Have you ruled out environmental allergies? Have you tried a limited-ingredient homemade diet?
I've heard good things about Nutriscan, and I am a big fan of Dr Dodds. I haven't tried it though.
I haven't posted here in a number of years, and our younger dog, Lilly, is now 4. She has pretty bad issues with itching, especially on her paws, and will lick and chew them to the point where she is almost hyperventilating. She also struggles with ear fungus, and we have to use Surolan in her ears a lot. We have tried a lot of different dog foods, and have tried eliminating a number of foods from her diet (she's currently on a grain-free venison based food), but we have never found anything that keeps her from itching. She has been on Apoquel for quite a while now, and it is expensive and, from some things we read on the internet, potentially not good for her to keep her on the Apoquel indefinitely. What we would really like is to figure out what she is reacting to, so we can see if we can avoid what is causing the itching rather than treating the symptoms. Does anyone know if Nutriscan really works for this? If not, is there some other way to determine what is causing her to react?
Have you ruled out environmental allergies? Have you tried a limited-ingredient homemade diet?
I've heard good things about Nutriscan, and I am a big fan of Dr Dodds. I haven't tried it though.
Cookie Black Snowflake
July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.
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I did the Nutriscan test on Oban. It showed some food intolerances that were a surprise to me and NO WAY am I going to risk seeing if the test results were correct by feeding one of those foods. One of the foods was his elimination diet food of turkey. Not really a surprise as he ate little besides turkey for nearly three months. He did not show an intolerance to eggs, chicken or duck.
Elimination food trials really work best if you feed nothing but a novel protein and carb for a few months. For us those were boiled turkey and baked sweet potato, 60/40 as per the Holistic/INtegrative Vet we switched to when western meds were not working.
It sounds like you are heading down the same path we travelled. Some Vets now believe issues like itching are rooted in the gut. LOng story short that does seem to be the case with Oban, who became deathly ill four years ago and was diagnosed with Lymphangiectasia. Gut issues are resolved and no itching since.
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Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
Oxtongue Rapids Park. Oct. 2019 Hidden Content
I attended a seminar with Dr. Jean Dodds last year. If I had a dog with dietary or allergy issues, I think I would try it.
Jen
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We have not really considered environmental allergies, as the vet seems to think it is likely a food intollerance, but we are open to the possibility that it could be environmental. We have tried eliminating various foods, but really haven't been able to find anything that works for her. I am thinking we may talk to our vet about trying Nutriscan, and then try a diet based on the results of that. I would really like to get her off the Apoquel.
My dog, Harper, will be 3 in August. It seemed she was itchy from the minute we brought her home. We switched her off the chicken Pro Plan she was on as a pup and tried grain-free foods, without any relief. I was so frustrated and finally did the Nutriscan when she was about 1. It came back that she’s sensitive/reactive to lentils and millet, which includes peas and pea fiber! Who would have guessed? And these days pea protein is in everything—check any dog food label. It’s one of the cheap protein sources many manufacturers use in kibble, treats, you name it—especially the grain-free varieties. After reading labels for weeks, I finally found Natural Balance Lamb and Brown Rice kibble that had no pea protein. I fed her that for a while but shortly after decided to go raw.
I never would have guessed lentils, millet, and peas were the problem, so I personally think the testing is useful. Good luck.
Beth C (06-24-2018)
I would love to do this for my little maltese mix, but $298 - wow! I sure hope our new lab puppy we're getting in July doesn't have issues.
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Castilleja's Dubhgall Oban, the Black Stranger of The Little Bay
Oct. 15, 2007 - June 13, 2021
Oxtongue Rapids Park. Oct. 2019 Hidden Content
Yes! That's a lot of money. Order NutriScan
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