Could you suggest a Limited Diet food for my dog

[equinelaundry]

After trying various things to relieve my little Peke’s allergies I am desperate to find him relief. I have not tried cytopoint injections yet and have yet to take him to a dermatologist because my vet says seasonal and grass allergies. I’d like to try a limited diet before taking him to OSU. I’ve read good and bad about cytopoint.

He’s 4 and only developed this issue last Fall. In my mind it coincided with a grooming appointment where I had him cut down from his beautiful coat because I couldn’t keep him from getting mats near his ear base and tail. His diet was Honest Kitchen whole grain chicken, starting with the puppy food and then the adult. He occasionally got a few pieces of Fresh Pet that I feed my 17 y/o that needs low protein. After several rounds of benedryl and Apoquel I switched him to grain free Honest Kitchen dehydrated (I’ve lost 2 other Pekes to heart disease so this was different for me to do) with no change, switched to Fish, no change, vacuum almost daily, no fleas, chlorahexadine shampoo, humidifier, bedding washed in several different detergent brands, switched to Nature’s Diet Simply Raw Grain Free Turkey per advice of groomer and now he’s tearing into the base of his tail enough that I may have to cone him.

I’m hoping my vet can squeeze him into the appointment I have for my elderly dog’s bloodwork appointment on Tuesday. Is there any recommendation you have for a limited diet that has worked for you?

[Simkie]

It’s often easiest to take them to a hydrolyzed protein diet, like Hill’s z/d, for a while to confirm that the diet is indeed the problem, and settle things, then try to introduce novel proteins once they’re no longer reactive.

[equinelaundry]

Thanks so much! That’s an easy next step to take!

[Demerara_Stables]

Has he been allergy tested? My GSD mix is allergic to a ton of things, but once we eliminated the allergens in the diet (mainly beef and salmon ), we can keep the environmental allergens under control with apoquel.

[Cammie]

One of the vets I see just put out a newsletter on allergies and treatment options. Hopefully the link works-
https://mailchi.mp/integrativepet/june2-17285356?e=9bd1c822fe

[pony_baloney]

Thera Clean baths supposedly are a great help:

Thera Clean Microbubbles | Microbubbles For Dogs

[Lusoluv]

I was told most common food protein allergen is chicken because it’s cheap and in most foods as main protein or farther down ingredient list.

I put my dog in Purina Hydrolized diet for a year. Then experimented with single protein formula like Natural Balance Limited Ingredient dry/wet food. There are other brands too, but I found this is one of the best value foods out there. Wheat, soy and corn, peas can also aggravate some dogs, too.

[Rallycairn]

Echoing @Lusoluv, Natural Balance L.I.D. is in heavy rotation in my home. They’ve always supplemented taurine in their grain-free formulas, and they have brown rice and other grain L.I.D. formulas if you don’t want grain free. Duck, fish, lamb, I believe bison - anyway, several available formulas.

The hydrolyzed protein diet sounds like a great idea, though.

[tabula_rashah]

my previous guy had a chicken allergy. It’s in freaking everything for dogs. I eventually found Open Farm and Evangers and was really happy with their products

[GraceLikeRain]

I spent years trying novel protein, homecooked, raw, etc with my dog because of his allergies.

Royal canin hydrolyzed protein has changed his life to the point I feel very guilty my pride kept me from trying it earlier. Day and night difference.

[Jarpur]

Hill’s z/d is what worked for one of my dogs.

[snowblaze]

This is the second year my whippet started getting very itchy beginning the last week of April. Last year the vet suggested Claritin, which treated it semi-successfully after apoquel didn’t work. The itching stopped in early September, so seems to be seasonal allergies.

This year the claritin really wasn’t working and she was miserable, scratching and gnawing all day and all night, with really red irritated skin. Mid-May she got the Cytopoint injection, and she has not been seen itching since the day after the injection.

[JB]

To try the true elimination diet, you really do need to start with an Rx food, because they guarantee there’s no cross contamination. Any non-Rx food that says it’s chicken-free, for example, may not use any chicken or piece-parts, but could easily be contaminated. That may be fine for the slightly sensitive animal, but not if you’re trying to ferret out a true allergy

[clipper]

I suggest Rayne’s kangaroo. My dog prefers the one without quinoa.
You need to get it from your vet but works wonderful for allergies. If you buy the kibble you can make it soft for your dog by soaking before feeding.

[equinelaundry]

Thanks so much! I will try prescription diet and hopefully that will bring him some relief.

[MunchingonHay]

In my experience, when a dog has outdoor/grass allergies, they are also allergic to chicken, lamb, venison and salmon. These are all “hot food” following Chinese Traditional med. You need to balance with “cold foods”

I would feed a single protein such as; pork, beef, bison, rabbit, and white fish (markeral, white fish, trout shellfish).

You could go straight to an Rx or a novel protein such as alligator, kangaroo, etc. as well.

For an easy to feed kibble I love Zignature.

Apoquel was a life saver for my pittie cross with seasonal outdoor allergies.

[MunchingonHay]

UPDATE: Monday 17th

I just picked up Buma. The vet did not see any fractures. He did see many legions at her shoulders on both sides where her humerous and scapula connect and he thinks the chest pumping from Lilly does not help her Tendinoapathy it is not the cause.

I am going to continue the course of gaba and Rimadyl. (15 days) and it will take a few days for the Librela he dosed her with to take affect. I will also get her Dasaquin. I asked about apoque, and he said with her shoulders, Librela would be the better choice and I can do the Sub-Q injections.

He said nothing is going to reverse her shoulders. They could do surgery, but I don’t think that is fair for a nearly 9 yr old large 100lbs dog to go under sedation twice, limit the use of shoulders, etc.
He likened it to a rotator cuff surgery.

I tried to open the new radiographs, but my computer does not have the software to open then when I downloaded them. They are going to try to send them in PDF format tomorrow.

Worse case, I can copy and paste them into a word doc and attach that to this thread.

We pulled a senior blood panel and I should get the results tomorrow. So I will have a baseline of her kidneys and liver since she will be given Rimadyl more frequently now.

I need help with this next question:
Should I reach out to Penn State and see if this truly is the issue?

And then the next question, that no one can help me with is… why? Why see if its something else and just worry myself when I can’t afford to fix her.

Did this whole thing just become a quality of life thing??? She’s only 9.