shedding and food allergies

[jeffmowery]

hey everyone...i am pretty new to BW. I have a two and a half year old boxer and we found out he has food allergies. i had him to the vet today and he said he has a skin infection too because of the scratching from the food allergies. i have put him on a new kind of food and it has helped, but has not completely cured him. i tried fish oil pills, yucca root pills, and the only thing that works completely so far is cooking rice, potato's and fish. I really don't want to have to cook all of his meals, but if there is no other choice?? anyone that can help?? also, i am not sure if this is related to the allergies, but he seems to be shedding a lot more too. is there any brush that i can use to help remove loose hair?

thanks

jeff n tyson

 

[baxtercruz]

I can totally relate- Going through a lot of allergy difficulties with Baxter- he is also 2 1/2. My vet said dogs who have allergies can often be allergic to multiple things- so far we know certain types of grass, and his chicken and rice food. It doesn't hurt to try and reduce things that could make it worse- we give him a bath once a week with oatmeal/ hypoallergenic shampoo and dry him really well, we wash all his blankies and beds (yes, multiple) in a fragrance/dye free detergent about once a week, we shampooed the carpet and try to reduce the amount of dust in the house. We use benadryl (2 -25 mg tabs 3x/day) when he has a flare up (vet said it's a safe drug for long term use). Vet also said the allergy can be the source of protein and grain or the nutritional additives in the food that they're allergic to- try to eliminate excess ingredients, and experiment- we switched from California Natural Chicken and Rice, to Nature's Balance Duck and Potato, or Fish and Sweet Potato (Nature's Balance is supposed to be a good brand for dogs with allergies). Make sure his treats are the same as the food you're giving. Just really pay attention to everything he comes in contact with. Frustrating, but once you figure out what works and get a routine down, it shouldn't be too bad. As far as the shedding, I haven't experienced that degree, but I'm sure it could be related to the allergy and if he's uncomfortable/stressed. Hopefully you'll find a remedy that works for you. Good luck!

 

[Poetic_thing]

I would suggest you take Tyson to a classical homeopath for treatment, he has a systematic issue which will not clear up on his own, nor will meds or food changes fix it completely - this will only mask the problem but it will always be there.

 

[tianthai]

We have the same issue with our 2 1/2 year old. He seems to be allergic to many things, not only certain food but also humidity, grass and etc. At the end I decided to home cook for him and also make my own treat for him. It seems a lot of work to home cook but it is not so bad as I cook twice a month and freeze it.

 

[pennysmom]

if you do a search under my user name you should find a thread that I responded to re: allergies.

Long story short, I switched to Calif Natural Sweet Potato & Herring dry food & add a little can to it also.

I other BIG thing I did was everytime Penny my boxer would go outside when she came inside I would wipe all 4 feet, legs and belly with a clean dry towel, as I was told that there is a "film" on the grass when the morning or evening dew time comes and if its on the dogs feet and they scratch their face/chin/chest, etc. it will make them itch all over

penny use to get bumps all over, like mini-hives, all red, and do the arm crawl scratching on the carpet until she'd bleed or get red and raw......once I did BOTH of these things it all went away.....the big thing was the drying the feet, when we'd lay outside I would put a blanket or towel down for her to lay, otherwise she'd lay in the driveway on the dirt, I always wondered why she didnt want to walk in the grass or lay on it.....

praying these 2 tips will help fix your issue also......I sure do miss my Penny and hope that all of you really appreciate your boxers, they are each a true gift from the Lord. God Bless and Merry Christmas !