# Allergies and Food



## AussieLilly (Aug 21, 2007)

Hi everyone, 

My little girl Lilly is 4 months old now and she is such a darling. She does have a few skin problems though- itchy skin which she constantly scratched and therefore became infected and 'red-raw'. We have taken her to the vet and she was on antibiotics for a week and it cleared up fine, but now she is starting to scratch again... The vet said its a process of elimination to find out what she is allergic to, but it most likely would be something in her food. However I am hesitant about changing brands as she is currently on Eukanuba - promoted as one of those premium you-beaut dog food. I am in Australia. My questions are these: 

- How good is eukanuba _really _(ingredients below - the beet doesnt worry us as she does not have any tear staing problems...at this point in time)
- What should I be looking for in a dog food, especially in terms of sensitive skin and allergies?
- What do any fellow Aussies (or anyone else for that matter) recommend that is available in Australia?

Thanks everyone, any information is appreciated!
Mellissa (and Lilly)


*
Ingredients *
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Fish Meal (source of fish oil), Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Brewers Rice, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Chicken Digest, Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid], Choline Chloride, Minerals [Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate], DL-Methionine, Marigold Extract (source of lutein), Rosemary Extract. 
*
Caloric Distribution* 
Protein 29%...Fat 46%...Carbohydrate 25%


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## Luna'sMom (Oct 7, 2007)

I am having the same trouble - finding a 'good' brand which I am happy about :smpullhair: . I used to be on Eukanuba small breed puppy (which i thought was good too... but people here seem to agree that its not great anymore) and switched to Advance puppy growth (as it has no beet) - but I think she is allergic to the high amount of corn in it and it doesn't seem to have good ingredients (even though its what the vet recommended) :smmadder: . 

Next I am going to try Innova Evo - because alot of people here say its pretty good - only problem is finding it in Australia ... I think that pets paradise sells it (but i don't really like those stores) so I am checking around looking for it at the moment (Petco might have it). Another good brand (if you don't mind about the beet) is Royal Canin - Jacqui uses that for Dakota and Harley  

Apparently the corn in dog foods like advance and eukanuba is a common irritant - so maybe thats why her skin is getting rashes etc. 

I wish Luna didn't have tear staining problems (shes about the same age), where is Lily from? Gotta admit the change from eukanuba to Advance did seem to 'help' the staining a little. 

Oh and Pictures are a must :wub: 

Kylie and Luna


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

Are you certain it's something in her food she is allergic to? I only ask because when I first started on the road to finding out what was causing Harley to be itchy, we by-passed food & went right to skin testing. We did this because he has always had a very regular diet, and the itching just came on & progressively got worse.

I haven't tried it, but Eagle Pack Holistic is a brand that our groomer recommended - it's supposed to be 'premium' - and better yet, it IS available in this country!

I've also just started giving them both Omega 3 Fish oil - it's meant to be good for the skin. It's only been a couple of days, so I can't say I've actually noticed anything yet .... but it can't hurt, so we'll see how it goes.

Oatmeal shampoo is also good for itchy skin.

Good luck!


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)

I am also on a constant quest to find the perfect food for my dogs. One of my Beagles also has allergies so I know how frustrating it can be to find something. While I do not live in Australia, I can tell you what I know about dog food. I am sure you will receive many replies so hopefully you will find something that brings your Lilly relief.

First of all, in my opinion, Eukanuba is NOT a good food for the following reasons:
1.) Ingredients are listed from most used to least used. The second ingredient is Chicken By-Product Meal which is simply ground up beaks, legs, wings, heads (the stuff that humans do not consume). I feel that if I am not going to eat it, neither is my dog.

2.) Corn is listed as the third ingredient and it is a common allergy among dogs. Perhaps if you find a food without the corn, you could immediately alleviate the allergy problem. 

3.) Lastly, Eukanuba is known for doing cruel laboratory testing on animals and I refuse to support any such company.


These are just a few reasons why I am not fond of Eukanuba dog food.

Here are a few links to some different foods although I am not sure if they are available in Australia. However, you can take a look at the different ingredients and see the difference. 

Fromm Food

The Honest Kitchen

Innova/EVO

O&M

Spot's Stew

TimberWolf


One last thing, be careful what you feed your little one. From my understanding, they cannot be allergic to what they have not had. In other words, do not give your little one exotic types of food such as rabbit or venison in case she has severe allergies. These exotics can later be used as regular food when all else fails.

By the way, as far as I know, beet pulp or any kind of beet product is not responsible for tear staining.

Hopefully others can help you out as well. Good luck!


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

Canidea is awesome all natural food...and is good for dogs with allergies.


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## AussieLilly (Aug 21, 2007)

Hey guys
I have been using the aloveen oatmeal shampoo and leave in conditioner and that works fantastic short term, but it really only settles it down if we wash her with it 2x week...which i dont want to do. 

I have also heard that Canidae is really good, however I cannot seem to find anyone in Aus who sells it? There is someone on ebay selling the cans of wet food, but I would really like to keep Lilly on dry food. However it does have alot of great reviews and would love to get a hold of some! 

We are not 100% sure if it is a food allergy, actually we arent really sure if it IS an allergy at all. We started feeding her eukanuba around 9 weeks, and at around 10 weeks the rash set in. So we are just trying all avenues, seeing what works and what doesnt. The vet said a food allergy would probably be the most likely cause, but even he wasnt 100% sure. Regardless of the case, I would still like to get Lilly on to a great dog food brand but there seems to be so much conflicting advice and so many brands!

We have kept Lilly's hair short since she was 10 weeks due to the heat up here, and last week Lilly got her first professional groom because she is now fully vaccinated. :wub: Lilly doesnt seem to have a problem with tear staining yet - but she does get alot of gunk in the space between her eyes, so we make sure we keep it clean and trim her face regularly. When we first got her she had the tiniest amount of tear staining (she had such thick fur!) but we havent had a problem since keeping her short. Thats about the only thing I can think of thats helping her tear staining apart from genetics (we looked for MONTHS for a good breeder, and ended up flying her from brisbane to Townsville - but she was well worth it :wub: )

Also, what is skin testing? Will that tell us what she is allergic to?

Thanks guys! Mellissa and Lilly


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

> Also, what is skin testing? Will that tell us what she is allergic to?
> 
> Thanks guys! Mellissa and Lilly[/B]


Skin testing is a bit unpleasant - they shaved an area of Harley and pin pricked him with, I think about 2 dozen different things to see which one's his skin would react to - by react, I mean get red little lumps & be itchy. He had light sedation for this. Given Lilly is so young, you may want to hold off on this for a little while. It was done by a specialist dermatologist. He was uncomfortable for about 2 days afterwards, so I hope we don't have to do that again in a hurry - I felt very guilty, but at the same time I was relieved we had found out the problem/s. Harley's test showed us he was allergic to all sorts of grass, pollen, dirt etc - just about everything in our enviornment, so he is now having desensitisation shots every 3 days - hopefully this will work for him!


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## Desiree (May 29, 2007)

> Hi everyone,
> 
> My little girl Lilly is 4 months old now and she is such a darling. She does have a few skin problems though- itchy skin which she constantly scratched and therefore became infected and 'red-raw'. We have taken her to the vet and she was on antibiotics for a week and it cleared up fine, but now she is starting to scratch again... The vet said its a process of elimination to find out what she is allergic to, but it most likely would be something in her food. However I am hesitant about changing brands as she is currently on Eukanuba - promoted as one of those premium you-beaut dog food. I am in Australia. My questions are these:
> 
> ...


If it is in fact something in her food that she is allergic to it is most likely the corn, and possibly the egg product. I would place my bet on the corn. I had Eros on a holistic food that did not include corn, and then switched him for a while to something he loved that the vet gave him and had poor ingredients, in my opinion, including lots of corn. After he was on the "junk food" that he loved he started biting his feet, tail, and itching a lot. It may be something else that is bothering your baby, but I would try something without corn. If you can try to stay away from the by-products too they are icky! Personally, I don't think Eukanuba is any good just based on the ingredients. Good luck! 

<div align="center">Desiree & Eros


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

I think Eukanuba is known for causing scratching. I'd go with something
with less products in it. Stay away from corn, wheat and see how she does.
We're presently using Canidae and they seem to do well on it.


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## coco (Sep 20, 2006)

See if you can get IVD from your vet. Our allergy specialist recommended venison and potato and said our dearly departed Maltese couldn't eat anything but a baked potato for treats. He cleared up quickly. He had chewed almost all the hair off the side of his body by the time our vet finally recommended a specialist. I didn't even realize there were dog allergy specialists at the time. Before you pay for allergy tests, I would make sure it isn't a food allergy. That is the least expensive way to go. Trust me, we've been there, done that. The tests he had said he was allergic to a number of things, none of which were the cause of his chewing and scratching. It went on way too long with too many treatments, and it was a food allergy. His theory was that the dog has to eat food which dogs wouldn't normally eat. Good luck!


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## Bubbaviny (Sep 20, 2007)

> I am also on a constant quest to find the perfect food for my dogs. One of my Beagles also has allergies so I know how frustrating it can be to find something. While I do not live in Australia, I can tell you what I know about dog food. I am sure you will receive many replies so hopefully you will find something that brings your Lilly relief.
> 
> First of all, in my opinion, Eukanuba is NOT a good food for the following reasons:
> 1.) Ingredients are listed from most used to least used. The second ingredient is Chicken By-Product Meal which is simply ground up beaks, legs, wings, heads (the stuff that humans do not consume). I feel that if I am not going to eat it, neither is my dog.
> ...



FROMM food, how do you serve it, do you mix it with water?


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)

> FROMM food, how do you serve it, do you mix it with water?[/B]


No, it comes either canned or dry.


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## Carole (Nov 1, 2005)

> I think Eukanuba is known for causing scratching. I'd go with something
> with less products in it. Stay away from corn, wheat and see how she does.
> We're presently using Canidae and they seem to do well on it.[/B]


*Which ones of the Canidae do your babies likes? Do they do okay with the dry? 
I prefer not to give wet food as it is so messy on the faces.

All Life Stages --chicken, turkey, lamb, fish
All Life Stages--Lamb and Rice
All Life Stages--Chicken and Rice*


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## Krystal (Feb 3, 2007)

I started noticing Mia scratching a ton and matting her coat! It was driving me insane!!! I was giving her benedryl for allergies but I didnt think it was helping very much. A few weeks ago (2 maybe) I took Mia in for a groom and had them give her a special oatmeal treatment, which really helped, but I also switched her food that day too from Canidae to the Wellness Simple Solutions Duck Formula. It has very limited ingredients in it and duck is one of the main ones. I am determined to get down to the core of her allergy problem!! I do think that she is allergic to grass and dust and things of that sort, but I think there is something in her food she is/was allergic to as well....Anyhow! Over the past 2 weeks or so I have noticed a HUGE difference in her scratching!! She doesnt do it as much...I was told to give the food about a month or so, maybe a little more to notice complete results! I am very pleased with it so far! I am also mixing in 1/4 teaspoon of Sardine Oil in to her food once a day. It is supposed to help with her skin and coat! I do think it has improved both because her coat looks so much more healthier! I would suggest switching to a food with very little ingredients and go from there. OH, I also got some duck treats that are supposed to be good for her joints too. I couldnt forgive myself if I wasnt able to give her treats! LOL....Good luck in whatever you decide!

OH, I tried finding the link to the Wellness food, but couldnt find it...They didnt even have it on their website! The food I am giving her is only duck, not duck and rice....I found it at Muttropolis and they didnt have a link to their foods....


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

> > index.php?act=findpost&pid=464883
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I know you weren't asking me directly, but I use the Lamb and Rice all life stages. I prefer lamb over chicken. And I prefer one source of protein rather than many....just keeps it simple.


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