# Immune IQ Allergy Test



## Momma2Rocky (Feb 8, 2007)

Although I don't post often, I am an avid reader of SM and get loads of valuable information from this site.

I wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts or information about an allergy test currently being offered on DoggyLoot called Immune IQ. https://doggyloot.com/deals/6724-62...for-your-dog-normally-an-87-dollars-value/buy 

I have a dog with severe IBD who can't seem to tolerate anything other than crappy prescription, SOY dog food. I have tried a novel protein (kangaroo) from a more reputable company in the past, and while initially happy with the results, after a while, realized it wasn't really working out. During the long process of diagnosis of IBD he ate a rotation of "regular" proteins as well such as venison, salmon and beef, and could not tolerate any of them. 

I will not continue to play roulette with different dog foods, hoping each one doesn't make him incredibly ill each time, when I know, whether I like it or not, he does well on the prescription food. 

SO with all that said - I was wondering if you thought me getting the Immune IQ test would be of any value in narrowing down what his intolerance's are? I know it specifically is aimed at allergies, so wasn't sure if it would even work?

I have been strongly leaning toward getting the Nutriscan test (Order) that is recommended on this site (developed by Dr. Dodds) but hadn't pulled the trigger just yet, when I got the Immune IQ offer in my inbox. There is a significant cost difference in the two (about $200). I have no problem paying the full price for both Nutriscan panels however, if necessary, but figured it wouldn't hurt to at least explore Immune IQ.

There isn't a lot of info about them out there (did a quick Google search) and some people seem to believe its a scam b/c the results showed their pups to be allergic to long lists of items, but others believe in it. I am less concerned about whether or not it is a scam and more concerned about your opinions on whether or not the test would be a good option for an IBD dog. 

I appreciate your help very much!

Momma2Rocky (and Paulie!)


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I don't know anything about the test! If it were me, I would take my dog to an allergist, probably at a good vet school. You could try it , and whatever it cones up with as allergy, eliminate it and see how it goes. There are members here that have fluffs with allergies, and IBD. I hope they see this and help you out.


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## N2Mischief (Aug 18, 2013)

From what I understand, allergies and intolerance are two totally different things. You will want to find out which the is being tested for. Dr. Dodds test is for intolerance.


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## Kathleen (Aug 4, 2011)

Poor little guy!
I am sorry that I dont know much about IBS, but Maggie recently posted that Crystal had helped Tessa with a protocol for IBS and they had good success.
I found the link:
http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/52-.../169954-tessas-six-month-odyssey-success.html

Hopefully Maggie or Crystal will see this, or of not you could send them a private message to see if they had any advice to share.
I hope you can find a good solution for him.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Dr. Dodd's Nutriscan tests for both food allergy and intolerance...I had the test done on my Lily who suffers from IBD....and she is doing very well...she has problems with beef, dairy, eggs, wheat, corn, soy, and chicken..allergies are from an overactive immune system..you need to put your baby on a prescription strength probiotic(CFU's in the billions) if you are not already doing this and keep her on it...I would also feed one novel protein and one carb that she has never had....


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

Has your guy had the actual endoscopy done to truly diagnose IBD? And if so, were the lesions in the upper or lower part of the GI tract? 

As much as I respect Dr. Dodds, her NutriScan test isn't perfect. I have a friend whose dog reacts strongly to chicken, yet the test showed her dog should be totally fine with chicken. And the things that were actually helping her dog were noted that he should have an intolerance or sensitivity to. I agree that probiotics will help here, they do not need to be prescription strength however. But they do need to be high quality with a high amount of live active cultures and they really should be plant based with no dairy. I have 2 different brands that I'm working with now. And more than probiotics are needed for a true IBD dog. I have a customer whose dog really should have died from his IBD and he's had a complete turn around this year on the protocol I put him on. (His vet had given up on him at that time and his mom was seriously considering putting him down to ease his suffering. I have the blood work to verify this if anyone questions this.) April is also correct that he needs to be on a true Limited Ingredient Diet. I'm horrified how many foods out on the market today say LID on the label, yet they have quite a few ingredient. Only one protein and one carb. And again like April said, it should be a novel protein. But it also should be one that is considered a 'cold' food in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine. I would encourage you to find an integrative vet in your area (one that practices both traditional veterinary medicine as well as holistic medicine) for a 2nd opinion on how to treat. Sadly, traditional vets only want to give things that mask the symptoms but do nothing to actually heal the GI system. Therefore the dog will basically be limping by between GI attacks.


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## Momma2Rocky (Feb 8, 2007)

Thank you all so much for your replies! I will pass on the Immune IQ test and continue researching the Nutriscan further.

I should have mentioned, he is on a pro-biotic already and has been for some time. It is not prescription strength, this is what I have been using Microflora.

Crystal - my vet did explain to me that to get an absolute diagnosis, we would need to do a biopsy, however in his opinion, based on all the other tests we had run at the time, it was not necessary as he was certain the outcome would in fact be IBD. Paulie had the full gamut run from chem panels, to folate tests to an abdominal ultrasound with other tests in between. 

Although I hate the prescription food he is currently on, not only b/c its made by Purina, but also because its soy based, it works for Paulie and whenever I try deviation, he gets sick again. I'm talking, if he finds one small morsel of food that has been dropped, it affects his tummy. That's why I am hoping there is some type of test that can help narrow down our options, without him getting sick each time while we figure out what works. 

Not sure if this has any validity or not, but he is a rescue, so I have little idea of his background prior to rescue (know he came from a bad home where the owner had a drug problem and was not properly cared for). 

Again, I REALLY appreciate the advice and guidance here, you are all invaluable resources to malt owners everywhere!

Momma2Rocky (and Paulie)


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Momma2Rocky said:


> Thank you all so much for your replies! I will pass on the Immune IQ test and continue researching the Nutriscan further.
> 
> I should have mentioned, he is on a pro-biotic already and has been for some time. It is not prescription strength, this is what I have been using Microflora.
> 
> ...


My Lily had all those tests, too,... I did not get the endoscopy..my vet told me to keep my baby on a prescription probiotic..and I stand by that..the ones you get over the counter are not strong enough. You want CFU's in the billions(not millions)..my Lily was very sick and almost died..her IBD is in the colon...and she had to take a couple of rounds of the Flagyl, and even a short course of prednisone...she had a lot of inflammation in her gut, and could not absorb her food...and lost down to 3lbs.. I also stand by Dr. Dodd's Nutriscan test....my Lily's was accurate...you need to make sure you have a good saliva sample and make sure to follow the directions so results will not be skewed.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

That's the new probiotic I just brought in.  It's EXCELLENT!! Plant based, no dairy, with digestive enzymes. In fact, I like it even better than the one from Animal Essentials that I've used and carried for years. (btw, the probiotic from Animal Essentials has 100 million CFU's. The one you are using has 2 different probiotic strains and has 10 billion CFU's. I spoke at length with Dr. Chris Bessent, DVM of Herbsmith. I wanted to ensure their probiotic would work well and not cause an imbalance due to a couple of duplicate ingredients in the IBS/IBD protocol I use from Animal Essentials. 

I understand totally where you are coming from. Jett is my rescue and came to me at a year of age. He had tremendous separation anxiety and crate anxiety. I had to do emg. sub q fluids once but then quickly learned to syringe a tsp. of unflavored Pedialyte every hour when he was sick. My vet at that time also said she was positive he had IBD rather than IBS due to his blood work. I also opted not to do the biopsy once I realized that even though they are 2 different things, they are treated almost identical. With Jett, the only thing he could retain was boiled chicken breast and white rice. The minute I gave him even one piece of kibble (a true LID kibble that was chicken and rice), we would have massive diarrhea and vomiting again. He should weigh around 5.5 lbs and he was down to under 5 lbs at one time. He was literally starving to death and not retaining any of the nutrients from his food. Now that I have actually dealt with a true IBD dog (with the confirmed biopsy), I realize that Jett most likely had a very severe case of IBS by how the true IBD dog responded with the protocol. Both of my new, integrative vets tell me that too many vets are labeling severe IBS cases as IBD. I have the greatest respect for April and feel her knowledge is fantastic, but we do disagree on this particular health issue. I've had some pretty tremendous success in helping dogs with IBS and IBD issues holistically and not using Rx foods or steroids. If you should ever decide you would like to try something else, you can PM me.

I wish you and your fluff the best of luck and much success in treating his IBD. I know first hand how scary, frustrating and exhausting this disease is.

(btw...the dog that had the NutriScan test actually had it done at the vets office since she had them in stock. So I'm assuming it was done accurately since the vet herself did it. She had even spoke with Dr. Dodds at the AHVMA conference a few weeks ago about the test. I'm not saying it's not a useful tool. It is. But more and more holistic and integrative vets, those that are actually friends of Dr. Dodds, are saying they are finding some incorrect and questionable results.)


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