Allergy food help!

[lgrace]

I took my two year old boxer to the vet today and they did a wellness exam the vet said she has reddened paws and one ear was a little red. And that I am probably dealing with a food allergy. Not quite sure what food to switch to. She has been on TOTW byson for about 2 months. I was in the process of switching her to wellness super five mix lamb when she had an episode of explosive diarrhea and vomitting a couple days into the switch so I stopped for her stomach to settle (I think she got into something else). The vet said to keep her on TOTW byson if it only had byson in it but it has chicken in it too. I was also told not to rotate food but I thought I had read on here that it was good to rotate food to keep from allergies forming. I thought I read it was good to choose two types of food and rotate them but now I don't know what to do. The vet also said I may be headed towards having to do prescription food because her paws are borderline where they may get infected. From everything I have read the prescription food doesn't have the best ingredients so I really don't want to go that route.
Should I continue to try to switch her to the wellness super5mix lamb or should I go to a different food? I was also thinking about getting canned wellness which is 95% meat to help her put on some weight because the vet said she needs to gain 5-10lbs.

 

[violetashlee]

There are allergy specific foods available in pet stores.

Natural Balance has a whole line of allergy foods, one of which is Bison (no chicken), I believe.

Wellness also makes allergy foods called Simple Solutions. The options are Salmon, Duck or lamb.

Natural Balance uses potatos in its formulas and Simple Solutions uses rice as a carbohydrate.

California Nautral is another allergy line of foods to look into.

There are probably several more, but I think the above are the most popular.

You could try rotating between the 2 brands, or within a brand to start.

My allergy dog does not do well with Natural Balance, but does well with Simple Solutions Salmon and Rice. Though I do not know for sure, I think she is sensitive to potatos. My vet told me the food allergy testing is not reliable enough to warrant the cost, so, unfortunately its a matter of trial and error.

 

[Pharrah]

Im no expert but I will say I have had ZERO problems with my 2 year old Boxer on Royal Canine Boxer 26. Its formulated for their jaws and their health. Your baby can also have an allergy to grain as is common in the bulldog breed (Boxers have the blood of bull dogs in them) so maybe a small bag of that will be of help to determine if it helps. It is on the expensive side but always worth it for your baby to be happy and have the best. Mine has had less problems with gas, vomiting, and has a very shiny coat and is active and not lazy. So its perfect for her. Even the cat eats it when she wants!! Its shaped in a "S" formation and is about an inch in length. You can buy it at your local Petco or even Petsmart. If none are local to you then maybe your local barn and feed store. Good luck to you and your baby!

 

[Caney Creek]

Im no expert but I will say I have had ZERO problems with my 2 year old Boxer on Royal Canine Boxer 26. Its formulated for their jaws and their health. Your baby can also have an allergy to grain as is common in the bulldog breed (Boxers have the blood of bull dogs in them) so maybe a small bag of that will be of help to determine if it helps.

All foods SHOULD be formulated for health, and I'm also sure that all foods claim to do so regardless of their actual quality. That's all just marketing. Breed-specific foods are also a marketing gimmick. Unfortunately Royal Canin is really not a great food, it rates only 2 stars on the Dog Food Analysis site and it does in fact contain grains, fillers and controversial ingredients.

To the OP, Natural Balance has a great line of limited ingredient kibbles that are much better quality AND less expensive than the prescription foods you'd get from the vet. We used NB's Duck and Potato formula for Caney when we were figuring out her food allergies and she did very well on it. Now we rotate between TOTW formulas.

Rotating foods (and brands) is ideal for variety and for the prevention of allergies, but obviously your options are going to be limited if you've got a dog that already has allergies. Hopefully with a food trial you can figure out what ingredients your girl is allergic to and then find one or more different foods to rotate between that all work for her.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I agree with Zoe (above). We also used Natural Balance (either Fish and sweet potato, or Bison and Sweet Potato) for years with FABULOUS results. I now bounce between that, TOTW Pacific Stream, and Earthborn Primitive Naturals for my allergy dog and he does well on all 3. My boy has severe multiple food allergies but has done very well on these and all are grain free and gluten free. I agree to stay away from Royal Canin it's a pretty poor quality food.

Keep in mind too, the red paws could be a grass or dirty or pollen allergy, just as easily as a food allergy.

Maybe go to a limited ingredient food (such as NB's Fish and sweet potato) and see if the symptoms improve over 2-3 months. If they do not then you may want to start rinsing your dog's feet off after being outside with just plain water to see if that helps.

Good luck!

 

[lgrace]

Thanks everyone for the responses. What process did you go through to find out what your dogs are allergic to? Did you just choose a limited ingredient food and keep them on it for 2-3 months? I am trying to figure out the process to find out what she is allergic to.
Also any suggestions for helping her put on weight?

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

Thanks everyone for the responses. What process did you go through to find out what your dogs are allergic to? Did you just choose a limited ingredient food and keep them on it for 2-3 months? I am trying to figure out the process to find out what she is allergic to.
Also any suggestions for helping her put on weight?

Personally I wouldn't concern yourself with the weight issue right now. She may very well just be a normal Boxer (many of them have trouble keeping weight on).

On the food issue, for us, we typically knew within a day or two if my dog was allergic to it as he would break out in a rash, welts, have explosive diarrhea or vomit. If the response isn't that obvious then it can take longer. Choosing something they haven't had before such as a bison food or fish food or venison food is usually a good first step. Something like the Natural balance sweet potato and fish, sweet potato and bison, or sweet potato and venison and seeing how they do. It can take months for the old food to get out of their system and notice a change with the new food.

Good luck.

 

[Caney Creek]

On the food issue, for us, we typically knew within a day or two if my dog was allergic to it as he would break out in a rash, welts, have explosive diarrhea or vomit. If the response isn't that obvious then it can take longer. Choosing something they haven't had before such as a bison food or fish food or venison food is usually a good first step. Something like the Natural balance sweet potato and fish, sweet potato and bison, or sweet potato and venison and seeing how they do. It can take months for the old food to get out of their system and notice a change with the new food.

We never have quite figured out what Caney's allergic to. I suspect that she's sensitive to wheat, possibly grains in general, but I've never seen her have an obvious reaction to any food we've given her, before or after her food trial. Since the food trial however there has been such a noticeable improvement in her skin and overall behavior, and she doesn't require antihistamines nearly as often to battle allergies, so because of this I know that SOMETHING about her previous foods did not agree with her.

I would agree about not worrying so much about her weight right now, unless it is severe.

This article will tell you how to conduct a proper food trial:
Food Allergies & Food Intolerance in Dogs

 

[bxrmomlksc]

As a vet tech i do see some dogs that royal canin allergy diets do wonders for, and if the pets can come off antibiotics and steroids and have less ear infections, then thats great, it's doing a good job.

this is not the case for all pets tho, and i do agree with the other posters in that their food is not as superior as some others. Mine eat wellness simple solutions right now and they love it, they love Acana but i'm switching for a while to see if my one dogs bloodwork (kidneys) are due to the high protein in the Acana food. There food is great.

Natural balance seem to have alot of recalls espeicially with salmonella so IMO i would stay away from them. Wellness make a grain free food too, along with taste of the wild, which my dogs ate very willingly (and got a little chunky on )

I am always on the lookout for the best possible food to feed my pets so it's nice to hear other peoples opinions - Good luck finding the perfect food for ur baby!

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

As a vet tech i do see some dogs that royal canin allergy diets do wonders for, and if the pets can come off antibiotics and steroids and have less ear infections, then thats great, it's doing a good job.

this is not the case for all pets tho, and i do agree with the other posters in that their food is not as superior as some others. Mine eat wellness simple solutions right now and they love it, they love Acana but i'm switching for a while to see if my one dogs bloodwork (kidneys) are due to the high protein in the Acana food. There food is great.

Natural balance seem to have alot of recalls espeicially with salmonella so IMO i would stay away from them. Wellness make a grain free food too, along with taste of the wild, which my dogs ate very willingly (and got a little chunky on )

I am always on the lookout for the best possible food to feed my pets so it's nice to hear other peoples opinions - Good luck finding the perfect food for ur baby!

Just an FYI, I have fed Natural Balance for coming up on 4 years and there has not been one substantiated recall during that time for dog food.