So we have a three-year-old Lab-Dane mix who's super sensitive to just about everything, it seems. When we first got him we went through a sea of foods (trying each for about six weeks) before we finally found a food where he wasn't itching all the time, had firm poops, wasn't flaking dandruff everywhere, and didn't stink to high heaven (from both ends!) For about eight months, it's been wonderful.....and now we suddenly have an allergic dog again.

At this point, I'm wondering whether we should be back on the food switching wagon, trying to ferret out the problem with actual allergy testing, or looking to environmental causes outside of the food. (We've always assumed food was the primary issue given the GI involvement and that switching foods did have pretty immediate results in skin and smell, but of course he could have a bunch of other allergies as well.) His current symptoms are incessant licking of his front paws, increased dandruff, very noxious gas, and soft stool. (He also needed his anal glands expressed for the first time ever recently, though this may be connected to the stool issues....) He also seems to have lost his sense of smell (??? if that's even possible? He can no longer find treats on the floor if he hasn't seen them fall---he used to be able to sniff them out quite quickly on command.)

He's been on California Natural Lamb & Rice for a number of months and has done well on it up till now, so I'm not sure whether to assume he's just developed an issue with the food after a honeymoon period, or if I should leave the food alone and look for environmental causes, as it is allergy season here. Would seasonal allergies have the same gas/stool manifestations as a food allergy?

Any thoughts from those of you with allergic dogs would be very welcome, especially if you've tried formal elimination diets or testing with your vets. Thanks!

Hi Oakdog! and welcome.

Here are a few suggestions:

If your dog hasn't been eating anything except his kibble (ie. sticks, rabbit poop, rawhide etc.) then you should start with a good fecal analysis.

If the fecal analysis doesn't show anything then a good physical exam should be done with attention given to his digestion issues. Your vet might suggest a prescription diet (for a while) to see if his symptoms go away. I recommend that you try this. If his symptoms go away on this prescription diet then you might want to try another Limited Ingredient Diet, Natural Balance makes several.

You can sign up for pollen alerts here (http://www.pollen.com/alert.asp). Pollen.com will email you (only) when allergens in your area are high and let you know what they are. If you're sharp (and lucky) you may see a pattern with your dogs symptoms and certain pollens so you can arm him with an anti-histamine (or wipe him off) and see if it helps, maybe it's seasonal. Wiping your dog off with a damp washcloth will really help get rid of pollens when he comes in.

Other than that, you might consider seeing a veterinary dermatologist.

Good Luck

Oh....I have one more suggestion.

If he's blowing his coat he will be more itchy, brush regularly.

If you want to bathe him use HyLyte (http://www.amazon.com/dvm-pharmaceuticals-HyLyt-Shampoo-12/dp/B0002YFQEE)shampoo, a link is provided so you can read the reviews, it's made by DVM Pharmaceuticals, your vet may have it or you can order it online if one of your major pet stores doesn't carry it.

Product Description: "A soap-free hypoallergenic moisturizing shampoo with natural moisturizing factors and essential fatty acids. Acid balanced and gentle for routine shampooing of normal, sensitive or dry skin. Directions: Apply shampoo to wet coat, lather well into coat, and rinse well. "

This shampoo is great, it isn't highly scented and your dog won't have a wet doggie smell after using it. You can use it often if you need to, it doesn't dry out the skin and helps correct the natural skin barrier.

Ok, I'm back with yet another post. You're getting your money's worth tonight, lol.

I saw in another thread that you give veggies to your dog. I would suggest that you stop doing this, this may be contributing to a soft stool, inflammation and poor absorption of nutrients. If your dog should have an irritable bowel then you will want to feed him a soluble fiber (not in-soluble).

So we have a three-year-old Lab-Dane mix who's super sensitive to just about everything, it seems. When we first got him we went through a sea of foods (trying each for about six weeks) before we finally found a food where he wasn't itching all the time, had firm poops, wasn't flaking dandruff everywhere, and didn't stink to high heaven (from both ends!) For about eight months, it's been wonderful.....and now we suddenly have an allergic dog again.

At this point, I'm wondering whether we should be back on the food switching wagon, trying to ferret out the problem with actual allergy testing, or looking to environmental causes outside of the food. (We've always assumed food was the primary issue given the GI involvement and that switching foods did have pretty immediate results in skin and smell, but of course he could have a bunch of other allergies as well.) His current symptoms are incessant licking of his front paws, increased dandruff, very noxious gas, and soft stool. (He also needed his anal glands expressed for the first time ever recently, though this may be connected to the stool issues....) He also seems to have lost his sense of smell (??? if that's even possible? He can no longer find treats on the floor if he hasn't seen them fall---he used to be able to sniff them out quite quickly on command.)

He's been on California Natural Lamb & Rice for a number of months and has done well on it up till now, so I'm not sure whether to assume he's just developed an issue with the food after a honeymoon period, or if I should leave the food alone and look for environmental causes, as it is allergy season here. Would seasonal allergies have the same gas/stool manifestations as a food allergy?

Any thoughts from those of you with allergic dogs would be very welcome, especially if you've tried formal elimination diets or testing with your vets. Thanks!

Your dog is showing multiple symptoms of yeast/fungus issues, and the food, depending on the grains, corn, rice, etc., are feeding these organisms.

Check the following post for more information:

http://www.lab-retriever.net/board/breakdown-t7320744.html?p=1964031941

Thanks for all of the suggestions! We can definitely try stopping the veggies, though we actually started that in the first place at the vet's suggestion because of the food issues, and he'd been doing quite well on the CN L&R supplemented with yogurt and veggies over the last 8-9 months. (Not sure the vet has any idea what she's talking about on this, though, as we've had mixed experiences with her!) We haven't changed anything feeding-wise beyond starting a new bag of food (but again, same food as always)---the paw licking just suddenly started up again two or three weeks ago, followed in short order by the gas and dandruff and anal gland issues. I've tried to trace it to some sort of turning point without much luck, though we do have a yard full of trees that have been in bloom for about a month, so if it's environmental there are certainly several prime contenders.

It may be time to try a prescription diet and just see what we learn from that.....our vet has also suggested Benadryl in the past, though I've never tried it, so maybe I'll give that a go as well and just see what the results are. (One of the downsides of his allergies being active is that he's clearly congested, so he's started snoring like nobody's ever heard....obviously not a big concern relative to the other effects, but definitely one that's hard to forget about! ;)

Thanks for the help!

Thanks pinballdoctor---our vet had actually flagged grains early on with him after several bad food experiences, which is how he wound up on the CN Lamb & Rice (the informal "potential" grains that he seemed to be having problems with were corn, wheat, and either barley or flaxseed---never figured out conclusively which of the two so we just avoid both). Is it possible that he would also have developed the same issue with rice? Is it worth trying a grain-free food in that case, or is a prescription diet the way to go in that scenario to trace the problem?

I would suggest doing a serious food elimination diet (a vet directed strict diet--we used a prescription venison/sweet potato kibble, I think)- atleast to pin point whether the allergies are food related or not. That was the first step we took with Scooby's allergies (which btw started to flare up about the time he was 3). It makes no sense to fiddle with food if it has nothing to do with the symptoms. We then followed up with a blood test which identified all sorts of environmental issues (grass, pollen, some trees etc). Once we determined that it was environmental, we tried all sorts of treatments until we settled into our current regimen of meds (cyclosporin/ketoconizol). Without the meds, Scooby probably would have had to be put down--(Scooby's the one of the 2 worst allergy case my vet has seen in over 25 yrs).

I suggest you enlist the help of a holistic vet. Traditional treatments did not help my severely allergic dog. The holistic vet made a huge difference in her quality of life. She was treated with acupuncture, homeopaths, elimination diet, and NuPro (supplement, see other post in this section). Eventually, she was weaned to a single protien source dry dog food and enjoyed many years relatively symptom free.

Thanks pinballdoctor---our vet had actually flagged grains early on with him after several bad food experiences, which is how he wound up on the CN Lamb & Rice (the informal "potential" grains that he seemed to be having problems with were corn, wheat, and either barley or flaxseed---never figured out conclusively which of the two so we just avoid both). Is it possible that he would also have developed the same issue with rice? Is it worth trying a grain-free food in that case, or is a prescription diet the way to go in that scenario to trace the problem?

Rice is also a grain, is stored in silos and warehouses, and like all other grains is likely contaminated with mold and fungus. Once this fungus gets into the body, it feeds on grains, and simple carbs, and is fueled by steroids and antibiotics. Fungus problems are severely misdiagnosed, and is becomming an epidemic. If this fungus is not killed, it will eventually kill the host.

To make matters worse, most vets are unaware of this.

I would suggest doing a serious food elimination diet (a vet directed strict diet--we used a prescription venison/sweet potato kibble, I think)- atleast to pin point whether the allergies are food related or not. That was the first step we took with Scooby's allergies (which btw started to flare up about the time he was 3). It makes no sense to fiddle with food if it has nothing to do with the symptoms. We then followed up with a blood test which identified all sorts of environmental issues (grass, pollen, some trees etc). Once we determined that it was environmental, we tried all sorts of treatments until we settled into our current regimen of meds (cyclosporin/ketoconizol). Without the meds, Scooby probably would have had to be put down--(Scooby's the one of the 2 worst allergy case my vet has seen in over 25 yrs).

I wonder how much was caused by allergies and how much was caused by fungal problems. It looks like the meds are working according to your post, however, the ketoconizol is an antifungal. I find that interesting.

I'm not sure what the purpose of the Cyclosporin is, but I know that it does affect the immune system in ways that weaken it. Again, I find that interesting..

I suggest you enlist the help of a holistic vet. Traditional treatments did not help my severely allergic dog. The holistic vet made a huge difference in her quality of life. She was treated with acupuncture, homeopaths, elimination diet, and NuPro (supplement, see other post in this section). Eventually, she was weaned to a single protien source dry dog food and enjoyed many years relatively symptom free.

Good advice, as usual.

If you don't mind me asking, what were the symptoms?

Good advice, as usual.

If you don't mind me asking, what were the symptoms?

Itching, sparse coat, weight gain, hyperactivity, ear infections, lick sores, allergic reaction to sutures used in spay ... ended up in a full blown infection ... irritability. She was a puppy from h*ll until her hypothyroid was diagnosed. Once on Soloxine her temperment evened out.

Tried traditional methods until she was about 2 ... she got worse. Got her to the holistic vet ... detoxed her (that was NOT fun) ... she lived for 4.5 really great years until a fungal, yes fungal infection went systemic. She was allergic to the meds ... treatment was worse than the disease in this case. We lost her at 7 years old.

3colors, your profile notes that you're in California---any chance it's the Northern California, and if so, do you have any recommendations for holistic vets? We have two that I know of in my city (Oakland) but I know very little about them, except that one is technically a branch practice of a traditional vet hospital (so maybe that's the way to go as we ferret this out). But it might be worth it to go farther afield for someone especially good.

Pinballdoctor, what would the typical treatments for yeast/fungus be, beyond a food switch?

Thanks all!

3colors, your profile notes that you're in California---any chance it's the Northern California, and if so, do you have any recommendations for holistic vets?

SoCal ... but I took my dog to the Limehouse's ... perhaps they could provide you with a referral. http://www.limehousevet.com/

I wonder how much was caused by allergies and how much was caused by fungal problems. It looks like the meds are working according to your post, however, the ketoconizol is an antifungal. I find that interesting.

I'm not sure what the purpose of the Cyclosporin is, but I know that it does affect the immune system in ways that weaken it. Again, I find that interesting..

Cyclosporin is an immunosupressant. It's the stuff organ transplant patients take so that they don't reject the transplanted organs. For some reason, ketoconizol enhances the effectiveness of the cyclo which allows the patients to take lower dosages. As far as I know, it doesn't have anything to do with the presence of fungus. --we're talking human medicine here.

Anyway, it's been shown that this regimen works well to control allergic reactions in dogs as well. cyclo is now marketed as Atopica designed for dogs. But stupidly, it's more expensive buying the doggie version, so I just get the generic cyclo from the pharmacy. The keto also helps because keto is much less expensive than cyclo, so reducing the dosage of cyclo also saves money.

Itching, sparse coat, weight gain, hyperactivity, ear infections, lick sores, allergic reaction to sutures used in spay ... ended up in a full blown infection ... irritability. She was a puppy from h*ll until her hypothyroid was diagnosed. Once on Soloxine her temperment evened out.

Tried traditional methods until she was about 2 ... she got worse. Got her to the holistic vet ... detoxed her (that was NOT fun) ... she lived for 4.5 really great years until a fungal, yes fungal infection went systemic. She was allergic to the meds ... treatment was worse than the disease in this case. We lost her at 7 years old.

Thanks for the information and I'm sorry for your loss.

(I have a personal war against fungus)

Itching, sparse coat, weight gain, hyperactivity, ear infections, lick sores, allergic reaction to sutures used in spay ... ended up in a full blown infection ... irritability. She was a puppy from h*ll until her hypothyroid was diagnosed. Once on Soloxine her temperment evened out.

Tried traditional methods until she was about 2 ... she got worse. Got her to the holistic vet ... detoxed her (that was NOT fun) ... she lived for 4.5 really great years until a fungal, yes fungal infection went systemic. She was allergic to the meds ... treatment was worse than the disease in this case. We lost her at 7 years old.
My sister and I met Jo-Anne's Maggie a few months before she died. Maggie was a very sweet girl. It was so sad to watch her suffering from her fungal infection. I know for 100% that Jo-Anne and her family did all they could for Maggie. It was from Maggie that I learned that systemic fungal infections are very vicious.

To the OP, welcome to the board.
I agree, seek out the advice of a Board Certified Holistic vet, you won't be sorry that you did. Our Zoe had some bad allergies when she was a pup, but once we went "holistic" with her, she greatly improved, and is thriving today. There are no instant cures/relief with holistic treatments (neither are there with traditional ones), but with time and effort, your dog will improve.

Best wishes to you.

3colors, your profile notes that you're in California---any chance it's the Northern California, and if so, do you have any recommendations for holistic vets? We have two that I know of in my city (Oakland) but I know very little about them, except that one is technically a branch practice of a traditional vet hospital (so maybe that's the way to go as we ferret this out). But it might be worth it to go farther afield for someone especially good.

Pinballdoctor, what would the typical treatments for yeast/fungus be, beyond a food switch?

Thanks all!

The first step is to find a vet who actually understands mycology, and that won't be easy. Most vets aren't taught about yeast and fungus, if they were, they wouldn't use antibiotics so much.

Once you find a good vet, tell him/her you want your dog put on Nystatin and/or the genaric version of Diflucan for 3 months. (if the dog has been showing symptoms for a long time, then its one month of antifungal drugs for each year of age) Don't allow the vet to use Ketoconazole. The side effects are too harsh. Nystatin and Diflucan are quite safe because very little of the drug is absorbed in the intestines, although these were developed for human use.

Then eliminate all sugars, grains, and simple carbs from the diet. Rice and corn are also grains, and no peanut butter either, because peanuts are always contaminated with mold/fungus.

During these 3 months, no steroids, no vaccines, and no antibiotics. Instead, a good quality probiotic given daily. Raw meat is best, but should be organic so it doesn't contain antibiotics or vaccines. And also some raw veggies, organic as well, because they are natural antifungals.

Exterior symptoms, such as open sores can be cleaned using 10 ppm colloidal silver and sprays that contain strong natural antifungals such as:

http://www.seagateproducts.com/olive-leaf-nasal-spray.html

The spray above should be in everyones' medicine cabinet along with colloidal silver as they can be used on people and pets, and they work against bacteria and fungus better than anything else.

If the dog has a slight limp, or has been limping for awhile, and the vet says its arthritis, it is caused by a specific yeast (sacchromyes) produced mycotoxin, that ends up in the joints. This may be uric acid (the start of gout) and is very painfull. If nothing is done, the joint tissue will become damaged. The solution is to get some celery seed extract from any health food store, and give the dog 1 capsule in the morning and another at night for a week. Celery seed will neutralize the uric acid crystals caused by the fungus, and if caught in time, there won't be any damage done to the joint.

I have seen so many fungal issues over the years, both in humans and pets. Its gotten to the point that I interchange the words "allergy" with "fungus". In most cases, they are one and the same.

While I'm on the subject, fungi rob the body of magnesium and potassium. Calcium, which is alkaline, is leached from the bones and teeth in order to neutralize the metabolic acids, alcohols, and aldehydes from fungus. Fungi also produce large amounts of mycotoxins, that slowly erode the artery walls.

My sister and I met Jo-Anne's Maggie a few months before she died. Maggie was a very sweet girl. It was so sad to watch her suffering from her fungal infection. I know for 100% that Jo-Anne and her family did all they could for Maggie. It was from Maggie that I learned that systemic fungal infections are very vicious.

Lis, thank you. That means a lot coming from you. I still second guess myself to this day. The fungal infection was misdiagnosed twice by two different vets and then it was too late. I'm glad you got to meet Maggie. She was so special. I learned so much from her. I only wish she didn't suffer so much.

Thanks for the information and I'm sorry for your loss.

(I have a personal war against fungus)

Now you know why my ears perked up.

I have a lab with serious allergy issues. I have had her on Natural Balance potato and Duck since shortly after her rescue because that is the only thing she can tolerate. She does have environmental allergies as well but as pinball doc said I think the limited ingredeints in her diet halt a lot of the growth her env allergies would have if she were fed a different food. Once in a great while she has to take a allergy pill for a few days then she is fine. I also have an anti fungal shampoo I bath her in ONLY when environmetal season hits us. and she is fine. in fact (knock on wood) she has not had to tale a prednisone in quiet some time. Her food regime is a little out there but it works for her- in the am 1 &1/2 c of dry kibble in the pm 1 &1/2 c of dry kibble and to that I add 2 tablespoons plain white yogurt and 2 tablespoons canned food (same brand) only sweet potato and fish and a teaspoon of coconut oil. Since giving her the coconut oil I have noticed her coat is softer and when she is bothered by her allerigies it is not nearly as much as prior times w/out the coconut oil. I don't know but her vet says keep doing what I am doing cause she is happy and healthy.

Good advice. Just a thought : you say nothing has changed but opening a new bag of food. Did these allergies start up prior to opening that bag? If not it could be that batch of food - check the expiration date on the bag, smell the food.

A dog can develop an allergy at any age (so rice could be an issue for your dog now) and they can also out grow them. My Abbey went thru this with corn. Problem started at age 2. Many years (12+) later I had to feed a low phosphorous food that had corn in it and she never had a flair up in 1 1/2 years on the food.

Natural Balance potato and Duck since shortly after her rescue because that is the only thing she can tolerate.

This was the only food my allergy dog could eat. She also got yogurt and other supplements recommended by her holistic vet.

Just to throw this out there...have you changed brands of yogurt? Someone recently posted somewhere that they bought a new brand of yogurt, and it caused problems in their dog. Turned out they used corn starch to thicken the yogurt. And the dog couldn't eat corn!

Thanks all! Yes, I actually doublechecked the yogurt when I read that post---all clear on that front. A food issue definitely crossed my mind, though, especially since we've noticed in recent months that the CN L&R kibble looks a bit different than it used to---wondered if something subtle had changed.

At this point we're trying a last ditch effort transitioning to another CN formula (fish + potato as he's done well on fish foods in the past, though this version does have barley, a question mark for our dog....) so we'll see how that goes---only on day four, so too early to tell much. We're mostly just trying it out before getting ready to go grain-free or into all-out allergy elimination this summer if that fails, since jumping to the Natural Balance or grain-free where we get our food is a pretty substantial cost increase, even assuming we'll be feeding less. Also trying out a new vet, so I'll see how that goes.

If we actually figure any of it out, I'll post an update, though! Thanks so much for all of the help and advice, especially on the fungal front, which I'm hoping we'll be able to explore further with the new vet.

Oh....I have one more suggestion.

If he's blowing his coat he will be more itchy, brush regularly.

If you want to bathe him use HyLyte (http://www.amazon.com/dvm-pharmaceuticals-HyLyt-Shampoo-12/dp/B0002YFQEE)shampoo, a link is provided so you can read the reviews, it's made by DVM Pharmaceuticals, your vet may have it or you can order it online if one of your major pet stores doesn't carry it.

Product Description: "A soap-free hypoallergenic moisturizing shampoo with natural moisturizing factors and essential fatty acids. Acid balanced and gentle for routine shampooing of normal, sensitive or dry skin. Directions: Apply shampoo to wet coat, lather well into coat, and rinse well. "

This shampoo is great, it isn't highly scented and your dog won't have a wet doggie smell after using it. You can use it often if you need to, it doesn't dry out the skin and helps correct the natural skin barrier.

I looked up this shampoo so I could look at the ingredients, and this is what I got:

Important Information

Ingredients
Not Applicable


There is no way I will buy a product without knowing whats in it. Any chemicals that are put on the skin go through the pores and directly into the blood stream.