[Nikki J]

Hey all

Not sure if anyone can help, but I don’t know where to turn. My wonderful pittie seems to have a food allergy. He is four years old and weighs in at 83.8lbs. I changed him to Taste of the Wild Salmon, before I realized it was grain-free. I was then recommended Taste of the Wild Prey with Trout, but it turns out it too is grain free. I do not want a grain free food, my boy is not a wolf or a coyote, but a domesticated canine. Also, grain free is not recommended by my vet, but neither is corn or wheat. My problem is that I need either venison or fish with healthy grains, like brown rice, oatmeal, millet etc., with no chicken or beef listed anywhere in the ingredients. I thought it was chicken he had issues with, so I changed him to Victor Beef and rice. He started itching again, so now I have to take him off the beef. I am having such a hard time finding a good food for him. I really hope someone has some viable suggestions. Thank you in advance.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Nikki J.
• This topic was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by Nikki J.

[GSDsForever]

Hi Nikki.

Two grain-inclusive foods I would recommend are (Eagle Pack) Holistic Select Adult Radiant Sardine, Anchovy, & Salmon, from Wellpet (Wellness brand), and Annamaet’s Option (Wild Salmon).

I would start with the Holistic Select, and see how your dog does first, as Annamaet also includes lamb. So it would be a step up, introducing 2nd protein, after seeing how your dog does with fish alone.

Farmina is another excellent European food, made in Italy but available here. But its grain inclusive line does include a cereal grain in the wheat family, a relative of common American wheat, along with oats. Wheat is one of the most common food allergens for dogs, almost as common as chicken. Therefore while I think what Farmina is using is wholesome, a dog allergic to wheat might still react to it.

I don’t like Taste of the Wild at all — but they do make a grain inclusive line (which I still would not recommend).

The most common food allergens in dogs are beef, dairy, chicken, wheat, eggs, soy, and corn. Beef is actually more common than chicken as an allergen; I think we just hear more about chicken from pet owners as more foods are chicken based.

But keep in mind that dogs with food allergies can often continue to react to new foods for quite some time, when they are not *actually* allergic to the new food ingredients. For this reason dogs need 8-12 weeks on a new food for pruritus (itching) and any other symptoms to resolve. Whatever your dog has had before, your dog may still react to, prior to getting symptoms under control — which can, but not always, require a full therapeutic trial on a novel protein (or, alternatively, hydrolyzed) first.

Has your dog had fish before? It is not a common allergen for dogs and would be a good place to start. If this change in diet doesn’t resolve things, I would recommend doing a formal diet elimination food trial w/a controlled novel protein.

The other thing to be aware of is that most commercial diets have issues with cross-contamination, which means that ingredients (like chicken or beef or wheat or corn, etc.) can be in the food without being listed on the label.

*Some* reputable good companies will take extra precautions to prevent that, knowing that a particular diet is being fed due to food allergies and intolerances — while others, despite being marketed as limited ingredient or alternative protein diets, do a pretty poor job at this, aren’t knowledgeable about it, or don’t care, and do nothing to prevent it.

[Hav mom]

Try the dehydrated food by The Honest Kitchen, Grain or Grain Free Turkey. Easy on tummy, good food. Turkey usually
preferred for sensitive allergic dogs and sensitive tummies.

[GSDsForever]

If you would like to try a controlled therapeutic hypoallergenic diet (by prescription) first, commercial options, here’s one I think would be worth trying:

Farmina Vet Life Ultra Hypo
https://www.farmina.com/us/dog-food/farmina-vet-life-canine/72-ultrahypo-canine.html

The single protein is fish and it is grain inclusive.

It combines using an alternative/novel protein that is not known to be a common allergen in dogs AND is hydrolyzed, breaking the amino acids down thereby making it even less likely for a dog to experience an allergic reaction. It is hydrolyzed to 6,000 daltons.

This diet has gone through a clinical research trial to establish its efficacy for dogs with food allergies or intolerances. I like the company & its foods, the use of fish as the hydrolyzed protein source, and its simple clean + quality ingredient list. And this is likely to be a very highly digestible diet — making the lower protein (~20% DMB) while doing a food trial less of a worry.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by GSDsForever.

[Patricia A]

Natures Logic has a Distinction line with singular protein. Example below.
Ingredients
Sardine, Sardine Meal, Millet, Herring Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Yeast Culture, Pumpkin Seeds, Montmorillonite Clay, Dried Kale, Dried Kelp, Spray Dried Porcine Plasma, Dried Tomato, Dried Chicory Root, Dried Apple, Dried Carrot, Dried Pumpkin, Dried Blueberry, Dried Apricot, Dried Spinach, Dried Broccoli, Dried Parsley, Dried Cranberry, Dried Artichoke, Dried Mushrooms, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium bifidium Fermentation Product, Dried Enterococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus coagulans Fermentation Product, Dried Pineapple Extract, Dried Aspergillus niger Fermentation Extract, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Trichoderma longibrachiatum Fermentation Extract.

[haleycookie]

Dogs are actually mesocarnivores. And should be on a diet with <~30 carb. Which youll never find in a grain in food. In fact I’d say 90% of grain free kibbles aren’t even formulated that way. That’s why it’s important to find a meat based kibble as just a base. Add in less processed foods like canned, freeze dried raw, bone broths, and frozen raw etc for a better more varied diet. Raw and home cooked properly formulated would be best. Especially for a dog with allergies where u want to control the foods they ingest as most of not all dog kibbles are exposed to cross contamination in factories.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 4 months ago by haleycookie.

[Jerry R]

Carbs have no place in a dog’s diet in any amount.

[Jerry R]

Carbohydrates, in particular grains, are not a natural part of the dog’s diet. Dogs do not have the ability to digest grains properly, so instead, an extra strain is put on the liver as it has to produce more bile to break down the insoluble fibre.

Russell Swift, D.V.M. feels that grains suppress the immune system. Grains are mucous forming and provide an ideal environment for parasites to thrive in. Grains also contribute to the formation of dental plaque and tartar on the teeth, as well as bad breath and flatulence. Dr. Swift details how cats and dogs have no dietary requirements for carbohydrates nor are they equipped with the teeth to process them.

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