# Has Anyone tried Royal Canin Prescription Hydrolyzed Protein Diet?



## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

My dog was on that for a few years until my latest vet said he didn't have any food allergies -- his were environmental. I switched him to something else and he did fine. I didn't notice any coat changes while he was on the Royal Canin. It's pricey, however, if the problem isn't actually a food allergy. 

We tried immunotherapy for a couple of years. He was tested and the dermatologist said Luke was basically allergic to the world.  He had so many environmental allergies. He was most allergic to wool, of all things. We got rid of our wool rugs and that actually did help. The only thing that finally helped completely was Apoquel. I had some misgivings about giving him that, but it was a quality of life issue by the time I did. He kept getting bacterial skin infections. I tried fish oil supplements, which the vet suggested earlier on, but that didn't help either. 

Good luck. Leo is beautiful!


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

I have used the Purina Pro Plan Hydrolyzed Protein for few weeks when Duke had a severe allergic reaction. His face swelled, hives, itching and licking like crazy. He was so bad we ended up at the ER vet. He had been on a chicken protein based food for years, but suddenly started having problems and then the above happened. The hydrolyzed protein was great for giving his system a break and allowing us the time to figure out the problem. We slowly transitioned him to his current food and were able to see if it caused any problems. We ended putting him on Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach Lamb and Oat. (We first tried the PPP SSS Salmon but he started itching on it) He is doing really well on it. Duke is older and that night was the start of us realizing he had some other issues going on. He now gets 1 or 2 Cytopoint injections a year, normally late fall to early winter, for environmental allergies. I can't recommend them enough. They make the itching and licking stop.


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## Mde13004 (Feb 20, 2019)

My vet did mention cytopoint! She just wanted to try the diet to rule out if it is truly a food allergy or if it could potentially be an environmental allergy. I will try it out and see how it goes, seems like we are at the vet every couple weeks for something allergy related


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## GoldenDude (Nov 5, 2016)

We are currently doing this for my Clumber. I don't think it's a food allergy but it's wise to rule it out.


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## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

Mde13004 said:


> My vet did mention cytopoint! She just wanted to try the diet to rule out if it is truly a food allergy or if it could potentially be an environmental allergy. I will try it out and see how it goes, seems like we are at the vet every couple weeks for something allergy related


If it's a food allergy you may find that it makes your frequent vet visits stop. With Duke I did find that he definitely had developed a chicken allergy, but he seems to have developed a few environmental ones along the way. We did a simple blood test for allergies. I think it was sent to Univ of Michigan, but I'm not positive. I know our vet wanted it sent to a particular lab. I guess I'm lucky that he never had any until around age 7-8. 

Best of Luck!


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## diane0905 (Aug 20, 2010)

Mde13004 said:


> My vet did mention cytopoint! She just wanted to try the diet to rule out if it is truly a food allergy or if it could potentially be an environmental allergy. I will try it out and see how it goes, seems like we are at the vet every couple weeks for something allergy related


Luke got those occasionally too. They're helpful if needed.


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## Mde13004 (Feb 20, 2019)

Thank you! Yes it is very frustrating because we do everything in our power to give him a good nutrition and keep him healthy but every couple months or weeks something else pops up. It gets frustrating for us I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must be for him to be itchy all the time. If the diet doesn't work I think we will be going on the cytopoint.


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## 204408 (Jul 24, 2019)

Have you thought at all about providing a home cooked diet?

I had a golden who was in and out of the vet's office with itchiness and other skin problems, ear infections etc. He was given Apoquel and Cytopoint. When he later developed cancer (possibly due to the drugs, which supress the immune system) I put him on a home cooked diet. His allergies vanished and he lost weight. I wish someone had suggested to me to stop giving him kibble much earlier.

The problem with commercial kibble is that even though the ingredients are listed, there is a huge range of things that can be included in that one ingredient.


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## Mde13004 (Feb 20, 2019)

I started him on a home cooked rice and chicken diet and that caused him to get some itchiness, not sure if fish can do the same. My vet also explained that my dog could be allergic to in intact animal proteins that are in his current food and that the prescribed food has a dehydrated, smaller version of these vital protein and once they get hydrolyzed in the stomach it doesn't give the body enough of a chance to get an allergic reaction from it which is another reason i was hesitant to go raw or home cooked.


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## 204408 (Jul 24, 2019)

You might consider trying ground turkey instead of chicken. I throw ground turkey, sweet potato cubes, barley, bone broth and squash into the slow cooker. Also, a fat is necessary and insufficient fat can also lead to itchiness. I use olive oil and coconut oil. My puppy loves it, its very healthy and also not expensive. Its not the only thing I feed him though, but its the recipe his system likes the best. A surprising number of dogs can be allergic to chicken for various reasons.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

Fully recommend trying the hydrolyzed RC diet, that being said, all supplements and treats need to stop as well if you’re really trying to determine if there is a food allergy at play...I’d try that diet first and then if the itching persists then seek an injection like cytopoint. And your going to need to give the diet several weeks to see results.


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## Mde13004 (Feb 20, 2019)

Thank you all for your advice! Yes our plan is to try it for 4-6 weeks with no treats or supplements and then if it would have to be a long term diet then look into supplements.


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## jomiel (Feb 15, 2019)

I hope it'll work out for Leo!!


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## Jellybeans (Nov 12, 2018)

My golden is on hydrolyzed protein dog food and treats. After months of diarrhea, itchiness, a big tumor (turns out to be related to his allergy!) and ear infection, the vet put him on this food with Cytopoint. He has had two injections so far. He is also taking 2 benadryls am, 3 at pm. 

It has made a lot of difference, thank goodness. But he was suffering since we got him with diarrhea. He managed to go outside every time but the poor boy was miserable. 

I do not know what the long term plan is at the moment.

This is the first time I have been able to relax about my dog. Chronic diarrhea is not fun. I am sorry if any of you are still dealing with this.

As far as homemade food, he still had diarrhea so that’s not an option.


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## Jjdavids (Dec 4, 2020)

Jellybeans said:


> My golden is on hydrolyzed protein dog food and treats. After months of diarrhea, itchiness, a big tumor (turns out to be related to his allergy!) and ear infection, the vet put him on this food with Cytopoint. He has had two injections so far. He is also taking 2 benadryls am, 3 at pm.
> 
> It has made a lot of difference, thank goodness. But he was suffering since we got him with diarrhea. He managed to go outside every time but the poor boy was miserable.
> 
> ...


Hey there, have you been able to track down what was giving your dog the chronic diarrhea? My 18 week old Golden has had the same since bringing him home, and the hydrolyzed diet instantly made the difference! We are currently trying to add in different kibble to find out what the specific allergy is, but he immediately goes back to constant diarrhea no matter how little kibble we mix in with the hydrolyzed. I would love some insight! We imagined the hydrolyzed diet would be short term but now I’m thinking otherwise!


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