[Allison C]

I realize there are symptoms like scratching, marks on the belly, etc.
But how can I really pinpoint the source of such symptom to a specific ingredient?

For instance, my dogs were on Wellness Core for 10 years or so. At the same time, one of my dogs has had these black spots all over her belly all these years. They weren’t as much in the beginning but as she aged, the spots got darker. The vet says it’s allergy. Ok, allergy to what? Could be various thing, she says. Of course. We lived in different areas with different weather, different homes so I know it’s not environmental.

Other than black spots on her belly, she’s healthy. We tried different kibbles in the past (chicken, beef, buffalo, seafood, duck, turkey, you name it) but the marks weren’t going away. Some people know to avoid certain ingredients like chicken liver and lamb for their dogs’ allergic conditions, but how do they do that?
How do I know to blame a certain food ingredient, so I can avoid buying things with it in the future?

[anonymously]

“We lived in different areas with different weather, different homes so I know it’s not environmental”.

The best choice would be to see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist, if one is available near you (here is a list: http://www.acvd.org/).

Most dermatologists will not skin test for allergies until the dog has been exhibiting symptoms for 1 year/4 seasons without any significant periods of relief. There are also other treatment options that a specialist could offer.
Don’t be fooled by mail-in saliva and hair tests, I have heard they are unreliable

A summary of treatments for canine atopy:

Evidence-Based Canine Allergy Treatment

And here is a recent update:

Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment

More info here:
http://www.2ndchance.info/allergytesting.htm
Skin tests to determine what your pet might be allergic to are considerably more accurate, on the whole, than blood tests. However, they are not 100% accurate either. To have them performed, you will need to locate a board certified veterinary dermatologist

excerpt below from: http://www.2ndchance.info/Apoquel.htm
Food Allergies are probably over-diagnosed in dogs (they account for, perhaps 5-10%). Hypoallergenic diets are occasionally, but not frequently, helpful in canine atopy cases but you should always give them a try. Food intolerances are more common – but considerably more likely to result in digestive disturbances and diarrhea than in itching problems.

via search engine here: /forums/search/allergies/

Another site you may find helpful http://www.allergydogcentral.com/category/symptoms/

[Susan]

Hi Allison, the black spots are yeast, a lot of people think grain free kibbles are the best, but they’re not, most of these grain free kibbles are higher in starchy ingredients like Potatoes, peas, tapioca, chick peas, lentils, etc… I’ve found that kibbles with Sweet Potato & Barley with no peas or Sweet Potatoes & Quinoa with no peas or another grain works better then these grain free kibbles with starchy potatoes, starchy peas, starchy tapioca, chick peas etc….

It’s very rare for dogs to be allergic to a protein…..Grains, Starchy veggies yes they’ll get itchy, smelly skin, red paws, itchy smelly ears, etc, you wrote “we tried different kibbles in the past” were they all grain free?? with starchy veggies ?? you changed the protein but did you change the ingredients?

Wash dog in Malaseb medicated shampoo weekly until the scratching goes & the black spot start to go away..Malaseb is an anti-bacteria shampoo….a dog probiotic will also heap strengthen the good bacteria in the gut & make the immune stronger to fight off any yeast over growth..
Try & feed something else besides kibble, “The Honest Kitchen” Zeal is low in carbs…. or the Honest Kitchen has their Base Mixes & you add your own meat… http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal
K-9Natural Freeze Dried is also very low in carbs… Ziwi Peak another excellent Wet tin or air dried food your dogs will love Ziwi Peak its expensive but worth it.. http://www.ziwipeak.com/
there’s a heap of really good foods around instead of kibbles…. Kibbles need the carbs to bind the kibble….

[Shawna]

From my experience, food sensitivities and intolerances can be far greater than just the digestive tract.

Gluten ataxia is just one example
“Our first aim in this study was to establish any therapeutic effects of the gluten-free diet in patients with gluten sensitivity presenting with ataxia. Our second aim was to provide further evidence, by studying patients with gluten ataxia but without enteropathy, that the nervous system can be the sole target organ of an immune mediated disease triggered and perpetuated by the ingestion of gluten.” http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/74/9/1221.full

[Rebecca S]

Some of the common allergic symptoms seen in dogs are Chronic ear inflammation, Itching, Paw biting, Obsessive licking etc. There are certain meats and grains that might likely to cause your dog with allergy. These food items are pork, rabbit, beef, chicken, fish, egg soy and corn. Consult some good doctor or follow the below link. Like animals human do get allergic of some food. Check out few below healthy recipes for better health.
http://www.yellowpages.com/weston-fl/mip/moon-thai-japanese-inc-4618031

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by Rebecca S.

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