# Me Bad--Lucky's Miserable



## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I've been a bad mommy. After going through two bags of Nutro Lamb and Rice, and after Lucky's itching had subsided enough to where I wondered if he really did itch with the Purina (was I imagining that?)...I went back to the food he REALLY loves which also happens to be half the cost of Nutro. Purina Dog Chow...the pretty stuff with bright colors, chewy vegetable shapes and cute crunchy dog bones.

The bag is almost done and Lucky has oozing hot spots and is scratching himself silly....everywhere. His ears are infected and he's chewing himself to boot. He's a mess. 

So reality has set in. My dog has food allergies.


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## vrocco1 (Feb 25, 2006)

I feel sorry for the poor guy! But, at least you know the cause, and can avoid it in the future. Many dogs have allergies, and we never know what they are allergic to.


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## goldencrazy (Dec 15, 2005)

Man, poor Lucky (and Lucky's Mom!).

Tabitha had the itchies, red bumps on her tummy and funky ears while on Science Diet's "Nature's Best." We thought by paying the big bucks we were buying her really great food. After reading the threads and opinions on this forum, we switched to Royal Cainin and Canidae and all the above symptoms went away by taking the wheat out of her diet. A bonus was her poops were smaller and better formed. With Science Diet we were paying for advertising and all the freebies to the vets. This site is a wealth of great information on diet!


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Not unusual: two of our three goldens have done the same thing. At least now you know for sure! 

If it makes you feel better, I never knew that food was the reason why our Reyna itched and got chronic ear infections. The vets just treated the symptoms. So we fought it for all 7 years of her life.


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## Goldndust (Jul 30, 2005)

Yeah, ya gotta watch it sometimes because if your dog has an allergy to whatever in a kibble, the vet bills are gonna far out weigh a better food.

Poor little fella, hope he gets to feeling better soon. He must be miserable!!


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## Leo's Mom (Feb 27, 2006)

Dog with allergies are tough and expensive. Your lucky, your Lucky has food allergies, find a food that works and things get better. Cheena not only has foold allergies but she is also allergic to grass, dust, an other various pollens that are around all summer. She is currently a mess and on steriods and antihistimines to keep her comfortable.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Leo's Mom said:


> Dog with allergies are tough and expensive. Your lucky, your Lucky has food allergies, find a food that works and things get better. Cheena not only has foold allergies but she is also allergic to grass, dust, an other various pollens that are around all summer. She is currently a mess and on steriods and antihistimines to keep her comfortable.


Yes....you are right. Food can be figured out and I'm pretty sure thats the issue. So I'm doing some research meaning I'm reading the ingredient lists...again. I might find a canned food...I'm seeing less grain and more taste there. My intuition says its the grain......Though I've been giving him occasional raw egg and I hear that is a possible allergin too.

Allergic to Grass! That would be a tough one.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Having just gone through this, I advise you to do a search for hypoallergenic dog foods. Lamb & Rice, duck & potato, sweet potato and fish, are all options. You'll probably need to stay away from wheat and corn. 

The fewer ingredients the better. FYI -- canned food does not help to keep their teeth in good condition and it has more calories. Plus it tends to be more expensive.


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## gold'nchocolate (May 31, 2005)

Brandy's Mom said:


> Not unusual: two of our three goldens have done the same thing. At least now you know for sure!
> 
> If it makes you feel better, I never knew that food was the reason why our Reyna itched and got chronic ear infections. The vets just treated the symptoms. So we fought it for all 7 years of her life.


The same for my previous golden, Sasha. I wish I knew then what I know now. She had chronic ear infections also and constantly scratched at her face and licked/chewed her feet until she passed away at 10 yrs old. She ate Pedigree. My 2 goldens now are being fed Nutro and their coats are beautiful and they don't have any odor--Sasha would only smell good for a few days after a bath...I think it was the food.
Cathy


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

gold'nchocolate said:


> The same for my previous golden, Sasha. I wish I knew then what I know now. She had chronic ear infections also and constantly scratched at her face and licked/chewed her feet until she passed away at 10 yrs old. She ate Pedigree. My 2 goldens now are being fed Nutro and their coats are beautiful and they don't have any odor--Sasha would only smell good for a few days after a bath...I think it was the food.
> Cathy


The Nutro did make a difference in his coat and itching AND ear infections. But he was so lackluster about eating it . I started mixing it with all sorts of stuff to get that "spark" back in his eyes. Chicken broth, gravey, pan sauces ..... not sure how healthy red wine with dijon mustard pan sauce is for him.... 

But....he wasn't itching then was he. So we'll try something that hopefully tastes better but doesn't have corn or wheat...which I think is the culprits.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Then try duck and potato, or fish and sweet potato. I've not tried Brandy on the duck but from what I read most dogs love it.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Thanks brandy's mom. I've been looking real hard at that Duck and Potato. If the stuff is going to cost so much more I just would like Lucky to enjoy it.


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## sashac (Mar 13, 2006)

Charlie's on Canidae for Seniors - not sure how many varieties they have, but I've had some real luck with it. His allergies have gotten a lot better (he doesn't scratch his face all over the floor right after meals) and he is simply gaga for it. He starts drooling the minute I mention "dinner" and runs to the container and waits, tail rotating. He snarfs it up! I was worried too that he might not like it, but he loves it. It is the same price as nutro i think. I had him on Nutro at first and his allergies didn't get much better, but even worse, he was farting up a storm (sorry). It was unbearable - we'd have to leave the room! No more, not on the Candiae - thank god!


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## for_my_golden (Oct 20, 2005)

I have also been told that changing your dogs food regularly helps them get a "new taste" and makes them excited about eating. I have been feeding Nutro to both my boys since I adopted them and they are doing great with it. As long as I switch flavors of the nutro brand (all lg breed dog & puppy formula) I don't fight with the loose stool that you would when you normally switch food on them. You might try that. I feed a 40lb bag and then switch...they love it!


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## for_my_golden (Oct 20, 2005)

Oh, do you know about the Nutro program that when you buy 10 bags your next one is free?


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## Samwise (May 15, 2006)

I hope you don't mind me jumping in here (I'm new to this forum) but I was wondering if you know if your dog has an allergy to chicken at all?

If you think that wheat and corn are the culprits but chicken is okay, I can recommend a food that is chicken based but has no wheat or corn products at all. It has the stupidest name but is a really great holistic food and is not as expensive as Science Diet or Nutro, I think. It's called Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul and costs about $31 for a 33# bag. Here is the ingredient list:

Chicken, turkey, chicken meal, turkey meal, whole grain brown rice, whole grain white rice, oatmeal, potatoes, cracked pearled barley, millet, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), duck, salmon, egg product, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, kelp, carrots, peas, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder, rosemary extract, parsley flake, potassium chloride, salt, choline chloride, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.


Another great food is Eagle Pack and they have a Holistic formula that is Duck and Oatmeal based. This food is about $31 for a 30# bag. Here are the ingredients for it:

Duck Meal, Oatmeal, Ground Brown Rice, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Natural Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid), Dried Beet Pulp, Sun-Cured Alfalfa, Air Dried Peas, Flaxseed, Brewers Dried Yeast, Tomato Pomace, Dried Egg Product, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Menhaden Oil, Dried Carrots, Quinoa (Organic), Sweet Potato, Inulin, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, DL-Methionine, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, d-Pantothenic Acid, Niacin Supplement, Choline Chloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Inositol, Dehydrated Kelp, Polysaccharide Complexes (sequestered) of Zinc, Iron, Manganese, Copper and Cobalt, Potassium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Enterococcus faecium, B. subtillus, Bacillus lichenformis, Bacillus coagulins, Aspergillus oryzae and Aspergillus niger.

I don't know how either of these compare directly in cost to Purina but I do know that with them, because they have more ingredients that your dog can absorb and utilize, you feed much less of it. It should end up being relatively close in cost if you break it down to how much it costs per serving. Another benefit is that they should have fewer, smaller stools. My Aussie does well on both of those brands. My new golden puppy, Samwise, started out on the Chicken Soup puppy but the protein is too high so I've switched him to the Eagle Pack Large Breed Puppy and he's transitioning well.

Again, I hope you don't mind me jumping in. I've learned so much about nutrition in the last few months with Ruby and I'm sure I'm about to learn much more with Samwise. Good luck to you. Hope your baby feels better soon.

Christi


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Thanks Christi. Not only is your info great, its persuasive. 

I don't think Lucky has a problem with Chicken. He loves chicken flavor so I hope not. 
My husband thinks Lucky's issues might be the change of weather as its gotten much warmer and he's shedding. But when I first saw symptoms it was quite a while ago with no change of weather. And so far food seems to cause a change.

$31.00 for a 33lb bag sounds reasonable if it will make the itching stop and if he likes it for a high-quality food. I might get some samples from the Petstore.

We were paying $9.00 for 20lb of Dog Chow Lamb and rice Formula...(mainly corn with a pinch of rice). The serving amounts weren't excessive.... about four cups a day. 

Hubby wants to wait til next month to see if there are changes as his shedding progresses.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

In my experience, the shedding and itchiness haven't been related. 

Keep in mind that a higher quality food could also mean fewer vet bills and medications. And as with human nutrition, I've got to believe that a better food means better health.


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## 3 goldens (Sep 30, 2005)

I think corn is the thing most dogs are allergic to. At least I keep reading that. On one of my all breed boards, there is a dog that is allergic to beef, lamb, poultry, wheat, corn, soy, barley, plus a ton of stuff like dust mites, mold, grass, fleas, etc, etc. They have tried one food after another and still not hit on one that really works. It is really sad.

Oh, My kaycee is allergic to bermuda grass and we think live oak pollen.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

Hubby doesn't feed the dog. He doesn't buy the food. He doesn't pay attention to any new brands that I may buy. He hasn't made the connection. 

It is a fact that higher quality food lasts longer cause you feed less, so the cost issue isn't that much of one when you look at it. I just need to put it all down on paper so Hubby and I don't scrap more then usual when its time for us to do the monthly budget. 

Since he is going to be layed off due to his department being outsourced...he's a little bit more wary about jumping into anything more expensive. But again, I think there really isn't going to be a huge difference when all things are considered. The Nutro did take a longer time to go through because the servings were less.

I going for either the Chicken Soup or Duck and Potato.


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## Buffy & Abby's Mom (Nov 27, 2005)

for_my_golden said:


> Oh, do you know about the Nutro program that when you buy 10 bags your next one is free?



This is what I feed my two. How do you get on this program? This is the first I've heard of it. I'll take anything that's free.


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## Rebel Red (Jan 4, 2006)

Poor lucky....he but be miserable..... I hope you can figure it all otu soon.......


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

Rebel Red said:


> ....he but be miserable.....


Huh? What does this mean? Someone's trying to type too fast.....


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

I thought I'd bring up this old thread to inform ya'll that I got Lucky A new food. Nature's Recipe Venison and rice. No corn, wheat, chicken, dairy....all the most common allergins are deleted.

Oh boy...does he hate it. He hates it worse then Ol' Roy. (Ol' Roy....what a mistake that was). But at this point I really don't care. Its medicine as far as I'm concerned. If I mix a half of tablespoon of melted butter in it, he'll eat it...and eat it with a bit of gusto.

It was so inexpensive...a little less then Nutro, but truely geared to dogs with possible allergy issues.

Lucky has even more skin issues now then when I brought up this thread. Hot spots, scabs...but though he's only been on this for a week, I sense that he feels better. He is still scratching but with less focused intensity and less often. His mood seems better. He's in a more playful mood and less introverted. He's been following the kids around begging them to bug him.

I hear it really takes time to see if food is really the issue...so I'm interested in seeing what a month of this food will do. If he maintains and gets better, I'll stick to the more expensive and look more at taste issues...probably look a little harder for that elusive Chicken Soup.

Thanks for all your input.


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## goldenfrodo (Sep 1, 2005)

I've only just seen this thread. Have you tried him on the BARF diet?
Sorry just to jump in.


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## Lucky's mom (Nov 4, 2005)

goldenfrodo said:


> I've only just seen this thread. Have you tried him on the BARF diet?
> Sorry just to jump in.


I don't fully understand the BARF diet. I suspect it is more expensive and complex. At this point...for me, it maybe a tough route to go. But I have gotten interested...but I'm not seeing the tangible information. Is Raw and BARF the same thing???? Raw is another thing that piqued my interest but I'm thinking its too expensive and too complex.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

Lucky's Mom: From what I've had to learn about nutrition (because of Brandy's allergies and other medical problems) you are doing things right. 

You are already looking for foods with the fewest ingredients, and choosing hypoallergenic ingredients. 

Another option is to find ways to supplement his diet with wholesome treats that might provide some of the same nutrients that you like in the higher priced diets. 

For example, dice some carrots to add vitamins to his food. They can help improve the taste without adding butter fat.


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