Caraway Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Can y'all please help me with dog food?? I'm overwhelmed. We have a 5 yo, 50 lb Golden Retriever. She tends towards stomach issues, and she is insanely itchy. She is currently eating Pura Vita Duck and Oatmeal food with a scoop of pumpkin puree. It is supposed to be "limited ingredient" but the list of ingredients seems super long. She was eating a grain free variety of this brand previously, but the vet said to add grains. I'm assuming that the food is causing the itchiness or at least contributing to it. (She's been to the vet and has medicated shampoo.) I want to try switching her to a different food and maybe some fish oil? The problem is that there is so much contradictory information about dog food - and I just can't muster any more effort on this topic. I am considering Honest Kitchen, maybe? I'm not sure I can commit to something that requires fridge space like Farmer's Dog. I'd prefer U.S. ingredients only. Please help. 😬 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Have other types of allergies besides food been ruled out? If not, have you tried allergy meds? My insanely itchy dog has been helped enormously by taking Apoquel. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 My brother had a dog (a Rott/Lab mix) who was very itchy. They found out she was allergic to oats. Maybe you could try rice instead of oats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 1 hour ago, Selkie said: Have other types of allergies besides food been ruled out? If not, have you tried allergy meds? My insanely itchy dog has been helped enormously by taking Apoquel. She’s been on Apoquel, which helped but was super expensive. I’m also not sure if I think it’s a great idea to medicate her without solving the root issue. I haven’t tried Benadryl. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 49 minutes ago, Junie said: My brother had a dog (a Rott/Lab mix) who was very itchy. They found out she was allergic to oats. Maybe you could try rice instead of oats? The itching started before the oats, but I agree they could be contributing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 (edited) My daughter has a pit bull (pits nortorious for skin issues). And she's in rescue and has tons of experience with this. Everybody she knows uses Science Diet Sensitive Skin/Stomach. It definitely helps. My daughter's dog is much better on it. The vet prescribed a med that worked great, but it was pricey. And we both felt like it was a band aid approach. Anyway, I know Science Diet gets a bad rap, but everyone we know with itchy pits uses it with success. YMMV ETA: my daughters tell me that a surprising amount of itchy dogs are sensitive to chicken--of all things. Just something to think about. Edited October 10, 2020 by popmom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caraway Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 17 minutes ago, popmom said: My daughter has a pit bull (pits nortorious for skin issues). And she's in rescue and has tons of experience with this. Everybody she knows uses Science Diet Sensitive Skin/Stomach. It definitely helps. My daughter's dog is much better on it. The vet prescribed a med that worked great, but it was pricey. And we both felt like it was a band aid approach. Anyway, I know Science Diet gets a bad rap, but everyone we know with itchy pits uses it with success. YMMV ETA: my daughters tell me that a surprising amount of itchy dogs are sensitive to chicken--of all things. Just something to think about. I am also sensitive to chicken, and oats. 🤣 I’ll look in the SD. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 Is she itchy all the time? Like all year? If not I'd consider flea bite allergy and environmental/inhalant allergies. People for some reason love to jump right on foods, but flea bite and environmental/inhalant allergies are vastly more common in dogs. Many dogs who have allergies are triggered by multiple things. Our last dog tested allergic to 40+ things. Foods were only a minor part of that. For a lot of the country ragweed pollen is an issue right now. There's contradictory information about dog food allergies because dogs can be allergic to just about anything. Grains get a mostly undeserved bad reputation in this regard, IMHO. Protein molecules in foods are what trigger allergies, so ANY food that contains protein can be a trigger. Our dog who was so allergic? His worst food allergen was carrots. It can be hugely difficult to figure out without doing a food allergy elimination diet (and even that can be very problematic) or testing. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ghost of Æthelthryth Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 (edited) . Edited April 16, 2021 by Saxony 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted October 10, 2020 Share Posted October 10, 2020 My itchy dog is on hydrolyzed protein food, not for the itchiness but for IBD which developed earlier this year. The HP food has been amazing for his IBD, but has no effect on his itchiness. He needs Apoquel for that. His itching is clearly caused by environmental allergens, as it starts like clockwork in late July and continues through mid-October every year. I hope you're able to figure out what is causing her problem - it can really be a puzzle. Like @Pawz4mesaid, I wouldn't assume it is a food allergy when there are so many other things that could be causing it as well. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 Whatever you decide, if the food alone does not meet your needs, buy a product called Missing Link. I've worked with animals for years and it has always been a regular recommendation. Never once has someone taken the recommendation and not had astounding results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted October 14, 2020 Share Posted October 14, 2020 We have a nine year old shepherd w/ stomach problems and this is what we do: Like you, we give our shepherd two tablespoons or so of pumpkin on his dry in the morning and at dinner. His dry food is from Costco: it's Kirkland the bag w/ the husky on the front, $28. Because River had a bleeding ulcer in 2017 he -- according to the vet -- will forever have a very sensitive tummy. So the vet has us giving River 1/2 Pepcid (10mg) in the morning and again for dinner. Btw, River is 80 pounds. River has also been itchy at times, and I figured out that 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on his food seemed to stop the itching. I also give him peanut butter on his dry for something fun. When River's ulcer was front-and-center in our lives, the vet had him on Royal Canin, Gastrointestinal Dry Food (we also did the same kind of food in wet). Super expensive, but it totally eliminated stomach irritation. He was probably on it, for a year and then I slowly, very slowly got him back on the Costco Kirkland food (I did half and half for the longest time). I hope this helps! W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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