# I really need help finding treats that won't cause her allergies



## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

This process has been very stressful, and it's even more stressful when I can't find any help or guidance around me, but good thing this forum exists with wonderful people!
I signed up Cici to private training lessons that start next week on Saturday, and I need to get her some treats she really likes because we will be taking her to petsmart to work on her barking (she goes crazy when seeing people/dogs even after puppy school). Anyways, the trainer said to use low treats inside house (that would be her hypoallergenic treats), and use high reward treats outside of house. 

He vet (that I won't be taking her back to) put her on a strict hypoallergenic diet and I can't give her anything not even veggies, but he won't tell me what specific foods cause her allergy, he just said to eliminate everything and just buy their foods from their office. 

So... I looked back at when her ear infection started, and it was since I got her actually. I was looking over past videos and it began to remind me how since the first day she was whining/crying and scratching her ear, and I was so naive that I didn't know what it was and I believed their vet when he told me it was normal for a puppy (Cici was a pet store puppy, I know, shame on me, but she was the first and last time, I even got into an argument with the store manager, the way they handled her was really bad and i felt sorry for her). So I decided to look at the ingredients of the food they were givin her, and assume one of the ingredients causes her allergy (IF it's even food related). 

The food they were giving her was Precise Puppy Formula 

Ingredients: chicken meal, ground brown rice, chicken fat, ground oats, beet pulp, lamb meal, rice bran, dried egg product, fish meal, flaxseed, natural chicken flavor, lecithin, fish oil, salt, choline chloride, potassium chloride, calcium ascorbate, calcium carbonate, iron amino acid chelate, dried lactobacillus acidophilus, fermentation product, dried enterococcus fascium fermentation, yucca schidigera extract, vitamin E supplement, Zinc amino acid chelate, cobalt amino acid, copper amino acid chelate, biotin, vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, B1, vitamin B12, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin D3 supplement, Folic acid, DL-methionine, pyridoxine hydrochloride, B6, selenium yeast, calcium iodate. 

Do any of the ingredients seem "fishy"? Like it could be it? I'm guessing it might just be chicken... But her current hypoallergenic Royan Canine adult HP food contains chicken fat, I don't know if chicken and chicken fat are able to cause allergies the same?

And I'm guessing it's ok to give her cheddar cheese since its not in he ingredients so it could not have been the cause? Because she really loves cheese so it would be a good treat to use around distractions. 

Is there any treats or brand that you recommend for dogs with allergies? 

Is it true (what the vet said) that dogs should not eat vegetables because most of them cause allergies? (she loves celery, carrots, and apples)

Thanks if you made it reading this far:blush: I didn't mean for it to be this long!:innocent:


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

I am no expert on allergies but I thought most food allergies were caused by grains. At one time I thought my Sassy was allergic to chicken because every time she ate chicken she would pant for about 45 minutes afterwards. So I changed her to a food with another meat source. But I give her fruits and veggies all the time. There are treats available that are grain free.....or you could make your own.


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

I use the Bravo Training Treats for my kids and they really love them, they're grain free and dehydrated pieces of meat. I know that Crystal (who is a member here) sells them at her store and we as SM members receive a 10% discount. Bravo Training Treats


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Not sure what's causing her allergies, but they could be environmental. It's rare for the food to be the cause. Cheese is really high in fat, so I wouldn't feed it for treats except in tiny amounts, occasionally. Better treats can include the veggies/fruit you mentioned, just be sure to cut them really small to prevent choking.


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Nora, sorry you're going through so much with Cici's allergies. I'm sure other members will give you some good advice and share their experiences with you. 

I would first find a vet you can trust and work closely with him/her on finding the cause of Cici's allergies - I'm no expert at all but I can tell you what I'd try in the same situation. First - is the Precise Puppy Formula what the pet store had Cici on, or is it what the vet recommended you put her on? What food do you have her on now? Really, her allergies could be caused by a number of things - they could be environmental, and not food related at all. Unless you go through specific tests for allergies, you won't know for sure what is causing it. Until you can do the tests, here's what I would try - eliminate grains from her diet. You could try a limited ingredient, novel protein, grain-free food to see how she does on it. If you go to your local pet boutique that carries holistic food, they will have some recommendations. I've heard a lot of folks who have dogs with allergies use the brand California Natural. Addiction is another great brand also - they make high quality food using novel proteins which are good for dogs with allergies. 

As far as treats go - again, I would choose ones with very limited ingredients. The best treats, in my opinion, are just freeze-dried meats - here are links to a couple of Bailey's favorites. Many of these are in novel proteins and you can pick the same protein as her main food. 

Bravo! Training Treats
Stella & Chewy's - Carnivore Kisses Treats


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

mysugarbears said:


> I use the Bravo Training Treats for my kids and they really love them, they're grain free and dehydrated pieces of meat. I know that Crystal (who is a member here) sells them at her store and we as SM members receive a 10% discount. Bravo Training Treats


Those are great. Our dogs go ga-ga over them!


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

How old is Cici? Allergies are very unusual in puppies.

Food allergies are not that common. Close to 90% of canine allergies are environmental, not food. 

No one ingredient can cause allergies. It is the constant exposure to a particular ingredient that causes the body to build up the antibodies that trigger the reaction. The best thing to do is to rotate foods every month or so. For instance, buy a different Fromm formula each time (salmon, chicken, etc). My Lady ate Natures Variety Prairie and I switched between their formulas.

I have never heard of vegetable allergies before in my life......!

The three most common ingredients that can cause allergies in dogs are soy, wheat and corn.

Itchy ears sound like environmental allergies to me. Bailey had red itchy ears this summer and I used Zymox (with hydrocortisone). It made a huge difference.

Zymox Otic with Hydrocortisone (1.0%)

As far as training treats, I think cheese is a great idea if that is a high value treat for Cici. Get some lowfat (2% milk) cheese cubes and cut them into four pieces so she just gets a little taste.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

I'm sorry you're going through this with the allergies. I don't have any advice for you - once I eliminated poultry I hadmnomproblems with my fluffs. 

For training, I would suggest Wet Noses Little Stars. They sell them at the PetSmart near me, are organic, and are made in the US. They ae the perfect size for training.


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

Bailey&Me said:


> Nora, sorry you're going through so much with Cici's allergies. I'm sure other members will give you some good advice and share their experiences with you.
> 
> I would first find a vet you can trust and work closely with him/her on finding the cause of Cici's allergies - I'm no expert at all but I can tell you what I'd try in the same situation. First - is the Precise Puppy Formula what the pet store had Cici on, or is it what the vet recommended you put her on? What food do you have her on now? Really, her allergies could be caused by a number of things - they could be environmental, and not food related at all. Unless you go through specific tests for allergies, you won't know for sure what is causing it. Until you can do the tests, here's what I would try - eliminate grains from her diet. You could try a limited ingredient, novel protein, grain-free food to see how she does on it. If you go to your local pet boutique that carries holistic food, they will have some recommendations. I've heard a lot of folks who have dogs with allergies use the brand California Natural. Addiction is another great brand also - they make high quality food using novel proteins which are good for dogs with allergies.
> 
> ...


Precise puppy formula is what the pet store had Cici on, and Royal Canine adult HP is what the vet has Cici on now, and we purchase it from the vet's office. Since the day I got Cici I only fed her California Natural puppy formula, she really liked it, but after taking her to another vet aside from the store's vet he found the infection in the ear, it all happened so fast I didn't know what questions to ask and I just followed orders (they never took tests). Now it's the third time I've taken her (it never went away the first time because they wouldn't give her a follow-up exam, I had to pay $80 each visit even the follow-up and I didn't have money at the time). Now it's gone completely because I took her for a follow-up imedietally after 3 weeks from the medication they gave her, and she still had a little in her ear and the vet wanted to leave it like that.. But I insisted he treat it fully. Then I got the Zymox ear cleaner and applied it to her ears myself, and now the ear infection is completely gone. I have not given her anything besides her hypoallergenic food and treats, and I feel bad seeing her in that strict diet because she's already tired of that food, she eats very little. She's going to be starting her third bag of Royal Canine adult HP in a few days. 

And thank you, I will have to see if I can find some Bravo! treats in a local store so I can try them out, Debbie also recommended them and I researched it and it has a lot of good reviews, hopefully Cici likes it. 

At my local store they sell freeze dried cheese treats and other flavors with very little ingredients, and she loves them, but I guess I'm just scared to try giving her anything outside of her diet because the vet really scared me and imposed strongly on this diet prohibiting me from giving her anything else but their products. 


Sent from Cici🐶 & Nora👩
❤💋


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

Ladysmom said:


> How old is Cici? Allergies are very unusual in puppies.
> 
> Food allergies are not that common. Close to 90% of canine allergies are environmental, not food.
> 
> ...


She's 6.5 months old, and I noticed she had trouble in her ear since I got her at 10 weeks. I took her to their vet to ask about that (I thought she had mites) but he didn't check her ears and said it was normal. Then I took her to a different vet when she was 13 weeks because I couldn't stand seeing her crying and scratching her ear it was really sad, and that's when they found a severe infection and too out hairs with some black waxy stuff stuck, like clumps, and it also has had a very foul odor. I always had some feeling in my gut that I can't accept it's a food allergy, but I'm no expert so I just relied on the vet, but it's so confusing because I really don't like what I've heard, but I don't want to play with Cici's health listening to an "instinct". 
I had also read about Zymox in this forum, maybe it was from you  and I tried it after her last visit and it really cleared up! It doesn't smell anymore. But she still shakes her head, but doesn't scratch it, it's a big relief. Whenever I see her in discomfort I feel like my heart is being squeezed, I worry so much. 

Thank you . I will be giving her veggies again:w00t:


Sent from Cici🐶 & Nora👩
❤💋


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

I have never heard of a dog having vegetable allergies. Maybe you understood your vet wrong. If not, I would consider looking for a new vet.

Most food allergies are from grains (wheat, corn, etc...even oats occasionally) and/or chicken. But, most dog allergies are not food related but environmental as Marj stated.

I would try a grain-free diet with a novel protein source (one she hasn't had before) such as duck, rabbit, venison, etc. and see how she does.

As far as a high reward treat during training sessions, I would use freeze-dried fruit like Gerber Graduates or maybe Ziwi-Peak "good dog" treats in Venison. Possibly frozen green beans cut up into tiny pieces. Cheese is fine, but I wouldn't give too much of it.


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

LJSquishy said:


> I have never heard of a dog having vegetable allergies. Maybe you understood your vet wrong. If not, I would consider looking for a new vet.
> 
> Most food allergies are from grains (wheat, corn, etc...even oats occasionally) and/or chicken. But, most dog allergies are not food related but environmental as Marj stated.
> 
> ...


I thought I did hear wrong at first too so I had to repeat it back to him, and his words were "I try to keep owners away from giving dogs vegetables; vegetables are very allergenic and cause about (%) of allergies". That was his response after I asked if it was ok to give Cici fruits and veggies, because she loves them. He also said cheese causes allergies too, and then his exact words were "basically everything good, everything we like is actually bad for them; chicken, cheese (and he listed a few more I forgot)". I really do need a new vet. 

Thanks  I will look into those treat choices (and also about using a protein source she hasn't had, I'm thinking duck would be good), I had never thought of gerber graduates:w00t:


Sent from Cici🐶 & Nora👩
❤💋


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

BellaNotte said:


> *He vet (that I won't be taking her back to) put her on a strict hypoallergenic diet and I can't give her anything not even veggies, but he won't tell me what specific foods cause her allergy, he just said to eliminate everything and just buy their foods from their office. *
> 
> 
> *Is it true (what the vet said) that dogs should not eat vegetables because most of them cause allergies? (she loves celery, carrots, and apples)*





BellaNotte said:


> Since the day I got Cici I only fed her California Natural puppy formula, she really liked it, but after taking her to another vet aside from the store's vet he found the infection in the ear, it all happened so fast I didn't know what questions to ask and I just followed orders (they never took tests). Now it's the third time I've taken her (it never went away the first time because they wouldn't give her a follow-up exam, I had to pay $80 each visit even the follow-up and I didn't have money at the time). Now it's gone completely because I took her for a follow-up imedietally after 3 weeks from the medication they gave her, and she still had a little in her ear and the vet wanted to leave it like that.. But I insisted he treat it fully.
> And thank you, I will have to see if I can find some Bravo! treats in a local store so I can try them out, Debbie also recommended them and I researched it and it has a lot of good reviews, hopefully Cici likes it.
> 
> At my local store they sell freeze dried cheese treats and other flavors with very little ingredients, and she loves them, but I guess *I'm just scared to try giving her anything outside of her diet because the vet really scared me and imposed strongly on this diet prohibiting me from giving her anything else but their products. *


 
I've never heard of vegatables causing allergies, but i have heard of eliminating sweet potatoes when there are frequent yeast infections. When you've taken her to the vet and the vets have said that she had an ear infection have they ever swabbed the ear and checked to see what type of infection that they the appropriate antibiotic could be prescribed. 

I'm sorry but i don't trust any vet that doesn't want you to feed anything to your pup other than their products, to me it only shows that they are in it for the money and not the welfare of the pup. I would change vets, try to find one that will work with you and not try and use scare tactics with a new pet parent.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

mysugarbears said:


> I've never heard of vegatables causing allergies, but i have heard of eliminating sweet potatoes when there are frequent yeast infections. When you've taken her to the vet and the vets have said that she had an ear infection have they ever swabbed the ear and checked to see what type of infection that they the appropriate antibiotic could be prescribed.
> 
> I'm sorry but i don't trust any vet that doesn't want you to feed anything to your pup other than their products, to me it only shows that they are in it for the money and not the welfare of the pup. I would change vets, try to find one that will work with you and not try and use scare tactics with a new pet parent.


I agree, a simple ear swab will tell your vet if Cici has an infection.

A ten week old puppy has only been weaned for a couple of weeks and has not had time to build up antibodies that cause allergies to ANYTHING.

I agree with Debbie that I would not trust a vet who told me that my dog was allergic to everything but the food he sells.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Poor Cici probably doesn't have allergies at all. I would bet that she had a yeast infection in her ear. I think that quite often vets use allergies as an easy diagnosis and very often mistake a yeast infection for allergies. 
Personally, I think you need to find a different vet. Insisting that you feed only food that you buy from the office is nonsense. Telling veggies causes allergies is nonsense and not true.
If she is prone to yeast infections you should avoid food with sugar...including potatoes and sweet potatoes. One of my dogs has trouble with yeast, so I use food that has brown rice or barley. Totally grain free foods either contain potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, or the protein level is too high for Maltese.

You have been given advise on training treats, I would only add that they should be really small. My dogs are so food motivated that they are happy to get a piece of kibble as a reward. Even so, a good training session can be enough food for a whole meal.


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

mysugarbears said:


> I've never heard of vegatables causing allergies, but i have heard of eliminating sweet potatoes when there are frequent yeast infections. When you've taken her to the vet and the vets have said that she had an ear infection have they ever swabbed the ear and checked to see what type of infection that they the appropriate antibiotic could be prescribed.
> 
> I'm sorry but i don't trust any vet that doesn't want you to feed anything to your pup other than their products, to me it only shows that they are in it for the money and not the welfare of the pup. I would change vets, try to find one that will work with you and not try and use scare tactics with a new pet parent.


I'm not even sure if they did that, because they didn't notify me. They took her out back to check her ears and just came back with a sample of what they took out, but I don't know if they preformed a test or anything. The first time when I asked what the cause was, the vet said "it's most likely caused by food allergies". 
I did not know that about sweet potatoes, I will make sure to eliminate it from her diet. And the last visit was the last one she'll be going to with them, hopefully I can find a better vet. 


Sent from Cici🐶 & Nora👩
❤💋


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

Sylie said:


> Poor Cici probably doesn't have allergies at all. I would bet that she had a yeast infection in her ear. I think that quite often vets use allergies as an easy diagnosis and very often mistake a yeast infection for allergies.
> Personally, I think you need to find a different vet. Insisting that you feed only food that you buy from the office is nonsense. Telling veggies causes allergies is nonsense and not true.
> If she is prone to yeast infections you should avoid food with sugar...including potatoes and sweet potatoes. One of my dogs has trouble with yeast, so I use food that has brown rice or barley. Totally grain free foods either contain potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, or the protein level is too high for Maltese.
> 
> You have been given advise on training treats, I would only add that they should be really small. My dogs are so food motivated that they are happy to get a piece of kibble as a reward. Even so, a good training session can be enough food for a whole meal.


Is there a way to tell the difference between yeast infection and allergy? 
Thanks for the info, I learn something new from every post! I didn't know some all grain free include potato, so I'll have to watch out for that. 


Sent from Cici🐶 & Nora👩
❤💋


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

BellaNotte said:


> Is there a way to tell the difference between yeast infection and allergy?
> Thanks for the info, I learn something new from every post! I didn't know some all grain free include potato, so I'll have to watch out for that.
> 
> 
> ...


I can tell a yeast infection because of the odor...I do have a crazy nose though. Of course, the infection in her ear is gone. Vets can certainly do a test to know for sure. Unfortunately, there are vets out there who are bored with their job and don't care as much as they should. It sounds as if your vet may be in that group. However, I think that testing for allergens can get quite expensive. 
From what I have read in your post, I gather that she was diagnosed with allergies only because of the itchy ear. If that is true, it is really unlikely that she is allergic.
To be safe stay away from wheat and corn in case of allergy. Stay away from high glycemic foods in case of yeast. And consider a different vet.


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

Sylie said:


> I can tell a yeast infection because of the odor...I do have a crazy nose though. Of course, the infection in her ear is gone. Vets can certainly do a test to know for sure. Unfortunately, there are vets out there who are bored with their job and don't care as much as they should. It sounds as if your vet may be in that group. However, I think that testing for allergens can get quite expensive.
> From what I have read in your post, I gather that she was diagnosed with allergies only because of the itchy ear. If that is true, it is really unlikely that she is allergic.
> To be safe stay away from wheat and corn in case of allergy. Stay away from high glycemic foods in case of yeast. And consider a different vet.


If a bad smelling ear means yeast infection, then she definetally must have had that because her ear would smell really bad. The only reason I think it's gone for good now is that it's been a week that is has not smelled at all, and it looks clean:chili: (it used to be really waxy with a dark color).
They diagnosed her after they took out clumps of wax and hair from her ear that smelled back, it was kind of a blackish or dark brown color, but I'm not sure if that was the reason or what it was; there wasn't much communication, and it was all new to me. 
Thanks I will keep her away from those ingredients


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Sylie said:


> If she is prone to yeast infections you should avoid food with sugar...including potatoes and sweet potatoes. One of my dogs has trouble with yeast, so I use food that has brown rice or barley. Totally grain free foods either contain potatoes and/or sweet potatoes, or the protein level is too high for Maltese.


White potatoes convert to sugar and are high on the glycemic index, but sweet potatoes are very different. They are high in fiber, full of vitamins, and low on the glycemic index (only 54). A baked white potato is high on the glycemic index at 86.

My Lady ate sweet potatoes daily until the day she died. With all her health issues and allergies, it was one of the few foods she could eat the last few years. She was diabetic so white potatoes spiked her blood glucose, but she was fine with sweet potatoes.

But again, Cici doesn't have allergies so I wouldn't worry. Feed her a high quality food and you shouldn't have any problems since she is still a puppy.


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

Ladysmom said:


> White potatoes convert to sugar and are high on the glycemic index, but sweet potatoes are very different. They are high in fiber, full of vitamins, and low on the glycemic index (only 54). A baked white potato is high on the glycemic index at 86.
> 
> My Lady ate sweet potatoes daily until the day she died. With all her health issues and allergies, it was one of the few foods she could eat the last few years. She was diabetic so white potatoes spiked her blood glucose, but she was fine with sweet potatoes.
> 
> But again, Cici doesn't have allergies so I wouldn't worry. Feed her a high quality food and you shouldn't have any problems since she is still a puppy.


That is what I always believed Marj. You are probably right, but I found a lot of info that said don't feed sweet potatoes. It could have to do with the processing involved. For one thing the excellent benefits of sweet potatoes include consuming the skin. The highly acclaimed health benefits of white sweet potatoes are *all* in the skin. My local market carries white sweet potatoes, but the skins are much too tough for me to chew. Why, oh why is it so hard to determine what is good for us and our fluffs? Why is there so much contradictory information? Or conditional information, without telling us the conditions. I don't know. I eat and enjoy sweet potatoes, I give them to the cockatoo, but not to yeast challenged Ruru.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Sylie said:


> That is what I always believed Marj. You are probably right, but I found a lot of info that said don't feed sweet potatoes. It could have to do with the processing involved. For one thing the excellent benefits of sweet potatoes include consuming the skin. The highly acclaimed health benefits of white sweet potatoes are *all* in the skin. My local market carries white sweet potatoes, but the skins are much too tough for me to chew. Why, oh why is it so hard to determine what is good for us and our fluffs? Why is there so much contradictory information? Or conditional information, without telling us the conditions. I don't know. I eat and enjoy sweet potatoes, I give them to the cockatoo, but not to yeast challenged Ruru.


For diabetic Lady and anyone with yeast problems, the key is the glycemic load of a particular food, i.e how much is converted to sugar by the body.

Do you give Ru probiotics? They help a lot with yeast overgrowth.


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

I give my baby freeze dried chicken breast. It's pure chicken breast, nothing added to it, so very safe. And yeah she loves it sooo much, she does not accept anything else for a treat :HistericalSmiley:

Priya


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## SammieMom (Nov 13, 2010)

My Sammie started shaking his head at 9 mo and after 2 trials I determined it was grain kibble. Give him a few days on it and boom. Head starts shaking and tears at his ears. No infections or yeast. 
Now, I have no clue what it is in the kibble - just that he stops when he is on grain free kibble. I rec switch to petfresh foods and so far he has no symptoms on the grain formula. We will see. I've heard it can be just dry foods reaction. 
They love PF.


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## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Sylie said:


> That is what I always believed Marj. You are probably right, but I found a lot of info that said don't feed sweet potatoes. It could have to do with the processing involved. For one thing the excellent benefits of sweet potatoes include consuming the skin. The highly acclaimed health benefits of white sweet potatoes are *all* in the skin. My local market carries white sweet potatoes, but the skins are much too tough for me to chew. Why, oh why is it so hard to determine what is good for us and our fluffs? Why is there so much contradictory information? Or conditional information, without telling us the conditions. I don't know. I eat and enjoy sweet potatoes, I give them to the cockatoo, but not to yeast challenged Ruru.


Sweet potatoes are "high oxylate foods" so should supposedly be avoided for dogs who have had oxylate crystals in their urine. When Sweetness was on a food with sweet potatoes she developed crystals and UTIs about every four or five weeks She's been off that food for almost two years and no UTIs or crystals.


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## .13124 (Jun 1, 2012)

You girls are wonderful I'm learning do much :chili: I think I'm just going to stay away from sweet potatoes for now.. And grains and chicken. She's finishing her bag of Royal Canine hypoallergenic food so I'm debating whether to change now or get another bag of this same food. 
Im also going to try the Bravo! Trail Mix treats, and the graduate's freeze dried fruit. 

Has anyone ever purchased the healthy homemade treats from etsy? I just saw some on there and I like the ingredients listed, and they look yummy:innocent:, but I'm wondering if it's safe to purchase edible things for doggies from that site? I'm new to etsy and have never purchased there before. 
I might also get her some freeze dried cheese from my local pet store, it's probably healthier that giving her grocery store cheddar cheese. 
Thank you all you are all so wonderful!:chili::wub:


Sent from Cici🐶 & Nora👩
❤💋


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## shellbeme (Mar 1, 2011)

Hi Nora  there are a couple of things I thought I might touch on, but they are kind of curiosities on my part for the most...

I wonder if you have access to a holistic vet, I think they are very helpful when it comes to what *might* be allergies or food sensativities. Now, I know the consensus on the forum is that Cici doesn't have any and I also remember reading that allergies in dogs are often developed over time and caused by eating the same things over and over. 

When I brought Rocky home the first time, he had an ear infection. I don't think it was because he was allergic to anything. I have also recently changed the dogs food due to Rocky having issues on Fromm, and bad gas. I don't think he was allergic, necissarily, to anything in it, but I do think something didn't agree with him.

I LOVE onions, OMD I love them... but they give me an upset stomach. I am not allergic to them, they just dont' settle well when I have them.

I think we as pet owners and also vets sometimes jump too quickly into the allergy thing. I also think treats are overpriced in the stores and you should make your own 

How about looking into a food dehydrator? And making your own cookies are fun and easy! A treat is just that, it's a treat, I think sweet potatos are great, carrots...the list goes on and on as long as its not toxic. It's not their regular meal, it's a treat. A little piece of cheese now and then is not going to kill 99% of dogs. (That's a made up statistic btw but you get my meaning)

Training treats? Someone on the forums recommended cheerios and I think that's brilliant cause a box costs me like 3-4 bucks where as a fraction of that size of treats is $8-10. 

Hot dogs (I can hear the shrieks) serously, a tiny piece of hot dog, and if you're that worried about what they are made out of, buy the uppity fancy gormet ones. Hot dog is so easy to break into miniscule little bits to use for training. I mean, I wouldn't feed a whole one at a time or anything but.. you get the idea.

If you want to do treats made of meat, chicken, hearts, gizzards, livers.... I haven't looked into dehydrating these but if it's a treat, cooked up a little I would think is nice 

Make your own jerky with a dehydrater and so much cheaper than purchasing in a store!

A little lick of peanutbutter (all natural if you're worried) I have no problems giving my boys a small lick of jiff. Heck soemtiems I even coat a little bit in the inside of a kong to keep them out of my hair for a few.

Ok I'll stop rambling


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