Let's See Your Dogs!!

That’s actually under my deck.

 

I've been lucky to be in the pet industry for more than 10 years. I think I can shed a little light at least on a couple of the points made on previous posts.
The reason vets push science diet is for 2 main reasons. First the parent company Hills produces the #1 prescription food in the world. This results in frequent visits by their representatives to vet practices. The second reason is that it is 1 of about 3 companies who's recipes are based on Science, developed around AAFCO standards (kinda like the FDA for pet food).
Next is the grain free argument. Many years ago Natural Balance developed the first grain free diet, specifically for dogs with grain sensitivity (realistically few and far between). Other brands saw this and wanted in on the new trend. Turns out when you remove grain, you also remove the amino acid taurine. The absence of this results in DCM mentioned above....or an enlargement of the heart. Dogs are omnivores and grain is an important part of their diet, as long as it isn't used a filler. Barley often increases gas in dogs so although not unhealthy, may be an important factor for some households.
The theory that chicken is the leading cause of allergies is not exactly accurate. Chicken is the most commonly used protein. With it being in most all foods, it is the common denominator for allergies. The reality is that chicken used in most dog food is nasty, moldy grossness Mold is acceptable in feed grade foods in the pet food industries (over 99% of pet foods are feed grade) because it is burned off in the cooking process. It however leaves behind a "micro bacteria" and this has been recently identified as the cause of most skin issues in dogs.
Since learning this I switched my pets to food made with human grade ingredients with grain. Although they cost more to buy they reduce vet expenses, and are more nutritionally dense meaning their portions are smaller so the bag lasts longer. Also results in less poop.
Last is those thay make their own food mixes. This can be great if research is done taking into account activity level, size, age, etc. Where most people go wrong is not including the stuff like organs, fat, and bones and using store bought meat which is primarily muscle (again omnivoresn so they get necessary nutrients from these sources. There are some great recipes online for those who have the time and space to store it.

 

I think you're providing the proof that poultry is the leading cause of skin allergies. At least as far as food is concerned

 

Yes and no. Not exactly the chicken, but the quality of the chicken used.

 

So it is the chicken. What you are saying is chicken supports the growth of bacteria not found in other protein sources.

 

I'm no expert in dogfood- or dogs. I give my dog chicken that i would eat. i think the chicken used in making kibble is probably quite different...
Now what i am saying is that i take some chicken drumsticks or thighs, crack the bone with a cleaver and simmer them in plain water. just water.

i give her the chicken meat and cooked blood that comes out of rhe marrow. i take out most of the fat and skin, and sometimes let her eat the cartilage on the bone while i am holding it, so she doesnt eat any bone.

i think this is healthy

 

The general rule of thumb is no bones because the bones become brittle when cooked. Idk much about raw diets other than many swear by them.

 

Kimo loves all kinds of fruit. I will sometimes get a banana with bagels and one day, the ladies said they'd get a better one but I explained I was gonna feed it to the dog. They demanded to watch. So, I took him to the door and feed him the banana and they were tickled

 

These two eat cabbage, seaweed, spinach, and many other veggies, as well as blueberries, bananas, apples...

 

fruits and veggies::

My dog loves frozen petite peas, frozen french beans, crisp (quick blanch) green beans and sugar snap peas, brocolli, spinach.

she also likes strawberries, mango and apple-pears.

 

All proteins grow mold, but with chicken being the most commonly used source of protein it will generally be viewed as the culprit. It is also purchased by the manufacturers in much larger quantities resulting in higher levels of mold.

 

Best practice to squish the blueberries. Their skin is so thick that I can pass through a dog's digestion tract undigested(especially for larger dogs who swallow them whole). First time I saw a whole one in my dog's poop freaked me out a bit until I figured out what it was. Now I pop them before feeding.

 

The big guy (Buckshot) chews the blueberries like there's no tomorrow... Peaches, the little girl is the one that swallows them whole, little stinker...

 

It might be the most used protein in dog food but that doesn't change the fact it is also the most likely to trigger allergies. There are also a lot of dogs that do well on chicken diets too. It's important not forget that.

I've found it hard to find information that isn't some blend of marketing and the truth. Like the food that admits dogs are omnivores but goes on to say meat is evil and produces a mostly vegetarian diet. Or the Farmer's Dog commercials that imply if you buy the box, fiddo will be a better dog. Even Hills brands are guilty of this. But the one thing most can agree on is the link between skin allergies and chicken.

 

My girls, um girl, will eat any fruit or veges except leafy greens. Bananas and frozen whole green beans are the favorite

 

My Lab has been licking his lips intermittently and some days a lot, for almost two years. I've changed over dog food types and the best so far seems to be Science Diet non prescription that works best. Sometimes I give him pepcid just to be able to sleep. The allergy test is expensive and hopefully will be able to get it done soon. But I feel bad for him Eliminating chicken and poultry ingredients in food and snacks seems to helped.

 

There are now at home allergy tests that can be purchased online or at some pet retailers but we've always done it by process of elimination. I think a probiotic may be worth a try for your dog to balance out the gut. I also can't preach enough about the overall difference human grade ingredients make.

 

You can get specialists to do skin tests and like you said, expensive and in the end, they’ll get some kind of diet change and possibly, medication. When I was investigating this for Riley, the vet recommended the food change which seemed to have the greatest effect. She also suggested Apoquel which relieves itching but does not require a daily dose. After a starter run, you start and stop as needed unlike prednisone or other steroidal remedy which is daily and does have long term effects. Apoquel is not without issues but they see”better”.