[bheck]

Hi, my name is Brianna and I have a boxer/beagle mix named Callie. She's 1.5 years old (estimated) and I recently adopted her from an animal shelter. She's very energetic, loving and funny to be around. Unfortunately, she is allergic to some foods and I'm trying to figure out what she is allergic to so I can cut it out of her diet. She constantly is scratching, nibbling, and biting herself, mainly her paws. Anyone have any information or experience with dogs who are allergic to food? She also has very bad separation anxiety which I'm working on, too. She was in a home with an older woman before so my guess is that she was never left alone which is why when I try to crate her to go to the store she freaks out terribly.

Anyways, here are some pictures of her.






Sorry for the overload of pictures, I can't narrow them down because they're all just so cute : D

[sandyh]

Our rotty has the same problem he seems to calm down a little when we put him on cortisone pills unfortunately a dog cant live on these or it kills their liver. We have put him on special food for 3 months and he starts to do okay and then goes right back at it. there are allergy testing out there for dogs but it is expensive. My daughter took her dog to Colorado for about a year while she went to vet school and the dog stopped all of it. so we narrowed down that he is not allergic to cats. Good luck if you find something that works please repost .

[Corky/Max]

I had posted this not too long ago in here:The first step in diagnosing a food allergy is to eliminate all possible allergens and feed ONLY a homemade diet with ingredients the dog has never eaten before. The diet should be a protein and a starch. Good examples are one part lamb, rabbit or venison mixed with two parts rice or potatoes. NOTHING else can be fed during this time; no biscuits, chewable heartworm pills, chew toys or any table scraps!! You must also keep the dog away from feces if he or she is prone to eating stool.

This diet should only to be fed for a short period, while testing for allergies. It is not nutritionally complete enough for long term use. Check with your veterinarian before beginning the test. If the symptoms improve during the trial diet, go back to the original food for several days. If symptoms reoccur you know that something in the food is causing the reaction. The next step is to return to the trial diet and add one new ingredient a week (i.e. add beef for one week and if no symptoms occur add corn the next week for one week).

Once you have discovered the allergen you can look for a commercial food which does not contain that ingredient. According to Dr. Ackerman, approximately 80% of dogs with food allergies can be maintained on a commercial hypo-allergenic diet. Some of the common hypoallergenic diets include "Nature's Recipe", "Sensible Choice" and "Natural Life". "Nature's Recipe" makes a lamb and rice food, a venison and rice diet and a vegetarian diet, none contain chemical preservatives. "Natural Life" also makes a preservative free, lamb and rice food called Lamaderm. "Sensible Choice" is a third brand that is considered hypoallergenic because it contains neither wheat or corn and comes in a lamb and rice formulation.

Note: just because a food is labeled "Lamb and Rice" do not assume it is hypoallergenic. Many contain wheat, corn, soy, beef or preservatives. This process of elimination is trying and time consuming. You should be aware that it may take up to 10 weeks to see an improvement. However, it is the best method available to test for food allergies. You may wish to try switching your dog to one of the foods listed above for a month as a trial. If the dog shows improvement you know you are dealing with a food sensitivity, you just won't know which ingredient to avoid. If there is no improvement, you will need to begin the elimination testing.





Here is a site to check out also:
http://www.peteducation.com/article....2+1664&aid=143
Another site:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...allergies.html

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I love the second picture. It is absolutely adorable. Welcome, and thanks for sharing :-).

[bheck]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

I had posted this not too long ago in here:The first step in diagnosing a food allergy is to eliminate all possible allergens and feed ONLY a homemade diet with ingredients the dog has never eaten before. The diet should be a protein and a starch. Good examples are one part lamb, rabbit or venison mixed with two parts rice or potatoes. NOTHING else can be fed during this time; no biscuits, chewable heartworm pills, chew toys or any table scraps!! You must also keep the dog away from feces if he or she is prone to eating stool.

This diet should only to be fed for a short period, while testing for allergies. It is not nutritionally complete enough for long term use. Check with your veterinarian before beginning the test. If the symptoms improve during the trial diet, go back to the original food for several days. If symptoms reoccur you know that something in the food is causing the reaction. The next step is to return to the trial diet and add one new ingredient a week (i.e. add beef for one week and if no symptoms occur add corn the next week for one week).

Once you have discovered the allergen you can look for a commercial food which does not contain that ingredient. According to Dr. Ackerman, approximately 80% of dogs with food allergies can be maintained on a commercial hypo-allergenic diet. Some of the common hypoallergenic diets include "Nature's Recipe", "Sensible Choice" and "Natural Life". "Nature's Recipe" makes a lamb and rice food, a venison and rice diet and a vegetarian diet, none contain chemical preservatives. "Natural Life" also makes a preservative free, lamb and rice food called Lamaderm. "Sensible Choice" is a third brand that is considered hypoallergenic because it contains neither wheat or corn and comes in a lamb and rice formulation.

Note: just because a food is labeled "Lamb and Rice" do not assume it is hypoallergenic. Many contain wheat, corn, soy, beef or preservatives. This process of elimination is trying and time consuming. You should be aware that it may take up to 10 weeks to see an improvement. However, it is the best method available to test for food allergies. You may wish to try switching your dog to one of the foods listed above for a month as a trial. If the dog shows improvement you know you are dealing with a food sensitivity, you just won't know which ingredient to avoid. If there is no improvement, you will need to begin the elimination testing.





Here is a site to check out also:
http://www.peteducation.com/article....2+1664&aid=143
Another site:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...allergies.html

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Thank you so much! I'm going to have to try it as soon as I move to my new place Saturday, right now I'm in the middle of packing and stuff so it's difficult for me to even make a homemade meal! But I'll definitely try the homemade diet or maybe I'll just buy a bag of that dog food and see if it helps her.

I never had a dog who was allergic to food, it's such a pain in the rear but I'll do anything to help her feel better.

[DoggieVogue]

Hi and welcome! Your dog is absolutely adorable!