Raw fed with allergies ... and they said it couldn't happen :( - Poodle Forum - Standard Poodle, Toy Poodle, Miniature Poodle Forum ALL Poodle owners too!

PoodlePowerBC · 11-09-2012, 06:55 AM

So after following my heart and against the advise of our vet, Russell has been raw fed for over 1 1/2 years. He has now developed allergies. I have been feeding him PMR raw till now. Vet wants him on Hypoallergenic Kibble to rule out foods. I am fighting it, but the poor dog has been walking around wagging his head back and forth like his world is hopeless (Of course it's in his ears) I've tried keeping him away from chicken, and feeding only beef with raw eggs and cooked pumpkin for 1 1/2 weeks, he seemed to be getting worse, so I dropped the egg. I thought he was a tad better, but when I cleaned his ears yesterday there was blood in the ear, so I'm wondering if it could be the beef. And he has very loose stools, cause he's not getting his bone (He used to get that from Chicken carcasses) I am going to try K9 freeze dried Venison for a week to see if that will help, but this food is EXPENSIVE! And it has egg in it :( Has anyone else gone through this with a raw fed dog???? I would really appreciate help, as I DO NOT want to go the kibble route!!( And I realize it may NOT be food related, but vet says it's the logical place to start.)

Ladyscarletthawk · 11-09-2012, 07:30 AM

Usually ears are connected to food, BUT they can also have environmental allergies. I have been around allergy dogs and owners and seen them go round and round with that. So when my toy developed allergies AND ear infections, had her tested to determine what they were. The lab will also develope a serum of allergenic extract to help desensitize the system.. just like in humans.

IF it is a food allergy then more than likely you have an environmental allergy issue as well so testing altho more expensive will be more thorough. If the testing has a food panel consider it a starting point and not gospel tho. Also you must wait about 8wks before changing anything as you dont know what allergen is causing the issue.. sometimes it has a delayed reaction and sometimes it lingers, which you could think oh it was this or that that caused it when in actuality it was something you stopped feeding.

Also you should do an elimination diet and follow it for 8-12 weeks .. no treats nothing but this diet.. it should consist of one novel protein and a carb like rice. If you see improvement after 8/12wks you can add something else but you must not change it for another 12wks after to make certain that the ingredient you are feeding is not an allergen. Very tedious, but more accurate than any test. Good luck!

Oh and Addiction is a dehydrated raw you can try.. You can probably use the allergy formula as your elimination diet, but I would prefer it as a last resort. It has potato and hydrolyzed soy as the main ingredients.

Ladyscarletthawk · 11-09-2012, 07:36 AM

PS you should also work on treating the ears while treating the allergies.. I like the blue power ear cleaner with a lil extra gentian violet. There is also an "ear powder" that I hear works that you can order from the pharmacist that makes it or you can get from Poco a Poco poodles if she still sells it.

BorderKelpie · 11-09-2012, 07:49 AM

Have you tried anything but the chicken and beef? I have several dogs here that can't handle beef at all.

Living where i do, I can get venison and goat meat. Mine all do well on duck, too.

What are you doing for calcium if he's unable to get bones right now? THe calcium/phosphorous ratio is so very vital.

PoodlePowerBC · 11-09-2012, 08:04 AM

Thanks! I have decided I'm going to do the K9 Naurals venison for at least 8 weeks. The ingredients are venison, blood, bone, tripe and organs (which he does not get regularly), vegetables (Again, not something he was getting) fruit, and whole egg. The only thing I'm wary of is the egg, but I'll give it 8 weeks and see. I have been using blue power ear cleaner ... but sporadically. I will now be religious about it. As for bone,Russell has never had duck, so what are the chances he's allergic to this? I can get natural fed duck necks to suppliment his diet. Should I wait 8 weeks to add it or try it now?
The crappy part in all this is I have a FULL freezer of Beef, Lamb and chicken backs :( And I'm going to have to pay 35.00 for 6 days of meals with this plan :(

brownlikewoah · 11-09-2012, 10:24 AM

My Aussie can't do beef... maybe try lamb or goat or something.

BorderKelpie · 11-09-2012, 12:15 PM

I would wait before adding the duck right now as long as what you're trying is balanced.

Looking on the bright side again, At least your freezer's working. Mine died and took a ton of my and the dogs' food with it. I now have to figure out how to dispose of carcasses - the trash people won't take it. :(

caroline429 · 11-09-2012, 07:15 PM

A true elimination diet consists of only one or two novel foods, no more. If you can feed a raw diet consisting of bone, organs and muscle meat from the same novel source, you may be able to feed a balanced diet. Quite often though, it's not possible to properly balance an elimination diet. For a healthy adult dog, it is usually not a problem for them to eat an unbalanced diet for 8 - 12 weeks. I have had to do elimination diets for two dogs in the past. The diets were not even close to being balanced and the dogs were fine for the length of time it took.

Allergies develop with continued exposure to a food. Since your dog has eaten eggs in the past, there is a chance he could be allergic to them. If you feed him a food that contains eggs, you won't be feeding only novel foods and it may be a waste of your time and your money.

Doing a true elimination diet is tough and almost always tougher on the owner than the dog!

MaryLynn · 11-10-2012, 05:29 AM

This is going to be a really unpopular suggestion, but why don't you just do as your vet asks?

It's not going to harm your dog to be on a good quality kibble, and it will help you find the source of his issues (food or not). It doesn't have to be permanent, but honestly you poking around and trying to figure this out on your own may even take longer than just doing as a professional has asked. I realize vets don't know everything about dog nutrition, but this isn't about nutrition right now, this is about an allergy and your course of action may end up being a good choice, but it may end up prolonging your dogs discomfort.

Just my 2 cents, I hope everything gets sorted out for you two soon.

PoodlePowerBC · 11-10-2012, 07:22 AM

I figure I will try this for 8 weeks, then may have to do the kibble route.