularly good quality salmon non grain food would help with the good coat you want. Chester does very well on venison no grain foods too. Many of our makes are different to yours over there so I don't know what exact names to suggest :doh:
I cook thin pieces of venison in the oven until they are dried to a crisp and then break them into very small pieces as reward treats. He will do anything for them! Good luck at finding the cause of the itching. :crossfing


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Brady used to get hotspots until we switched to Wellness Core 4 years ago, since then he has not had any. He does have days where he seems itchy, but not that often, nd his skin is clear and his ears are too.

My breeder also had him on Eukanuba Small breed at first, I think it was to slow down growth.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

cubbysan said:


> Brady used to get hotspots until we switched to Wellness Core 4 years ago, since then he has not had any. He does have days where he seems itchy, but not that often, nd his skin is clear and his ears are too.
> 
> My breeder also had him on Eukanuba Small breed at first, I think it was to slow down growth.


Is it also good for a shiny silky coat? I love Wellness treats by the way.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Golden999 said:


> Two generic benadryl in the morning, two in the evening. Make sure it's pure genetic benadryl, not combined with a decongestant as those are toxic to dogs. Add in two fish oil capsules at night. See if that helps. Works very well for my dog, and doesn't make him drowsy at all- he's his usual hyperactive self.
> 
> Having said that, it doesn't work for every dog, and some it makes too drowsy to be a viable treatment. But worth giving it a chance for a while and seeing how your dog reacts.


 My vet actually mentioned the Benadryl, though I am nervous about using it, since it has an ingredient that makes one drowsy.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

Wagners Mom said:


> I'm betting it's probably more of an environmental thing from this.
> 
> But, I have to say while I loved a lot of results I had from PP, the coats were not one of them. They were not horrible...but they're not fantastic like they have been on other foods.
> 
> We're in the process of going back on Fromm because of this. I've never had as good of results with coats as I did on this food, in as little as 2-3 weeks. (We use the Duck/Sweet Potato grain inclusive 4 Star).


Okay, sounds good.


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## MercyMom (Dec 19, 2011)

elly said:


> Having tried most things on my sensitive dog I would say a fish, particularly good quality salmon non grain food would help with the good coat you want. Chester does very well on venison no grain foods too. Many of our makes are different to yours over there so I don't know what exact names to suggest :doh:
> I cook thin pieces of venison in the oven until they are dried to a crisp and then break them into very small pieces as reward treats. He will do anything for them! Good luck at finding the cause of the itching. :crossfing


Is Blue Buffalo is good choice. I love their treats!


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

Proplan Sensitive Skin and Stomach is a good choice. Salmon and Barley


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## Golden4Life (May 6, 2009)

My last dog had food allergies. We never had her tested but found foods that she thrived on. Natural Balance was one of them, limited ingredients. 

We started out using benadryl but then heard that it helped some dogs, but not a majority of them. We bought generic when we used it. Beware of the generic of Walgreens or Walmart benadryl... one of them contains caffiene and the dog won't know what to do. Took me 3 days to figure out what was wrong, why she was so clingy. We stopped our use of benadryl and her symptoms never got worse so we halted all use. 

Good luck! (our symptoms were found when she turned a year. She started itching a lot, not eating and her fur was not good. You can see in the photo of her (Kayanne) that her coat was great feeding her Natural balance.)


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## A1Malinois (Oct 28, 2011)

I will use benedryl for a short period but I dont believe its right and fair to have a dog doped up on benedryl on a daily basis for the rest of their lives. 

Acana lamb/Apple is a LID


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## goldy1 (Aug 5, 2012)

cubbysan said:


> Brady used to get hotspots until we switched to Wellness Core 4 years ago, since then he has not had any. He does have days where he seems itchy, but not that often, nd his skin is clear and his ears are too.
> 
> My breeder also had him on Eukanuba Small breed at first, I think it was to slow down growth.


I switched Chance to Wellness Core 2 years ago after some tries with other grain-free diets. CORE agrees with Chance's digestive system as well as clearing up the itchy skin problems/ear problems. Chance hasn't has any hot spots either after switching to Core. 

His coat is lustrous and we always get a lot of compliments but he had a great coat even before the switch to Core. I also supplement with Vital Choice Wild Sockeye Salmon Oil.


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## Golden999 (Jun 29, 2010)

MercyMom said:


> My vet actually mentioned the Benadryl, though I am nervous about using it, since it has an ingredient that makes one drowsy.





A1Malinois said:


> I will use benedryl for a short period but I dont believe its right and fair to have a dog doped up on benedryl on a daily basis for the rest of their lives.


I had the same concern you folks had when first giving my dog generic benadryl. Turns out, it doesn't make him drowsy at all. He's his usual hyperactive self.  Benadryl doesn't make every dog (or every human, for that matter) drowsy. It depends on the dog. That's why I said give a try and see how he does. You might find out that it doesn't help with the allergies or that it makes the dog drowsy, and in either case you'd then stop and look for another solution, but you could find that it helps a lot with the allergies and doesn't make the dog drowsy at all.

If my dog had reacted to it with drowsiness, I wouldn't have kept him on it. You won't know what reaction your dog has to it unless you give it a try. It can really vary.

It's just like how human doctors often have a lot of different medicines they can prescribe to different patients who all have the same condition. Why? Because a medicine that works really well for one patient might not work at all for another, and a medicine that has no side effects for one patient might have really bad ones for another.

I know I've had horrific side effects that were completely intolerable from widely prescribed medicines that most people experience no side effects from, or only very mild side effects from. I also take medication regularly that is now rarely prescribed because for most people it has intense side effects, and for me it has no negative side effects. Everyone has a different body chemistry (Me more than most, I suppose  ). Same way with dogs.


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