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At my wits end
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Wow, lot of sharply divergent information, strong opinions, values, and emotions in this thread!
I really feel for you Deborah. I can tell 100% that you love your dog very much, have been through and still are going through a lot, want and try to to the right thing — and wish to be respectful of your vet and others here & elsewhere.
If I met you in person, I’d really love to sit down and just talk it through supportively.
There’s so much in this thread to comment on. I’m going to presume, benefit of the doubt, that even where we disagree, that all here intend to be respectful and are motivated by sincere belief that they are giving you the best advice for your dog to be well. I wish to do the same.
1)I don’t like/believe in/recommend Dynovite. I just don’t think it’s this amazing product or expenditure to accomplish what you/others want. I think it’s a gimmicky & an overhyped, overpriced product that is very trendy, convenient, readily available, & well-marketed to take advantage of people and their pets.
I would eliminate it and start from scratch with a quality food. Supplement as needed.
2)Royal Canin Ultamino — aka the hydrolyzed bird feathers food
I 100% hear you & support you, agree with not wanting to feed this food. That SHOULD be okay. Honestly. Why? Because there absolutely are alternatives to it and the science/feeding strategy behind it is NOT unique on the market.
Here’s the thing: a diet of hydrolyzed protein + very limited other ingredients, starch (no protein allergen), pure fats IS hypoallergenic, meaning LESS likely to trigger allergic food responses and/or food intolerance reactions. So that *type* of diet recommendation from a vet is a valid one.
That said, THERE IS NOTHING SPECIAL OR NECESSARY OR BENEFICIAL about feeding specifically bird feathers or “poultry byproducts aggregate” as the protein source. It’s the hydrolyzed aspect of the protein ingredient that is key to hypoallergenic status. If your vet did not explain it well to you, food allergens are proteins, and a hydrolyzed ingredient has the protein (the allergen) broken down into much smaller components that are less likely to trigger the body’s recognition of the ingredient and allergic response.
Other hydrolyzed diets, besides this one, may be fed. Other equally good options for feeding allergic dogs include limited protein, limited ingredient diets that exclude what your dog is allergic to if that is known or strongly suspected.
Sometimes this is rather simple. In a dog that has eaten the same diet of chicken its whole life, for example, merely switching to a fish based food can work. When a variety of foods have been fed, with no relief/allergies continued, a novel protein limited ingredient diet is fed. “Novel” here simply means whatever YOUR dog has not had before, not anyone else’s. It is critical here that the diet you select has pristine quality control, takes rigorous steps in manufacturing or home preparation, to avoid cross-contaminating the diet with ingredients not listed on the label. Especially when it is not known what all your dog has been exposed to and may be allergic to, it may be best to to avoid the current known top allergens for dogs: chicken, beef, eggs, dairy, soy, wheat, corn — and now also fish, lamb (after these have become no longer “alternative” foods but commonplace to feed). For dogs that have been exposed to everything under the sun, a really unusual protein can be used (e.g. kangaroo, if elk/venison has been fed).
A word of caution regarding OTC kibbles, cans, dehydrated/etc. products: In an OTC product vs alternatives of vet prescription commercial diets or homemade, you need to do your homework — research the food and ask pointed questions of the manufacturer and consider the actual plant that makes the food. Most people don’t do this, aren’t aware of the problem (trust the label too much) and many OTC commercial foods, including so-called limited ingredient diets, fail such cross-contamination quality control and therefore fail to provide relief (because the allergen is still being fed but not listed on the label). For a severely and genuinely allergic dog, this can be a nightmare — as tiny amounts can trigger the allergic response.
I do find it odd — and perhaps I am missing something here — that your vet is proposing and insisting (as you say) upon this one food. That doesn’t make sense to me — not on any scientific, research & evidence, best practices basis — purely from what you’ve said here.
What if this food stopped being manufactured tomorrow? What if it were recalled and therefore could not be recommended (temporarily)? What if your dog hated it and refused to eat it?
Surely there are other foods you could purchase to accomplish the medical goals here. Surely you could also feed an appropriate homemade/home prepared diet. This leads me to my next part . . . .
3)Vet-Client Relationship and Recommendations
A good veterinarian-client relationship is one of mutual respect and two-way dialogue. That dialogue includes both sides considering and addressing what the other is saying. Both sides may raise valid points that are worthy of consideration, understanding, discussion.
This means mutually asking and answering questions as necessary and respectfully, patiently making decisions TOGETHER in the best interest of the dog. Basing decisions upon careful consideration of facts and evidence, where things are explained and understood, still involves two way discussion. Some respect for the *values* of the pet owner, should be accorded by one’s vet, not to mention any actual fact based knowledge that a pet owner may have.
As an example, I have expressed to my vet(s) that, aside from concerns about ingredient/formulation quality, I am not comfortable on ethical grounds (including documented animal cruelty discovered in feeding trials) in supporting a particular major dog food manufacturer. Both vets (over the years) I expressed this to were very respectful and open to alternatives selected together. One vet shared that she did not know about the issue and asked me further about it because it disturbed her too. (Vets are busy and, like all people, don’t hear about/read everything and miss things.)
Similarly, my vet and I *discussed*, *considered* Apoquel (which you said you use) and Atopica for severe, unrelenting allergies and I ultimately rejected both after researching them. He was fully respectful of that. He never was pushy about either or any other course of action proposed. Later, when Cytopoint was recommended, I did choose to use this (again based on my research and discussion with the vet/vet staff) and have had great results.
I appreciate that you like your vet otherwise, find her to be “nice.” But it sounds like more two-way discussion should be happening and alternatives considered.
Conversely, as with human doctors, I strongly believe it is important that people see a vet that they trust — and then proceed to trust in what they say. By this I mean not that clients simply blindly and without discussion automatically do every single thing that their vet suggests or recommends, but that they seriously consider and respectfully attend to their recommendations, ask questions, try to understand, and reach good decisions TOGETHER. It’s a better course of action to propose major changes to one’s vet first, consider what she has to say & discuss, then take action than the other way around.
If a client cannot trust her vet (or human doctor) or cannot have full, open discussion with them, then why would that client see that vet (or human doctor). And yet I know many people who do exactly this — and it is probably a frustrating experience for both sides.
I see this come up, with dog owners I talk to, with vaccination schedules, heartworm prevention, and diet (including especially raw or homemade diets). And yet all of those topics are important and ones I expect to be able to discuss openly with my vet in full — and I do. If I can do it, you can do it.
Without being there, since you like your vet, it sounds to me *possibly* that either more time needs to be spent with you on this topic or you might need to be more assertive, vocal yourself and ask questions — ask why just this food, what are alternatives, what about this or that food (why or why not), what about a trial on a different one, what about a homemade vet supervised diet (using a consult service w/veterinary nutritionist if necessary), and be just as persistent as she has been. Get the answers you need to make the best decision for your pet, based on multiple options and good information.
***IF*** you’re just going to your vet because she’s close by, out of habit/length of time seeing her with your pet and hesitant/uncomfortable leaving her for a new one, because she’s “nice” (even caring), but are NOT ultimately getting what you need from her medically — are not able to have a full & open discussion with her, have all your questions & concerns addressed, receive alternatives and options — then I would see a different vet.
4)If your dog has more food intolerances, GI reactions to overall formulations, like too rich, etc., a sensitive digestive system more so than actual allergies, then there are foods very good for that that I would explore. These differ somewhat from strict allergy diets. Was your dog diagnosed with allergies or just sensitive tummy/touchy digestive system or food intolerances? Was a specialist consulted by your vet?
Some foods appropriate to sensitive digestive systems are just bland and very moderate, conservative in overall nutrition profile/guaranteed analysis, and low residue (meaning highly digested and low poop).
I’ve known people to switch from diets marketed explicitly for this purpose, prescribed even, to Fromm’s (and Fromm is a great company, with an excellent longterm record of quality control) Whitefish formula and it’s been exceptionally well tolerated by their dogs. It’s bland, not rich, and has quality ingredients. That’s just one example. There are other choices. Wellness Simple and Nutrisource come to mind, also Go! Sensitivity and Shine.
5)Homemade diets
If this interests you, your vet should be helping you and supportive, as it can be done.
Your vet should be able to provide a free, published balanced diet appropriate to your dog’s needs/condition, minimally consult (sometimes this is free) with a specialist colleague, OR full blown consult (for a fee) or outright refer you to go see a specialist in nutrition who will design you a diet or multiple meals you can safely feed.
Similarly, regarding that itchy skin/allergies, your vet can consult and discuss a case — often for free — with a veterinary dermatologist (specialist) or outright refer you to see one. Has your vet done this? If not, why not? If you have reached the point that you are trying so many diets, things, experienced such a range of symptoms over time, dog taking Apoquel, your vet insisting upon RC Ultamino now, consulting/referral would conform to best practices.
If money is really tight and you don’t have dog insurance (or coverage), there are both free board certified veterinary nutritionist/other credentialed authored single diets available on the web as well as one entire book of therapeutic veterinary diets (from UC Davis) now freely available on the web.
Personally, if you want to go the route of an actual veterinary nutritionist helping your dog, I would recommend (for many reasons) a long distance consult with board certified veterinary nutritionist Susan Wynn (unless you are in Atlanta, in which case you can see her in person). It’s about $300. She will consult with generalist vets long distance, which not all veterinary nutritionists will do.
P.S. To Deborah —
Sharing this anecodote in case it makes you feel better, not alone in your assessment of Royal Canin’s Ultamino:
In the midst of my vet and I, also the specialist, trying to come up with a diagnostic plan for my dog when my dog was still struggling terribly with allergies (there’s light at the end of the tunnel and we’ve now reached it), the receptionist at the multi-vet practice mentioned, suggested trying Ultamino. She specifically mentioned this “bird feathers food,” said it was hydrolyzed, an allergy food that could really help and a couple clients were using it. She truly meant well. I knew that and so I thanked her.
On the way home though I thought, you have got to be kidding, what will they (manufacturers/dog food companies) come up with next, yuck, not what I have in mind for providing the most high quality ingredients diet for my beloved dog! And I laughed, saying to my dog in the car: “You’re very lucky. Your mommy loves you too much to feed you bird feathers! You are soooo not going to be eating this. Don’t worry. It’s not happening.” LOL
At home, out of curiosity and respect for the vet practice generally (& advances in science/evidence based diets), I looked it up, investigated it, and had many additional problems with its ingredients and overall formulation. They just do not meet my health & quality standards. And I remain unimpressed by their concept of hydrolyzing this specific primary protein source.
But neither MY general vet there nor the specialist ever recommended to me this food. For that reason, I never needed to consider it (which I would have) or discuss it with my vet or the specialist. Instead, they recommended multiple other diets and equivalent alternatives.
But if they had recommended to me, I would have had no problem at all raising each and every concern I had with the food. And I know that I would have been on solid ground doing so and trust that we would have had a good respectful discussion.
Susan,
Good catch! Thank you very much for the correction, re Anallergenic vs Ultamino.
I know the one that was proposed to me by the veterinary receptionist was the formula containing hydrolyzed bird feathers — so that must be the one you have referred us to (“Anallergenic,” also by Royal Canin). It’s been so long ago and, as my actual vet and the specialist never recommended it to me, that I’d long since forgotten the formula name.
I’ve just had so much success with the diet my vet and specialist did recommend to me, and w/the multi-prong approach we’ve taken for the care for my severely allergic dog (both food and inhalant/environmental allergies) that what we’ve been doing for the past couple years & the future are all I think about now. Thankfully, my GSD is doing beautifully now!
I imagine this will be helpful to the OP/others who don’t wish to feed hydrolyzed bird feathers as the primary or sole protein source (or at all).
Then they will need to determine whether they find acceptable feeding the hydrolyzed product of “poultry byproducts aggregate,” the particular formula, and from this company.
I wasn’t at all stressed by the information. I was stressed by the thought of feathers being given to my dog, but then I have to say much more so by his reaction to my “good intentions” in switching him to a “healthy” diet. I know ultimately I caused all this. But it certainly wasn’t what I thought would happen.
I talked at length with her about him and while he was there he had fluids given to him and an injection for his inflamed behind. He came home and ate Ultamino which I will keep him on and see what happens. I slept more than a solid hour for the first time in days last night. I just got up with him to go outside and already there is a little improvement.
I don’t blame anyone for trying to do what is best for their dog. I don’t blame anyone for sharing their opinion, as a matter of fact I value them all and this thread helped me to make an informed decision.
I also had my faith in my vet reaffirmed a great deal. She doesn’t just care for Scruffy professionally. She cares for him emotionally and that means so much to me. He is a great little guy who loves everyone and everyone who meets him can’t him but be won by his charm. She’s no exception. I am grateful for her, and for each person here who took the time to help us. You’ll never know what it has meant. Thank you so much!!
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Recent Topics
-
Innovations in pet care
by 2 weeks, 1 day ago
-
Good dog food for almost 16 year old with elevated liver enzymes and beg kindey
by 1 week, 2 days ago
-
Discounts & On Sale Items for Dog Supplies
by 3 weeks, 4 days ago
-
FREEZE DRIED RAW AND ZERO REASONABLE STORE BOUGHT OPTIONS
by 2 months, 1 week ago
-
Homemade dog food questions
by 1 month ago