We have been contacted today by a desperate reader who has no internet access. She has two Newfoundlands, actually full brother and sister, but from different litters. Both suffer horribly with Atopic Dermatitis, mainly affecting their ears and eyes. Their ear-flaps are very red, they have sore, weepy eyes, and have lost the coat around their eyes. The male also has sores on his rear.
The vet suggested allergy testing, and they have tested allergic to beef, lamb, pork, dairy products and fish, and certainly the bitch to rice and chicken, and have an allergy score of 1 to dust mites. Their bedding is washed three times a week in a powder for allergy-sufferers. They are groomed daily and blasted with a dryer to remove any dander.
They do not actually have ear mites. They are treated monthly for fleas, but the last treatment with Stronghold appears to have exacerbated the symptoms.
This poor lady is looking for recommendations for a dry feed which excludes all of the above, and any suggestions for treatment of this distressing condition.
I can really sympathise with this dog owner. To have not one but two Newfies with atopic skin disease!
Since they have had skin tests, they must be under the care of a vet with an interest in dermatology. Having found that they are sensitive to various dietary proteins, he will be as keen to find a hypoallergenic diet for them as their owner. He should also be told about the apparent worsening of their condition after treatment with Stronghold.
This is one situation where I would strongly recommend contacting the treating veterinary surgeon who is best placed to advise how to proceed.
Alison Logan, vet
The vet suggested allergy testing, and they have tested allergic to beef, lamb, pork, dairy products and fish, and certainly the bitch to rice and chicken, and have an allergy score of 1 to dust mites. Their bedding is washed three times a week in a powder for allergy-sufferers. They are groomed daily and blasted with a dryer to remove any dander.
They do not actually have ear mites. They are treated monthly for fleas, but the last treatment with Stronghold appears to have exacerbated the symptoms.
This poor lady is looking for recommendations for a dry feed which excludes all of the above, and any suggestions for treatment of this distressing condition.
I can really sympathise with this dog owner. To have not one but two Newfies with atopic skin disease!
Since they have had skin tests, they must be under the care of a vet with an interest in dermatology. Having found that they are sensitive to various dietary proteins, he will be as keen to find a hypoallergenic diet for them as their owner. He should also be told about the apparent worsening of their condition after treatment with Stronghold.
This is one situation where I would strongly recommend contacting the treating veterinary surgeon who is best placed to advise how to proceed.
Alison Logan, vet
Food allergy usually results from eating a particular food for a very long time so it is unlikely that the dogs are allergic to all of those different foods. Allergy testing throws up both false negatives and false positives. If a problem arises on a food called "Chicken and Rice" it does not follow that the dog has a problem with chicken or rice; there may be a secondary ingredient causing the problem.
ReplyDeleteThe only reliable test is a feeding trial. This may mean trying several different foods for several weeks so there may not be an quick and easy answer.
Burns pet Nutrition has several brown rice-based foods, three maize-based foods and a Pork and Potato. Any or all of them may be suitable. Or perhaps one food will suit one of the dogs but not the other. You should not attempt this on your own, Burns has a nutrition team to provice help and support.
Lastly, and very important; -Check and empty the anal glands. this is very important in dogs with skin disorder, even if the glands themselves show no sign of a problem.
John Burns BVMS MRCVS
Burns Pet Nutrition
A friend of mine had similar problems and started to feed Purina HA. It is not the sort of food that either of us would normally feed but she had tried just about everything else. Her dog is doing very well on it and most of his hair has grown back.
ReplyDeleteOne of my dogs recently had a problem digesting his food. The same food was recommended by the vet and because of my friends experience I tried it and am absolutely amazed at the good results.
It is quite expensive (especially for such large dogs) is available from vets or perhaps someone could order from the internet for them.
Copper has a similar problem to the Newfoundlands and she had the allergy test, which came back as allergic to beef, lamb and pork, soya, oats, wheat, fish and eggs. My vet, like Mr Burns was very sceptical, but by eliminating all these things she became a completely different dog. I feed her Green Dog, but this is chicken and rice based so would only be any good to the one dog.
There are some foods that are now available with duck and potato and venison and potato. Perhaps a good pet shop would help them research this?
Below is a link to a duck and potato food
http://www.gjwtitmuss.co.uk/titmuss-dry-complete-dog-food/pid18164/cid638/titmuss-hypoallergenic-duck-and-potato-15ko.asp
and link to a venison and potato food which is made by Judges Choice so may be more readily available, however it does have some chicken fat listed but it is low down on the list of ingredients so will only be a very small amount and possibly may be tolerated.
http://www.judgeschoice.com/proddetail.php?prod=3VP
When looking for dog food always check the ingredients as very often they contain other meats and fish oils.
I found Crufts a great place for checking out dog food and the ingredients, you just have to keep an open mind and be strong when dealing with ‘the our food is the best’ type of salesmen.
I hope this helps and they can find something to help these dogs soon.
Michelle