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Beckie’s allergy testing (through raw food ) journal

18K views 253 replies 17 participants last post by  Streetcar 
#1 ·
I’ll be writing Beckie’s journal here, in case it might help someone else.

Ever since she was a puppy, the first day I got her, Beckie has always had gastric problems, discomfort, diarrhea, vomiting and even pain from eating. When she was a puppy, she would cry after eating certain brands of food. After a while she stopped and I thought she had overgrown her allergies, but my guess is she just got tougher and tolerated the pain more, but it still remained.

She’s had multiple gastritis episodes and gone through various treatments at the vet. She was even found having chronic cholestasis on top of the gastritis last time (in may 2020). She also has problems with her anal glands and is licking her behind multiple times a day, sometimes causing painful irritation. Her glands have to be emptied regularly, sometimes multiples times a month. She has acid reflux.

With all that, she is very stoic, like most dogs, and looks like a happy dog most of the time, except when it all degenerates and she ends up at the vet.

I’ve tried dozens of types of food : with grains, without grains, hypoallergenic, gastro specific foods, etc. Some were from the vet, some from the best pet food manufacturers I could find.

Nothing has worked. I have seen her suffer enough and want a better life for her. So even though my vet, like most vets, is discouraging me from giving her raw food, I have decided to try it. It is the only food I haven’t consistently tried and I owe it to her to make the necessary effort to see if it will improve her quality of life.

Allergies have often been discussed with the vet, but all they have to offer is their low quality kibble that costs an arm and a leg and still make her ill.

My strategy : feeding 1 single ingredient (animal protein) at a time, for a period of 14 days (vet recommendation) if she does well on it. If not, as soon as I am sure she reacts, I stop.

The goal is to find at least 3 protein she tolerates well, to rotate them and give her the benefits of a varied and complete diet. The recommended ingredients in a raw meal is : 80% meat, 10% organs and 10% bones (in pre-made, the bones are crushed).

Once we have three proteins, I will test « dinners » from a few companies. Dinners are the same as raw meals except they are composed of 70% meat, 10% offals, 10% bones and 10% fruits and vegetables. These will be more touchy to test, because if there is a reaction, I won’t know to what so I will just discard the specific dinner completely.

So, after much research, I found 2 companies that made single protein pre-made raw. One is more complete because it also has beef green tripe (I had to take a chance with that but she does well on it). It’s called Bold raw and is the one that I’m thinking she will be on once we’re done testing.

The other one is called Big Country raw and since it doesn’t have beef green tripe, you need to add oils and supplements to it. I will be my second choice, and be used to make more variety (and save a bit of money since it’s cheaper).
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Here’s what I’ve tested so far :

1- Turkey (with beef green tripe) : ok

2- Chicken (with beef green tripe) : butt licking, general discomfort.
She was given only 3 meals (2 mixed with turkey and 1 only chicken) but it took 5 days for the butt licking to stop. She had gastric discomfort after the first chicken meal.

3- Turkey (without beef green tripe, different brand) : ok

Next test :

4- Beef (with beef green tripe) : starting tomorrow

Improvements after 3 weeks (started on june 15th)
  • no more runny eyes (barely any eye boogers)
  • more energy
  • less pooping
  • much smaller poops
  • no poop eating (it’s all digested, nothing left to eat)
  • no butt licking (except on chicken)
  • no anal glands having to be emptied
  • no anal gland leaking and fishy smell
  • A nibbler no more, Beckie devours her food !
It’s a little early to talk about benefits, but that’s what it is so far. Only time will tell if it will last.
 
#5 ·
I am so glad you are already seeing improvements - I hope she continues to do well. If chicken is the culprit it could explain why so many foods upset her - chicken turns up in practically all of them in one form or another.
 
#6 ·
If chicken is the culprit it could explain why so many foods upset her - chicken turns up in practically all of them in one form or another.
When she was younger I had spotted that chicken was a problem so she was eating limited ingredient kibble with salmon and I also tried duck and probably a few other rare games. She was still having problems so I think she also has trouble digesting some of the other ingredients added. I’ll never truly find out unless maybe for a few ingredients, if I did a Nutriscan.
 
#8 ·
Not legumes in our case - Sophy cannot eat turkey, but I think it is an intolerance rather than allergy. Poppy is now on a (supposedly) very strict diet, but it is difficult to manage as she grabs everything she can (this afternoon half a pea pod; most unlikely theft was a pickled gherkin; in between she digs for roots and worms and bugs). It is therefore hard to know if her now near constant squidgy output is down to her liver disease or dietary indiscretion or, as I think most likely, both. I plan on a meeting with her vet next week when he is back from a month's furlough to discuss where we go from here...

I think the exclusion diet is the gold standard for identifying issues - hard work and needs consistency and dedication, but worth it to have a list of safe foods.
 
#9 ·
in between she digs for roots and worms and bugs)
Beckie is the same ! I wonder if it’s a natural way of cleaning their system.

I plan on a meeting with her vet next week when he is back from a month's furlough to discuss where we go from here...
Let me know what they say. I plan to have Beckie tested in about 6 months to see hoe her liver is doing. I might be inspired by what your vet decides to do with Poppy.

I think the exclusion diet is the gold standard for identifying issues - hard work and needs consistency and dedication, but worth it to have a list of safe foods.
Absolutely !
 
#10 ·
Update : beef is out ! After 6 meals, we’re back to staring at the butt and intense butt licking. She’ll be having turkey for breakfast tomorrow and until the licking stops. If it’s like chicken, it should take about 5 days.

In the meantime I will decide which protein I try next : maybe pork or duck. It has to be something made by at least two companies and readily available. I hope I can find 3 proteins that work, as I want to make sure she has a complete diet.

I’m going away in a few weeks and I’d like to have at least two tested proteins to bring for her. I have 4-5 weeks to make it happen. Let’s hope it works !
 
#14 ·
No I haven’t. I don’t even know if they make raw salmon. I sure would like to try it though.

How long has she been exclusively raw fed? Her immune system might improve after a few months and you might find she’s more able to tolerate other proteins then. It might also be beneficial to see if she’s able to tolerate raw goat’s milk as the probiotics can also be very beneficial.
She started raw on june 15th, so almost 1 month. Interesting to know that she might tolerate more proteins in a few months. I’ll definitely try again then !

Although, further to salmon, I am not sure about feeding it raw - probably safer cooked. I am uneasy about raw pork too, although I believe freezing pork for several weeks kills the parasites that cause trichinosis.
The brand I buy is very expensive and human grade. I know they test their production a lot and take great precautions. I’ve never heard of trichinosis but I’ll look it up.

Lamb tripe may be a possibility for Becky - pongs, but not quite as badly as beef tripe!
I might test lamb if I can find it. The green tripe Beckie eats is part of the recipe and doesn’t smell at all. You don’t even know it’s there. On a side note, I wonder why she tolerates beef green tripes but not beef...
 
#12 ·
So glad things are looking up!

How long has she been exclusively raw fed? Her immune system might improve after a few months and you might find she’s more able to tolerate other proteins then. It might also be beneficial to see if she’s able to tolerate raw goat’s milk as the probiotics can also be very beneficial.

Looking forward to hearing more about her journey!
 
#13 ·
Although, further to salmon, I am not sure about feeding it raw - probably safer cooked. I am uneasy about raw pork too, although I believe freezing pork for several weeks kills the parasites that cause trichinosis.

Lamb tripe may be a possibility for Becky - pongs, but not quite as badly as beef tripe!
 
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#22 ·
Update : 5 days have passed since the raw beef trial and Beckie is still licking her butt. I’m getting discouraged. If Beckie can’t tolerate the turkey, the only one that worked so far, I wonder where to go next...

I’ll give it a little more time, it took 5 days for the chicken allergy to pass. But I’m getting nervous.
 
#27 ·
Pogo has been ill lately, and the vet has been having us try Royal Canin hydrolyzed formula. Expensive, and a hassle because we have to get it from the vet, but he's tolerating it well after not getting relief from home cooked beef or home cooked chicken. He also loves the kibbles enough that I can use them like training treats.
 
#28 ·
Pogo has been ill lately, and the vet has been having us try Royal Canin hydrolyzed formula. Expensive, and a hassle because we have to get it from the vet, but he's tolerating it well after not getting relief from home cooked beef or home cooked chicken.
It works well with some dogs but there are way too many ingredients and it doesn’t suit Beckie. I’ve tried about 4 different vet foods, all very expensive. I still have one that Merlin is finishing.
 
#30 ·
I just realized something last night while reading a different post on PF... There are two types of butt licking for Beckie : « I’m having an allergic reaction » and « my glands are full » (or a mix of both) !

I had forgotten the latter. This morning I emptied her glands and they were mega full. Hopefully no more butt licking, but now I have to make sure to distinguish between the two types.

Sigh. Why can’t this allergy thing be just a little easier ?
 
#31 ·
I’ve gone to the store and bought rabbit for Beckie. It’s the only protein, besides turkey, that is really low fat (4%). Since she is having reflux after every meal, I figure the fat content is too high for her liver (she might have chronic cholestasis). She has also been eating more grass in the last week, which is probably to get relief from gastric discomfort or nausea.

I will now stay on low fat food. The only raw meal that seemed to worked perfectly so far is the first I tried, which was 3% fat turkey.

After emptying her glands, she was still going for her bum this morning. Let’s hope it gets better. Oh, and when I woke up this morning, I had 4-5 vomit spots and poop on floor. I suppose the vomit might be from Beckie (It looks like « grass » vomit) and the poop from Merlin, but it’s impossible to be certain.

This is getting hard and complicated. If I don’t get anywhere within the next 4-6 weeks, I will try to find a dog allergist, although they might not even exist.
 
#35 ·
Update : six weeks later, we’re almost back to square one. I’ve made the mistake of feeding Beckie some other food besides the protein I was testing. At first it seemed to work, but then the itching was happening no matter what protein I was feeding and it just became a big, confusing mess.

Why was I doing that ? Well, my dogs are used to having healthy foods in tiny amount (apples, bananas, yogurt, strawberries...) and also they have get a healthy dog treat at noon and 6 pm every day. And Beckie is very, very demanding of her food. She will torment you until she gets it. So I was trying to find ways to keep up with her routine so she would be happy. But you can’t do an elimination diet this way; it just won’t work. I’ve had to empty her glands three times in the past 10-12 days, maybe from me trying different treats less likely to trigger her allergies. I’ll never know.

So I basically wasted six weeks... Not entirely, at least I know chicken and beef don’t work. That I’m sure about.

Since yesterday I’ve only been feeding the one protein food. She doesn’t understand why she’s not getting her usual food. It breaks my heart but I don’t have a choice if we want to succeed.
 
#37 ·
When Poppy was strictly on the sensitivity canned food I made crunchy treats by baking tiny bits. Perhaps you could try something similar? Baking to a soft chewy consistency, then drying half till they were very crispy gave me three different consistencies, which convinced Poppy she was still getting a whole range of different foods. I made the treats very tiny, using a silicon fat draining mat, so she could have lots of them every day. They don't take long, and each baking makes around 800, so they go a long way.
 
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#38 ·
When Poppy was strictly on the sensitivity canned food I made crunchy treats by baking tiny bits. Perhaps you could try something similar?
I wonder how pure raw meat would turn ? I have to admit also that I am miserable feeding raw and this would just feel like another chore.

Beckie has been two days strictly on rabbit meat. She looks miserable all day long. She wants her apple, her babana, her yogurt. I feel her pain. I truly hate this way of feeding and I have decided it’s not for me. If I were convinced Beckie is 100% healthy on it, maybe. But she still has reflux and I am not convinced this is the best way to feed a dog. Too much proteins. They are omnivores, not carnivores.

Anyways, I have to keep doing it for at many more weeks, until I come to a definite conclusion. Right now, after those 2 days without anything else but her meat, the licking seems to be diminishing. She still does it at bedtime though. And those reflux. Even Merlin has them and he doesn’t have any gastric or liver problems.

Once I know for sure what proteins she can have, I will find the best low fat kibble possible, and I will top it with raw meat. This way she can have the best of both worlds. Before they used to say you couldn’t feed kibble with raw because it wasn’t digested the same way, but now it’s said to be untrue.

I found Rayne that made low fat, single protein kibble, but since they moved their plant from Australia to the USA, customers are complaining big time about the quality. Still looking, if anyone knows of a company. It’s very hard to find a low fat, single protein kibble.
 
#39 ·
Is there any reason it has to be raw? I personally would find a large crock pot of dog food prepared once and then frozen for weeks more convenient. And i would much rather feed rabbit cooked tidbits as treats than raw!!!

This website has some interesting recipes that are more nutritionally balanced:

I know a lot of dogs do very well on raw and high protein, and a lot of dogs do better on lower protein.

I am a fan of natural balance for Limited ingredient lower protein foods. They tend to be one protein, one or two grain sources which is really nice. Natures variety also had decent LID foods (inclusing a rabbit recipe) but i havent looked in years.
 
#40 ·
Is there any reason it has to be raw? I personally would find a large crock pot of dog food prepared once and then frozen for weeks more convenient. And i would much rather feed rabbit cooked tidbits as treats than raw!!!
I can’t cook for my dogs. I have to find something all prepared. I hate raw with a passion. I’m using it because it’s the only way for now to feed only one ingredient. Anything else would have carbs, grains, legumes or others.
 
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