Food for allergies....

[JEBsMom]

Hi everyone - it's been quite a while since I've posted here (we moved to a new town and are finally getting settled). Anyway, I have a feed question for y'all....

Davis has always had Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed (Adult since he was about 7 months), and he has always had kind of a quirky tummy. Usually about every 3 weeks or so, he won't eat for a day and will vomit stomach bile (very gross, I know!)

Anyway, he's had bad allergies since we moved, including several cases of hives. Our new vet here is trying to figure out his allergies, so we've put him on a restrictive diet to try to determine the root of his problems. The vet put him on Innovative Veterinary Diet (IVD) Limite Diet - Potato and Venison formula. (Our new vet seems to think he has a reaction to chicken, as evidenced by the last time we made chicken at home and he got a little bit and broke out in hives the next morning) He seems to be doing pretty well on it, but it is RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE (almost cost prohibitive for us) - $45 for a 20 pound bag vs. aroudn $32 for a 40 pound bag of the Nutro NC he had been eating.

So I'm looking for other options. Of course, we have moved to a smaller community, so my options in stores are somewhat limited. At the Petco here, they do have Nature's Recipe Allergy - Venison Meal and Rice formula that is more in our price range/what we were used to spending on his food. Does anyone have experience with Nature's Recipe foods? Or does anyone have any other options for chicken-free kibble? Should we just try a lamb-based formula instead?

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[BXR BUS]

I know that Natural Balance also has a venison dog food out as well, so that may also be an option for you if the others dont work or you cant find them.
They also have a vegetarian blend if it is meat he may be allergic too.

Good luck

 

[Tango's Mama]

I just bought some Wellness Simple Solutions. It comes in venison or duck and it only has 5 main ingrediants. Tango has severe allergies(not to chicken tho) so ive had to keep him on something that is strictly for allergies. He weighs about 50 pounds and i give him about 2 cups a day. It costs me 23.50 per bag and it last almost 3 weeks. Feeding time used to be a chore with him as I had to beg him to eat. Now he waits at my feet drooling! Take a read about it at their site. Good luck!

http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/dogs/simple_food_overview.html

Michele & Tango

 

[JEBsMom]

Thanks

Thanks for your suggestions. I guess once he is close to finishing off the IVD Potato & Venison we'll try something else out (mixing it in with the IVD, of course - I don't take chances with changing his food cold-turkey!) I've been reading up and looking at the Whole Dog Journal lists from the past few years, and the problems is that I can't find most of the foods listed anywhere in my area. I suppose I could always order them online, but I'd like to be able to try them out before I buy a 35-40 pound bag! Oh the joy of living in a small town!!!

 

[Brutus and Amaya's Mom]

Petco usually carries Natural Balance. They have a duck and potato or a new venison and brown rice.

 

[JEBsMom]

Nature's Balance

Thanks for the tip - I've been doing some research online and have read some really good things about Nature's Balance (although I must admit, the Dick van Patten name threw me off at first! ) I'm going to compare the ingredients with the IVD and talk with my vet (who I'm sure will try to convince us to stay on the IVD since they are the only ones that sell it) to see if the Venison & Brown Rice would be a good option. It seems like most of the allergy formulas I've seen out there try to limit to 1 protein/1 carb for the formula, so I guess we'll try it and and see how it goes!

 

[Faughtey]

Most of the time you can find feed stores in small towns that will carry foods listed on the Whole Dog Journal list of recommended kibble. Good luck!

 

[Jan]

Are you sure it's a food allergy? It seems a little odd that the allergy only developed when you moved. It seemes to me that it would more likely be an environmental ellergy. Are you using new new cleaning stuff in the new house?

 

[JEBsMom]

Allergy

Actually, we are now pretty sure that the latest round of hives was a reaction to an insect sting. The reason that we're working on switching out his food is that he has always had kind of a sensitive tummy - about every few weeks, he won't eat for a day, which usually leads to him vomiting up stomach bile. Since the vet was trying to eliminate allergens to determine the source of his allergies/hives, she suggested that we try switching out his food to rule out any food allergies at this time too.

As far as cleaning supplies, we haven't changed any of the brands that we use around the house. But after the latest round of hives, I washed all the linens in the house and got rid of his old bed - we weren't sure if maybe he had developed a grass allergy and was bringing in pollen to the places he likes to hang out. Davis has always been one to roll around in the grass, so you never know what he could have brought in to the house on his skin/coat!

So far, so good. I guess I'll mark my calendar for next year about this same time to see if maybe there's a type of grass/pollen that he could be having a reaction to.

Thanks for everyone's help!