Possible dog allergy?

by Amelia

11-18

1-30-19

2-4-19

So my 7 yr old golden retriever was feed Acana Grasslands, then pork and squash and mixed in with Orijen freeze dried Regional Red.

He always had yeasty red inflamed ears that would come and go. I changed him over to the Real Meat Company - air dried beef formula, in August.

All ear problems are gone!

Then in November he developed a rash in his groin. I don't see him scratching, but he must be licking because it's scabby. It gets better but not 100%, then it starts up again. I am treating it with various products.

So now I'm thinking its either the rosemary or vegetable glycerin, which was never in his previous foods.

I switched to Ziwipeak, very similar food but no veg glycerin or rosemary. He has been on that since 1-28. The rash is still there, it gets better, then blotchy.

Is it the beef? I have purchased chicken but have not given it to him yet.

Not sure what to do at this point?

I have attached some pics which shows the rash, bad then good. This morning it looked good, a couple hours later some of the spots were red.

Not sure if he was licking or if the beef caused it. I also add in blueberries, blackberries, broccoli, carrots.

Any suggestions?? HELP IS NEEDED!

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Feb 13, 2019
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Dog's rash could be cleansing or product reaction
by: Sandra

Hi Amelia,

No worries about the hydrogen peroxide. It's very safe and gentle and doesn't sting. I would use it, not the shampoo.

I don't really think the rash is food related. Could be, but I don't think so. It might be a slight cleansing reaction, or even a reaction to something in a product you've been using. That's why I said just use the hydrogen peroxide only. That will eliminate any possibility of ingredient reactions...and continue with the Ziwi for long enough to monitor results.

I totally know what you mean about the cost of feeding 2 Goldens. Many, many years ago now, when I started back feeding my dogs raw, I had 4 big dogs. I practically needed to remortgage the house to feed them! LOL! Not so funny, actually!

There are some food upgrade tricks you can do to reduce your cost and boost nutrition for your dogs using foods you can find at the grocery store that are fairly cheap and easy to find and your dogs will love you even more than they do already.

Here are some upgrade food ideas on this page.

Beef heart, beef liver, beef kidney, chicken hearts, gizzards and livers are all available at the grocery store. You might have to ask someone in the meat department to get or save some for you. Canned sardines in water provide excellent nutrition, are cheap and a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids. Dogs love them. You could split a can between the two dogs.

Also, it would be worth your while to look for some frozen raw green tripe at some local pet supply stores. Even if they don't carry it, they can order it for you.

Those are a few suggestions Amelia...some homework for you. LOL! Just what you need...more work, eh?

Sandra

Feb 12, 2019
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dog allergy
by: Amelia

Hi Sandra

Thank you for your quick reply.

I was going to use hydrogen peroxide but wasn't sure if it would be ok for the groin area. I did purchase Benzoyl Peroxide Shampoo, which I read can be helpful as well.

I will stop the fruits and veggies and only give him the Ziwi. I find it strange, that if it is food related why the rash would effect his groin only and not his ears when he always had ear problems previously on kibble.

In reply to the other comments, I did consider raw. I did purchase Answers raw patties and gave them one box. Then I got nervous about pathogens and washed my hands a million times! I also, gave them Stella & Chewy's, added as a topper. I was trying to implement another protein, but chicken gave them the soft poops.

Also, all of the raw food bag sizes are VERY small. For 2 Golden Retrievers I would go through a bag a day! It would cost me $900 a month.

Believe me, I have researched for months trying to find a better food than kibble. That's why I started using an air dryed food from The Real Meat Company. He was ok from August to November and then the rash started. It may be unrelated to the food, but don't know at this time.

Feb 12, 2019
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Dog with rash that could be allergy related
by: Sandra

Hi Amelia,

Thanks for the pics. They show the rash very clearly.

Well, it's hard to point the finger at a cause, isn't it?

Since you seem to have had quite a few different foods on the go over the the last 6 months, why not just use the Ziwipeak now for the next few months to see what happens. Don't change it. Stop using the fruits. Just do one thing at a time for long enough, so that you can see what works for sure, and what doesn't. Otherwise you're just switching to this or that with no particular result.

In the mean time, while you're doing that, just clean the scabby rash twice a day with a bit of hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball, and see if you can get the pus-y rash to clear up and heal. Hydrogen peroxide is a good antibacterial and works very well for this sort of pus-y skin thing. The rash can't be bothering him that much, or you would have seen him licking it at some point, Although he probably IS licking it.

So to figure the whole thing out will be a process of elimination but you have to choose one food at a time, do it for long enough ( at least a couple of months ) to see an accurate result one way or the other, good or bad.

Hope that helps simplify. Contact me if you need more help.

Sandra

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