Mysterious Dog Allergies

[ws82]

Hello everyone, I’ve a 2-year-old black lab who’s been having allergy symptoms for awhile now. It seems to persist, no matter which quality grain-free brand I try. For the last few months, he’s been on a limited ingredient diet, which is “Earthborn Meadow Feast”: r/https://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com/dog-food-formulas/grain-free-holistic/meadow-feast

INGREDIENTS: Lamb Meal, Peas, Tapioca, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Pea Protein, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Dried Blueberries, Dried Cranberries, Dried Apples, Dried Carrots, Dried Spinach, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, L-Carnitine, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Sulfate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Beta-Carotene, Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

Unfortunately, his symptoms have not improved. He’s constantly scratching, his ears are getting gunky, and he’s got dandruff and dry skin/fur. There's no irritation or redness to his skin, or loss of hair. He's just super, super itchy. I’m using a hypoallergenic shampoo and bathe him twice a month. The yard is clean (no grass, just clay soil and trees). He doesn’t eat anything on our walks. I don’t use strong chemical detergents or cleaning supplies. It’s a bit of a mystery…

From past experience, I know he’s sensitive to fish… but I have a feeling his allergies aren’t all protein related.

Could any of the ingredients above be causing these issues?

Thank you for your help!

 

[oscuro]

@ws82 My dog tends to get allll of these symptoms from Seasonal Allergies, It starts sometime in August and goes usually until mid to late October. I was a bit distracted this august and i didn't realize she had already started licking. It got pretty bad. Her ears smelled terrible.

The only thing that has been working has been a prescription for an anti-itch medication from the Vet. I tried allergy medication beforehand but it had gotten too out of control.

The vet also switched her to a Hydrolyzed Soy Food made by Purina for Vets. I was hesitant about it but she also had some issues earlier in the year that was unrelated to the seasonal allergies.

 

[ws82]

@oscuro Awwww… I hope your pup is feeling better! I think I can rule out seasonal allergies, as this has persisted (to various degrees) since late winter.

The symptoms have been gaining momentum of late, so that’s why I wanted to highlight the dog food formula he’s on.

 

[gladysrivera]

@ws82 Earthborn is an awesome food, but some of their ingredients (tapioca, pea protein) can still cause reactions to certain dogs. A dog dermatologist can do a test to tell you exactly what your dog is allergic to.

 

[ws82]

@gladysrivera Pea Protein makes me wonder how much meat is actually in the protein percentage. I’m not totally convinced that grain-free dog foods are significantly healthier than varieties with grains. Some of these formulas have less animal protein and higher carbs than say… a quality chicken and rice formula (where you can’t hide protein percentage behind legumes).

All the foods my dog has been trying out have had legumes in them. Maybe it’s time I tried a variety without…

I’m afraid I can’t afford a pet dermatologist right now. Frankly, I can’t afford one for myself. :/ My vet says to rotate foods till I find one that doesn’t cause a reaction.

 

[gladysrivera]

@ws82 I completely agree about the protein. And from what I've learned, grains are only bad for dogs with grain allergies. For my dog with allergies, I do Only Natural Pet duck and venison canned food. She's onky 20lbs so it's affordable.

I have learned that it takes 1-3 months for allergens (in food, specifically) to fully leave their system. That's the time frame I use to gauge whether the food she is on is a good fit. If it is, I add it to my rotational list. This issue started from using one food too much, so I'm constantly switching it up.

 

[apkarctic]

@ws82 So, my lab was allergic to lamb. It took a bit to figure out because a lot of limited ingredient feeds include lamb either as the main meat source or a secondary vitamin source.

Try feeding him boiled chicken and rice to make sure he’s not allergic to chicken. You then have a known safe protein and can feed him chicken-only feeds. You can do this with all proteins, chicken’s just the cheapest. This also isn’t a complete diet, so you do need to transition to a dry food rather quickly.

Soy’s also a major source of food allergies, so you might try to find one without soy.

If you’ve gone through a number of different feeds, try copying all their ingredients into an excel spreadsheet and seeing what’s in common between them all. Make sure you have 3 categories - allergic, unknown, and safe. Just because he was allergic to one thing in a feed, doesn’t mean everything else is safe. Similarly, just because something didn’t show up in all the feeds, doesn’t mean it’s safe. Safe foods are only those that were in something you feed him and he had no reaction to.

 

[giftofgod2]

@ws82 My vet told me to consider everything. Consider washing with only warm water.