[Angel76736]

I have an American Bulldog who has skin issues and I am on a very limited budget. I need help finding a good dry dog food that will help with sensitive skin but can stay within my budget. Right now I have two dogs, both are a bit older. My Bulldog is 7 and my Pitbull is 10. My Pitbull has no issues other then age related such as her arthritis. I am currently getting a 50lb bag of dry dog food for about $25 and would like to stick in that range as I am disabled with no other income. They are currently eating Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition Chicken Flavored dry food. Any information is helpful. Thank you for your time. ~Angel

[Pitlove]

If you are not sure what is causing the skin problems it is going to be hard to recommend a different food though I do think changing to another food would be a good idea. It may seem like you are getting a better deal with Pedigree, but in the long run you are paying more because you have to feed more of the Pedigree to meet their nutritional needs.

Unfortuntely you will need to have testing done to see what they are allergic to. Could be something in the environment, could be something in the food.

Look into Fromm Family Classics Mature. Much better quality food and you can get it online for a little over a 1$/lb for a 33 lb bag.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/fromm-family-classics-mature-formula/dp/32644

[Angel76736]

He is allergic to fleas. The vet and I tried several different things with medicine and topical treatments. The vet finally said to try new foods but I am having issues finding one that works and is fairly inexpensive. I have about $30-$35 a month that I can spend on dog food and that is the max. I also go through almost 50lbs of dog food a month.

[Pitlove]

Unfortuntely you can not fix an allergy to fleas with food. They have nothing to do with each other. Even one flea bite can create a reaction that lasts for a long time. Keeping him on his monthly preventive and spraying the yard and the house during flea season is probably the only way to make sure they are dead and can’t bite him.

Again, feeding a better food you will not be going through 50lbs of food in a month.

Rachael Ray Nutrish comes in a 40lb bag for 38$ at Walmart. You could also try Tractor Supply if you have one near you. Diamond is usually fairly cheap and a bit better than what you’re feeding currently. They do make 50lb bags of some of the Diamond foods.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Pitlove.

[InkedMarie]

You’re going to have a very hard time finding any ndecent food at that pricepoint. Having a dog with skin issues is going to cost money to diagnose and “fix”.

For fleas, we use Bug Off Garlic and bought flea/tick collars from HolisticFamilyandPets dot com.

[Patti S]

Using an inexpensive topical flea product that you buy at Walmart or a supermarket such as BioSpot or Zodiac Spot On would be better than not using any flea product at all!

As far as the food goes, you won’t find a hypoallergenic dog foods at the supermarket, you’d need to look at pet stores or specialty feed stores. You need to find a food with a dog food with different protein and carbohydrate source that what he’s currently eating. You should try keeping your dog on an “elimination” diet for 8-10 weeks to see if his itchy symptoms improve. In an elimination diet, the dog is fed a food that has a protein and carbohydrate source he’s never had before. There are many over the counter foods you can use, for this purpose. I’ll suggest a few further down. Your dog’s elimination diet should not contain:

• Wheat, barley, rye – ALL of them. (including bread, snack crackers, treats, wheat/gluten, etc.)
• Dairy products – ALL of them. (including milk, cheese, whey, casein, dried skim milk, etc.)
• Soy – ALL forms
• Corn- ALL forms (including corn gluten meal)
• Artificial preservatives and colors
• Beef and fish – (only if allergy symptoms are present/persist for longer than 8-10 weeks. These are “secondary” allergies.)

By eliminating the above items, you will be taking care of at least 80% of all food allergens and all three of the major sources of food intolerance (gluten in grains, casein in dairy, and soy protein.)
This diet must be strictly adhered to, it includes ALL foods, including TREATS and TABLE FOOD! Be strict! Food allergies can be very sensitive conditions and the least amount of the offending substance can trigger reactions that can last for days. Be creative in finding safe treats for your dog those that MATCH the diet rules. This will be a lot harder on you than your dog.

Giving your dog an essential fatty acid supplement can also help suppress itching. Arachidonic acid is stored in cell membranes and released when the cell is damaged, it then combines with certain enzymes causing inflammation and itching. Essential fatty acids combat this reaction because the essential fatty acids combine with the enzymes, making them less available to bind with arachidonic acid, reducing the inflammation and itching. Your dog would need to be given an essential fatty acid supplement daily for at least a month before you see it’s beneficial effects.

[Patti S]

I’d like to add, two supermarket brands of dog food that you might try:
Rachael Ray Just 6 Lamb Meal & Brown Rice Recipe (if your dog isn’t currently eating a food containing Lamb or Rice). That said, you might also consider Rachael Ray’s Nutrish Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe.
Good luck!

[InkedMarie]

I disagree with Patti, to a point: alot of the topicals available at those stores are NOT safe.

[Angel76736]

InkedMarie, I was worried about that as I do not like to use chemicals unless I absolutely have to. Do you have any suggestions?
Patti S., Thank you for the information, it was very informative and I will try to find something along those lines.
Pitlove, Changing the quality of the food will not mean my dogs eat less. It might even mean they eat more lol. I go through 50lbs of food because I have multiple dogs, so the amount will not change no matter what the food is. As for the flea allergy and food, the vet is the one that suggested changing out the food as his skin is sensitive due to someone infecting him with fleas a few years ago his skin has just gotten worse over the years to the point that he scratches too much and too deep. Any bug bite will make him scratch. The vet said that changing his food may help with the skin sensitivity. So she said to take out food with beef. I moved to the Pedigree Chicken one from Purina Alpo Prime Cuts Savory Beef. It has not seemed to be beneficial. My vet moved when her husband got restationed with the military so now I can not ask her what would be next. I thought this would be a good idea since this forum reaches thousands of people. I am unwilling to pump him full of benadryl as the current vet suggested because the amount he would need for his size is way more then I could ever be comfortable giving anyone. So thank you to everyone willing to shoot me ideas.

[Angel76736]

Oh, Patti S., when you say specialty stores the only thing I have in my area is a Petsmart and a Petco sadly. It is a military town so not too much on the good specialty stores here just major chain stores. I am located at Ft. Hood, TX.

[InkedMarie]

Yes Angel, I posted what I use already: Bug Off Garlic and flea/tick collars from HolisticFamilyandPets dot com.

Regarding food, you typically feed less of a higher quality food. Most high quality foods don’t come in 50lb bags. As I also posted above, skin issues aren’t easy and it costs money to diagnose and “fix”.

[Pitlove]

Angel, Fortunetly you are very wrong. With a more nutrient dense food, you do feed less. If you are feeding a food with fillers (which you are) they aren’t able to metabolize the food as well and it takes MORE to actually meet the dogs nutritional needs. Not true with higher quality foods, regardless of how many dogs you have to feed. My 65lb pitbull eats 2 cups a day on a high quality food and it meets his nutritional needs, he’s not hungry later on and he maintains his muscle definition and his ideal weight.

Edit: Here is my case in point. My dog would be eating 4 cups a day if I fed Pedigree based on their feeding guidelines from their website. That is literally twice as much than what my dog eats now.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 2 months ago by Pitlove.

[Patti S]

You actually can find quite a few hypoallergenic brands of dog food at Petco or Petsmart, as well as topical flea control products.
Witch Hazel and 100% pure Aloe Vera gel can be applied to itchy areas to help soothe the itch (try applying it before going out on a walk, so it can stay on long enough to do some good). Both of these products are safe if licked off.

[chris]

I can concur that a higher grade kibble you would feed less. I had my dog sparks on a low budget food for 2 years and when he started forming issues is when I switched to a higher grade. When he was on the lower budget I was giving him a whole bowl full and just leaving it sit and he ate whenever he wanted. Now I give him 1 cup of the higher grade kibble, with toppings and he’s kept the same weight the past year with no changes except positive changes. His skin and coat are very smooth and he isn’t shedding as much as he once was.

I suggest going with a higher grade kibble as those that are being recommended and feeding them at a measurement that should be right for your dogs weight. I believe it would help more then you think for there coat and skin issues.

[Susan]

Hi, try Racheal Ray Lamb & Brown Rice it has the least ingredients also Walmart has a shampoo like Malaseb medicated shampoo but I don’t know the generic name someone on a dog allergy site said it has the same ingredients as the Malaseb & 1 /2 the price of the Malaseb medicated shampoo, just look for an anti fungal or anti bacterial shampoo & bath weekly baths this & the new feed should help your dog….I’d say the Pedigree is causing yeasty itchy skin from the ingredients, the Pedigree in Australia has Gluten added to their wet tin food, I didn’t know all this years ago & my dog would scratch every time she ate the Pedigree wet tin, now I know why…..

[Author]

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