Best food for possible allergies/itching??

[Monty Mumma]

Hi everyone,

Monty has been really itchy and irritated for the past few months and we haven't changed his diet at all, he is already on JWB lamb and rice which has no wheat or grains what so ever as we initially thought those ingredients were adding to his ear problems. 

His ears are all cleared up now we discovered it was a bacteria from stagnant water that had caused that but he often suffered with that horrible brown stuff in his lip fold which cleared up when we sorted his ears out but has now come back aaaaaah! Also he is wiping his bum along the carpet  (sorry to be so graphic) and generally nibbling, licking and scratching especially his paws and bum/around his tail.  He is up to date with wormers and flea/tick treatment and I cannot see any visable rashes etc.

I'm just wondering if anyone had any ideas or suggestions for a great food for dogs that suffer from allergies and irritation?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Karma]

The bum dragging, and nibbling of paws etc could be an anal gland problems... have you had that checked?

If not, try the JWB of a different flavour, in case it's the lamb that's the problem!!

[Nicola]

I would also get his anal glands checked, Tilly does similar things when hers need to be emptied (usually every 4 months or so). She is also prone to ear infections, they are treated with Canaural from the vet and I also use Cleanaural and Thornits regularly.

If he is intolerant to grains then the rice in the JWB lamb&rice may be causing him to react. I've seen a meat and vegetable variety of their food which is grain-free. I think it could be his glands though and some dogs are just prone to ear infections - a narrow ear canal can be a factor in this which is what Tilly has.

[Monty Mumma]

Sorry it is the lamb & veg i've got him on - typical I told the vet this aswell and he was like well erm rice is a grain grrrrr!! ok I got it wrong!

His ears are great now (touch wood) I don't know iwhy the lip thing is back again so frustrating.  He was on strong anti biotics the canaural did nothing it was way beyond that but now all I have to do is clean them out about every 2 - 3 weeks with cleanaural and put a little thornits in.

Ok, so I have just squeezed his anal glands and got the shock of my life - the brown yukky stuff shot out at about 100 miles an hour along with hard little white bits?? god I hope this isn't an infection is it? My god it stank to high heaven I was almost sick and I think Monty was as shocked as I was!

He went mad running around the house and up and down the stairs and has now settled down, poor thing sure his bum bum must feel better now?

[Helen]

I would get him fully allergy tested - he could have pollen allergies, grass allergies - anything...doesn't just have to be food.

As for the anal glands I would check with the vets, the white bits could well be infection but I'm not 100 percent sure 

[Harveypops]

Ok
 Where are the anal glands and should I be squeezing them too to check Harvey's are OK? 

please say no

[Nicola]

Ok
 Where are the anal glands and should I be squeezing them too to check Harvey's are OK? 

please say no

If he's showing signs of discomfort then yes - scooting, licking, biting, you notice a fishy smell etc. - but if not then you don't really need to. The easiest way is to put your fingers at the '10 to 2' position on either side of his bum. I stand Tilly in the bath, wear rubber gloves and have a huge bunch of kitchen roll in my hand

[Harveypops]

Oh my dog that does not sound fun. I'm happy to report neither of these sx are present. 
Do all dogs eventually need emptying?

[bajoleth]

My cavie had to have them emptied once, and boy am I glad it was only the once, she still smelt after 2 baths and the pong lingered in my nose for days

[Nicola]

Oh my dog that does not sound fun. I'm happy to report neither of these sx are present. 
Do all dogs eventually need emptying?

No, Alfie never did and Rodaidh never has. Poor Tills is just unlucky in that department!

[Harveypops]

Poor Tilly. 
Fingers crossed Harvey 

My cavie had to have them emptied once, and boy am I glad it was only the once, she still smelt after 2 baths and the pong lingered in my nose for days

Horrendous!  I really am not looking forward to this experience of dog ownership 

[elaine.e]

William was very itchy from June last year for a few months. He was doing a lot of licking, nibbling and scratching. His skin was dry and scurfy in places. The vet thought it might be a flea allergy at first, even though William didn't have fleas. But to be on the safe side we treated the house as well as William.

He had anal gland problems at the time and started a lip fold infection. He had his anal glands emptied a couple of times and I used Thornit powder to stop the lip fold infection before it really got a grip. I also started using Thornits as an ear cleaner on a regular basis.

I decided to change his diet and switched him from Arden Grange Light to Burns duck and rice, although that was partly because he put weight on with AG despite getting loads of exercise. I also restricted his treats to Burns Kelties and Fish4Dogs. I started bathing him once a fortnight with Coatex shampoo and did that over a 2 month period.

The itchiness and dry coat disappeared after a couple of months, but I still don't know why. I wondered if grass mites could have been the cause, but so far there's been no recurrence this year. I now wonder if it was at least partly diet related and if Arden Grange, which is a good food, was just too rich for him and the various types of treats had too much rubbish in them.

He now has Burns in the morning, Nature's Menu raw meat in the evening and a couple of raw chicken wings once a week. I'm still careful about the types of treats that I use, but he has a few with wheat in them and seems OK. His anal glands are fine and so is his skin.

If the problem hadn't resolved or had come back this year I would have gone for allergy testing. I think William definitely has a slightly delicate or sensitive digestion. Maybe Monty is similar. Does he have processed treats or anything like pigs ears? William definitely can't cope with things like that.

[mum2milly]

OK
 Where are the anal glands and should I be squeezing them too to check Harvey's are OK? 

please say no

I had to have Milly's done once, and the vet said to me that its something I could do at home...........if feeling brave enough! 
She told me to do it internally, fingers at ten to two, then "milk" the gland toward the anus - (ie sweep not apply direct pressure.
She said she thought I wouldn't mind doing it cos she knows what I do for a job! 

Hmmmmm..........not tried it yet. 

Jo & Milly xx

[lindseyp]

My vet offered to show me how to empty Purdeys glands but nooooooo......thought I'd leave that to him 

We had Purdey allergy tested as she had symptoms similar to what you're describing in Monty. She can have Turkey,(game birds & rabbit!) fish, rice & dairy products ......all other meats, potato, wheat & soya are a no no & house & storage mites too. The list is endless really & can be very difficult to pinpoint the allergen responsible (if that is what Monty problem turns out to be?) by yourself. She is now on Burns Fish & brown rice (with permitted added extras  ) & is fine on it. It suits Purdey as she is a little on the 'portly side' but may not suit all.

Can I just ask (nosey or what  ) does Monty have a docked tail? Purdey has problems & has a docked tail but my other two have tails & have never had a problem. My vet said, that although there's not stats. dogs with docked tails seem to have more problems in this department than those with tails ?

[Jay06]

Bailey has some skin problems and I changed him from Burns to Arden Grange sensitive ( i think it's white fish & potato) This seems to have done the trick for him