[rustyhorse]

My 7 year old lab/pointer has had atopic dermatitis for most of her life. I did several food trials with no change. The last food I used was Earthborn Holistic Coastal Catch Grain-free. The vet sent blood to Idexx lab for testing and she tested super high for storage mites. She did well on the Earthborn and I can’t image it contained mites, but how else would she ingest them? Vet recommended I either make homemade food, use canned wet food or purchase fresh kibble and keep it in the freezer.
I would prefer to keep her on kibble, but how can I be sure there are no mites in the food when I buy it? There is an expiration date, but nothing tells when the food was made.
Any help is greatly appreciated!

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by rustyhorse.

[Cyndi]

Go to Earthworkshealth dot com. That site is about Diatomaceous Earth. Click on “Organic Pest Control” on the top left of the home page…

Read up on DE and see if it’s something that might work. A few people on this site, me included, use it for fleas and I give it to my dog, mixed in her food, to help internally. You could probably mix it in the bag of food when you buy it to manage the mites. I’ve read people on farms mix it with their livestocks’ feed to control bugs.

Maybe someone else would have other suggestions for you…

[theBCnut]

DE won’t help in this case. With an allergy to storage mites, it doesn’t matter whether the mites are dead or alive, just like if you’re allergic to chicken.

You are best off ordering a food direct from the company, then when you get it divide it into containers and put it in the freezer. Grain free will have substantially less mites, but if it is made somewhere where they also make grain inclusive foods, it’s no kind of guarantee. Storage mites can crawl from pallet to pallet and they can be on the equipment. Look for brands that are in heavy plastic or foil bags. Don’t overlook treats, they are a huge source of storage mites.

[Cyndi]

Ok, sorry. Just thought it might help…

[theBCnut]

It would definitly help keep a breeding population in check so all the food is not completely spoiled. It also helps when your trying to get an infestation eradicated so in the future you don’t continue to have an infestation. And that brings up a good point, it’s important to make sure that the storage mite problem doesn’t extend to the environment, so a little DE where the old food was stored and a thorough cleaning is definitely in order.

[somebodysme]

I’ve also read that putting the food in the freezer kills those mites. I can’t remember how many days the article says…I’m sure googling it will tell you but I’m sure if you put it in there for a few days, that will kill them. I do remember that it said to allow the food to come to room temperature before you give it to them.

[theBCnut]

Yes, freezing the food kills the mites, but their bodies are still in the food so this won’t help a dog with allergies to the mites.

[Natasha C]

Has anyone tried freeze-dried food and if so, did it help with storage mite allergies? I have a 2 year old lab with severe storage mite allergy. I make his food at home (potato/sweet potato, turkey and veggies), but I am frankly getting tired of doing that. It is a lot of work and I work full-time and have a family to cook for as well! I am looking for something I can buy, but I don’t want to undo the progress we have made with his dermatitis. Any feedback would be helpful.

[anonymous]

Have you made an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist? That’s where would start. Allergen specific immunotherapy is the only thing that worked for my dog with environmental allergies.
Dust mite allergies and such are environmental, airborne and present year round, shed from the skin of all living things, including you.
Have you checked the search engine here: /forums/search/allergies/

“Atopic dermatitis is a hypersensitivity or over-reaction to a variety of commonplace and otherwise harmless substances in the environment such as plant pollens, house dust mites or mold spores. Most pets with atopic dermatitis either inhale or absorb their allergens through their skin. Allergy tests are used to identify what a pet is allergic to in their environment”.
“There are two types of allergy tests, the intradermal allergy test and blood testing for allergies (serologic allergy testing). In an intradermal allergy test, the fur is clipped on one side of the chest and very small amounts of common allergens are injected into the skin. This test is very precise and is only performed by Veterinary Dermatology services. Because most pets with environmental allergies become exposed to their allergens through their skin, the intradermal allergy test may also best simulate a pet’s natural allergies. In a blood allergy test, a blood sample is obtained and submitted to a laboratory for testing”.
“If a pet is diagnosed with atopic dermatitis, there are three methods of therapy. The first method of therapy involves removing the allergen from the pet’s environment”. “Unfortunately, this is not possible in most cases. The second method of therapy involves the use of anti-itch drugs such as anti-histamines or steroids (cortisone). Some of these anti-itch medications do not work in every pet. Other pets develop side-effects from taking certain anti-itch medications”.
“The third method of therapy for atopic dermatitis (environmental allergies) is allergy injections. Other names for allergy injections include desensitization, hyposensitization, allergy vaccine, or allergen-specific immunotherapy. Immunotherapy involves a series of injections of diluted allergens. Over time, these injections make a pet less sensitive to their allergens and thus less allergic. Most pet owners are able to learn how to give the injections at home. When based on the results of intradermal allergy testing, immunotherapy helps manage the allergies in approximately 70-90% of pets. Most pets will respond to immunotherapy within 6-9 months, but some pets will require up to a year of immunotherapy injections before a full benefit can be noted”.
http://www.mspca.org/vet-services/angell-boston/dermatology/boston-dematology-allergies.html

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