[Laura B]

Hello All,

I have a 12 year old dog that is probably a lab mix who has been having problems with hair loss. a year ago he was losing hair in patches on his face and the tips of his ears. also some dry cracked skin on the tips of his ears, that i picked off, and swollen ears from tips almost to base. i took him to the vet many times and eventually another vet suggested that it could be allergies.

I had been feeding him pro series hypoallergenic food in canada, but i have since moved to the states with him and i can’t get it here. the hair on his face had completely grown in and his ears were getting better as well. i just switched to pure vita salmon and potato, which he greatly prefers, but his ears are swollen again and no more signs of improvement with the hair coming back. i’ve been reading about this and it seems that ear infections are often triggered by food allergies, and this is a sign of the allergy (though the only problem with the ears is swelling, hair loss, and maybe some purple marks on the skin). i have looked everywhere for a food with similar ingredients but i can’t find anything that is just mostly herring, anchovies, and rice. i also supplemented with canned tuna to make the pro series more appetizing, and that seemed fine. if anyone can offer any suggestions of what to try or how to interpret this i would appreciate it so much.

[TheNaturalDog]

Holistic Select Grain Free Adult & Puppy Health Salmon and Anchovy & Sardine Meal

Ingredients:
Salmon, Anchovy & Sardine Meal, Potatoes, Peas, Dried Ground Potatoes, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Menhaden Fish Meal, Tomato Pomace, Flaxseed, Pea Fiber, Pumpkin, Natural Fish Flavor, Cranberries, Apples, Brewers Dried Yeast, Papaya, Salt, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin A Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Thiamine Mononitrate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Calcium Iodate], Choline Chloride, Blueberries, Pomegranate, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Inulin, Mixed Tocopherols added to preserve freshness, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Fennel, Ground Peppermint, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Trichoderma reesei Fermentation Product, Dried Rhizopus oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract.
This is a naturally preserved product.

[TheNaturalDog]

Or, Zignature Triut & Salmon Meal Formula

Ingredients
Trout, Salmon Meal, Peas, Pea Flour, Pea Protein, Flaxseed, Chickpeas, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Natural Flavors, Salmon Oil, Sunflower Oil (preserved with Citric Acid), Dried Beet Pulp, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Salt, Chorine Chloride, Minerals (Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Poteinate, Cobalt Proteinate), Vitamins (Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement), Blueberries, Carrots, Cranberries, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols.

[Laura B]

thank you so much for responding! I’m sorry, I made a mistake in the title (my dog also has a sprain and I’ve been icing it through the night so I’m pretty tired). I meant to write: food with anchovies and herring but with no salmon or potato.

[Laura B]

this seems like an uncommon thing. I will look into the brands you are suggesting. thanks again.

[Laura B]

basically the only things I’m fairly sure he can eat are anchovies, herring, tuna and rice. maybe he can eat kangaroo or duck etc., but then i don’t know and don’t want to experiment.

[Laura B]

sorry, i keep being unclear. he can also eat barley and oats.

this is what is in pro series:

Fish Meal (Herring & Anchovy), Brewers Rice, Whole Barley, Whole Oats, Fish Oil (Herring), Dried Brewers Yeast, Calcium Carbonate, DiCalcium Phosphate, Kelp Meal, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Malted Barley Flour, L-lysine Hydrochloride, Inactivated Yeast, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C Activity), Vitamin E Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin A Supplement, Zinc Methionine, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Selenium Selenite, Manganese Methionine, Copper Lysine, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Menadione, Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Chondroitin Sulfate, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Calcium Iodate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Cobalt Sulfate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid. – See more at: http://proseriespet.ca/dog-food/holistic-fish-and-rice/#sthash.LLGpRtYI.dpuf

[Susan]

Hi Laura, here’s a link to “Holistic Select” Anchovys, Sardines & Salmon meal, I know you’ve said no Salmon but this kibble has no potatos, have a look at the ingredients they may be as close as you’ll get to the Proseries, A few dogs from the dog park have skin allergies & they are on the Holistic Select Anchovys, Sardines & Salmon meal for their skin & ears…. http://www.holisticselect.com/dry-dog-food-anchovy-sardine-and-salmon-meal

[Bobby dog]

Hi Laura B:
Can your dog have sweet potato? I have been looking at fish based kibble that use smaller species fish and there are a few that use sweet potato as the carb. There is one I found that is potato free, but the calcium/phosphorous ratio is high and the nutrient levels are low. After reading comments about the company on DFA I decided to pass on it.

I read your comment about different proteins, you might want to consider trying a protein that your dog has not had before. I believe rotational feeding is healthier, but more importantly your dog will always have something he can do well on if/when a company changes or discontinues a food.

[Susan]

Also there’s Wellness Simple limited ingredient “Lamb & Oatmeal” that’s what Im feeding Patch in the end, no more itchy sore ears & no scratching, the Simple has other kibbles but they all have potatos, I dont understand why they add potatos in limited ingredient kibbles being a high in carbs…
The only other thing is you cook & make his meals or even if he just has 1 cooked meal for dinner & the kibble for breakfast once you cook every thing & freeze its pretty easy or the next thing you could do is raw.
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/recipes.aspx?pet=dog&ft=1#Complete
this is the whole Wellness range Good-Luck, its hard finding that right food or is there any way someone can buy & post his old food that agreed with him from Canda…..

[Laura B]

Thanks so much for your ideas 🙂 I’ll look into everything that you have suggested. I don’t know if he can have sweet potato…, I just know that the new food has salmon and potato so one of them must be the culprit. also there is some flax seeds in it, but it is farther down in the list of ingredients. but sweet potato is a different thing so this looks like something i could try. what are the foods that use sweet potato Bobby, dog?
he’s had quite a lot of lamb in his life (up until he was five or so), so i don’t know whether to feed him this again (is it really better to go to novel proteins at this stage or should i be figuring out the carb – impossible to answer!)

i think i’ll try one more new food maybe and then I might have to see if I an get proseries shipped from canada. it could either be the potato or the salmon that is bothering him with this, and now i’m leaning towards the holistic select suggested by sue66b in hopes that it is the potato which is the problem.

thanks again very much for your kind responses. If anyone knows of a close American equivalent to pro series, please let me know.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Laura:
I like and regularly feed Wellness kibbles/canned and Holistic canned to both my dog and cats. I haven’t tried the Holistic kibbles, but they are on my list to try.

I would look into feeding different proteins and carbs, but more importantly I would begin keeping a list of all the proteins and carbs in his diet. IMO if it is a food allergy or sensitivity saving the ingredient lists from each food (including treats and canned foods) and comparing these lists in order to find the offending ingredient(s) is the best approach; it is also time consuming.

There are quite a few fish based kibbles. I found three that fall under my specific criterion without potatoes of any kind, but two of them have high calcium and phosphorous ratios and of these two one has low nutrient levels. I decided not to consider them after looking at their websites and reading comments about the companies on DFA. The third is Blackwood Large Breed Adult Dog Whitefish Meal & Oatmeal Recipe, however it also includes duck meal.

This list may or may not be what you are looking for; none contain salmon, most contain sweet potatoes, some have flax seed, and some have fish you haven’t fed. Review the recipes carefully, they may include ingredients that you are trying to avoid:

• Blackwood Large Breed Adult Dog Whitefish Meal & Oatmeal Recipe – potato free, includes duck meal
• Pioneer Naturals Grain Free Whitefish
• by Nature Ocean Whitefish & Green Peas Recipe
• Wellness Complete Health Adult Whitefish & Sweet Potato
• Wild Calling Whitefish recipe

Here’s a link to carb values for Wellness kibbles:
/forums/topic/carb-values-of-wellness-kibble/#post-54314

Here’s some links to articles about allergies/food sensitivities in dogs:
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/grain-free-dog-foods-solving-yeast-and-skin-issues/
http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/caring-for-a-dog-that-has-food-allergies
http://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk/itchy-dogs-%E2%80%93-is-food-the-problem#.VDbE_LnQOpo
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2499

[theBCnut]

Don’t cross flax off your list of possible suspects until you feed a food with it and your dog does 100% fine on it. I’ve been dealing with a dog with food issues for 2 1/2 years now and just recently figured out that he also reacts to flax. You never know, until you do.

[DogFoodie]

I recently figured out that flax was a problem for my sensitive boy also. He ends up with loose stool from foods that contain it, although he does get two small treats daily that have ground flax seed as the sixth ingredient (Nature’s Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient Treats); apparently, it’s not enough to cause problems for him, but I do avoid foods that contain flax. He can’t do chickpeas or lentils either, but those cause gas, followed by loose stool – I have to avoid those for him completely.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Laura:
I forgot about California Natural Herring & Sweet Potato Formula Adult Dog Food. I am going to give this one a try and probably VeRUS Menhaden Fish Meal and Potato.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Bobby dog.

[Haleybop]

This is where I found my potato free food. I went with Back to Basics but I notice it has flaxseed in it. I was thinking maybe the pork variety might be an option for you to switch from the fish and give some variety, but now that may not be an option. This list might be a good place to start searching, though. Good luck!

[Bobby dog]

I have fed the B2B Lamb and Bobby did well on it and liked the taste too. The potato free kibbles would be a good option for a different protein source.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by Bobby dog.

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