[lovemypuppy]

I’m limiting my puppy’s animal proteins to just fish and duck in an attempt to determine if she has a specific animal protein food allergy, but I’m not certain how strict I need to be.

Does it make a difference what kind of fish protein is given (salmon, catfish, etc.) or are they all considered the same in terms of protein allergies?

When limiting animal protein in food due to a potential food allergy, is it okay to give other animal proteins in moderation with treats and/or chews?

• This topic was modified 9 years, 9 months ago by lovemypuppy.

[aquariangt]

If you’re trying to cut out certain things you wouldn’t want to offer ANYTHING that contained the item. IE, if you’re trying to cut out Beef, no treats with anything beef. Stick to what you’re working on with an elimination diet, find treats and chews that mimic the ingredients you’re trying out.

As far as fish-I believe that would depend on the dog, but maybe someone with Fish allergies (like DogFoodie) can chime in, I know she can’t even use anything with salmon oil.

[lovemypuppy]

Thanks, that make sense to avoid the animal protein sources across the board, from food to chews and everything in between. I guess I was secretly hoping that wasn’t the case.

Right now, I’m feeding a commercial raw diet that contains salmon oil and duck as the only animal protein sources.

For chews, I’m giving catfish skins (Beams) but not sure if that is OK since catfish is a different type of fish than salmon.

[aquariangt]

If there hasn’t been a problem, great. If you want a chew that is one of those proteins, try salmon skin bones, duck feet or necks. Or try sweet potato chews to avoid the protein altogether.

[theBCnut]

You need to give only one meat protein for about ten weeks, and yes, different types of fish count as different types of protein. In a perfect world, fish oil would not count as a protein source, since it should be pure oil, no protein, but Dogfoodie’s dog, Sam, reacts to fish oil too, so that makes me wonder if they aren’t so pure after all. Some dogs will react to every protein in a certain category and others only one, like all fish or all poultry, so you will just have to wait and see how it goes with your dog.

[theBCnut]

Non meats also have proteins in them and can be the cause of allergies, which is why for an elimination diet, they say to use one meat and one carb source. As an example, my dog is sensitive to chicken, turkey, tomato, flax, and all grains.

[DogFoodie]

Hi guys!

Fish is my nemesis! I have done some research on the protein profiles of different types of fishes and found that some are so similar, cross reactivity is almost a guarantee; ie: cod and pollock; and sardines and herring. I also noted that cross reactivity wasn’t a guarantee when it comes to dogs that can’t eat fish reacting to shellfish and other types of seafood. I would treat them all as separate proteins with the hope you might be able to feed some fish – which it sounds like you can, thankfully! There’s another poster here whose dog can’t eat some fish, but can eat salmon. And, yes, somehow my dog does react to oils even though the protein should be removed. I’ve been tempted to try Springtime Naturals fish oil which is distilled (it sounds so pure in the item description) – somehow I think it might be less likely to have any protein in it, but it probably does. He does fine on an organic algae supplement. BC mentioned poultry / fowl being the same way; ie: chicken, duck, turkey, quail, etc. I still remember the day Sam refused to eat his sardines – he knew better!

My Sam also recently reacted to rice bran oil in a vegeterian skin and coat supplement so it looks like rice is out now, too. Sam can’t have fish, fish oil, chickpeas, lentils, tomato, barley, rice, flax or millet… so far. BC has a similar list.

What do you think your guy is reacting to? What kind of reaction is your pup having.

If you need to go the route of a true elimination diet, you’ll have to do it the way BC suggested. I’ve been on what I call a “modified” elimination diet for about 2-1/2 years now and Sam will be 3 in May. It’s frustrating. Welcome to the club. : )

[lovemypuppy]

Thanks everyone for all the good information!

First let me say, I’m in my late 30’s and this is the first dog I’ve owned, lived with, or cared for. Not trying to use that as an excuse, it is what it is, but I’m definitely having a steep learning curve, and unfortunately it’s at the expense of my pup 🙁

I don’t know she has a food allergy or any type of allergy, but given her breed (Boston Terrier), finickiness, weight loss, red eyes, tear stains, brittle and dry fur, dry itchy skin, missing fur on her hind legs and behind her ears, and a few small scabs from scratching, I felt like it made sense to try to switch to raw with minimal ingredients in hopes of improving her overall health and identifying any potential allergens.

Unfortunately, I didn’t come to this conclusion until after giving her WAY TOO MANY different types of animal proteins (kibble, wet, freeze dried, toppers, etc.) while trying to find a food (and training treat) she’d settle on. I’m sure it didn’t help that she also went through quite a few different foods with the breeder when she was having a hard time weaning.

At this point, I’m not sure it would be possible for me to pinpoint a specific food that might be causing her skin and fur issues. The animal proteins she’s had the most of are chicken, beef, and turkey. Also, most of her symptoms were present before I started switching her food around and giving her novel animal proteins. So, if I had to take a guess, I would say she is having a hard time with turkey, chicken, and maybe lentils (they gave her horrid gas, anyway).

At this point, she’s been on the commercial raw for about a week and I’m seeing dramatic improvement. She still has tear stains, but I imagine that will take time (to grow out) and diligence on my end (wiping her face). She has gained weight and filled out, her coat is not nearly as dry (even shiny towards her back/spine) and her skin flaking and itchiness has lessened.

Given her overall improvement, I’m not inclined to switch her food yet again, especially if I can just stick with this for 10 weeks and see where she is at then (and if need be do more of a true elimination diet). I will stop the catfish skins (bummer) and try to find some type of low fat duck chew. I have sweet potato chews but she doesn’t really like them … they seem to crumble up and are more crunchy than chewy. Maybe if that’s her only choice though, she’ll learn to enjoy them 🙂

@DogFoodie, have you looked at Nordic Naturals Pet Collection? They use pharmaceutical grade, molecularly distilled fish oil, using sardine and anchovy oil or cod liver oil. Their pet line is pretty much the same as their human line with the exception of tocopherols as the preservative rather than rosemary extract. Just a thought.

If you read all of this, you rock! Sorry it’s so long and again thanks to all for offering your valuable insight!

[theBCnut]

Instead of using chews, for now, get a Kong toy that is the right size for her and wet some of her food and fill the Kong and freeze it. That will last her a while and won’t introduce anything else to her diet.

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