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  1. #1
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Nutriscan Saliva Test for Food Allergies

    NutriScan Food Sensitivity and Intolerance Test for Cats and Dogs

    Anybody done this test? The new saliva test for food allergies/intolerance? Someone made a thread about it here a while ago but nothing is coming up when I search. Maybe it was BC.

    Holistic Vet has suggested this in light of Oban's unanticipated and sudden surge in itchiness. Perhaps he now has food allergies? We've been pretty sure his allergies are seasonal, environmental since he has been fine in winter no matter what his food. As per my readings though, allergies typically worsen as the years go by and the animal begins to react to more things. There are testimonials on the site and I've relied on Dr. Dodds before (at the suggestion of this board - that was on titre tests) but if someone here has a report I would just feel more like it's someone I know than a stranger.

  2. #2
    Best Friend Retriever Sue's Avatar
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    Nancy it sounds like she's suspecting a food sensitivity, as opposed to an allergy. With Oban's gastrointestinal issues, he's very prone to have had leaky gut syndrome.


    From Dogs Naturally Magazine: Canine Allergies: A New Look | Dogs Naturally Magazine

    If the bad bacteria in the gut are left in check, it can lead to a condition called Leaky Gut Syndrome. Young dogs are more susceptible to this condition, as are dogs fed dairy products. In this condition, the intestinal barrier can become compromised and the permeability is increased. Small openings can develop in the lining of the intestine, which allow large molecules of undigested or incompletely digested foods to enter the bloodstream.


    The liver is the main organ inside the body whose function is to process substances which are “foreign” to the body and to make them “friendly”. If the quantity of incompletely digested foods which enters the bloodstream is too great for the liver to clear almost immediately, the immune system then recognizes these molecules as being foreign to the body and produces antibodies against them. When the food is eaten again and again and passes into the bloodstream undigested or only partially digested, the antibodies bind with the food. These antibody-food complexes can travel through the bloodstream to any part of the body where they then cause problems. The allergy and immune systems will continue unchecked.
    More:
    Canine Allergies and Your Dog's Health - Whole Dog Journal Article

    It's the main reason why it's best to feed a hamburger and rice diet when the dog is suffering from intestinal issues, as opposed to feeding chicken, which may lead to sensitivities later on. Most dog food is chicken based, very few are beef based, so you're better off giving something to eat that won't be recognized as an allergen when the dog recovers.
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    “It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are.”

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  3. #3
    Senior Dog shellbell's Avatar
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    Just wanted to add that my holistic vet actually has Tux on a supplement for his allergies, that provides liver support. For the reasons mentioned above, the liver plays a vital role in allergy symptoms. He is on Antronex by Standard Process, if you want to look into that. I can actually order it online without going to my vet if I need to. It helps.

  4. #4
    Puppy Jazzypad1's Avatar
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    Yes I had a Nutriscan test (both food panels) done on my boy just a few weeks back.

    Previously we had Idexx allergy tests run (blood) for environmental allergies and for food sensitivities (a couple of years ago). These showed him to have no outdoor allergies but a number of indoor environmental allergies.

    The food tests showed him to have allergies to most protein sources as well as corn and rice - so finding an appropriate diet has been difficult. While blood tests are usually accurate for environmental issues - there is some controversy as to the accuracy of blood tests for reactions to food - which is why Dr. Dodds came up with the saliva test (and which is believed to be more accurate)

    Despite changing his diet after the blood tests, he continued to have issues so I recently decided to try the Nutriscan test. This came up with a totally different set of results! The test showed no reaction to all the foods that had been previously listed as problematic in the Idexx test. Indeed Dr. Dodds recommended excluding just lentils and peas from his diet.

    So we are now looking at hopefully gradually re-introducing some of the foods that have been omitted from his diet over the past couple of years.

  5. #5
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Wow, it must have cost you a fortune to mail the sample to the US from the UK in the two day time frame they want. Seems you might be only a stage or two ahead of us. We are re-introducing foods as well, very slowly. I try a food and wait two days before trying another so I can thoroughly check poop output in between.

    Shellbell, I remember you posting about Antronex before and I looked it up a couple of years ago. Right now I am only doing what the Vet suggests, I'm afraid to anything on my own right now.

    Sue, you may recall when this all began with diarrhoea I did try the cooked rice and hamburger and it did nothing. Flagyl did nothing, Prednisone did nothing and there are a couple of other nothings in there too. This Vet is not keen on rice and hamburger, particularly the rice which she says tends to produce gas. She has Oban eating ground turkey and sweet potato, both well cooked. It was actually me who mentionned the saliva test to her and now, after a surging of itchies, she's wanting to give it a try. She has suggested it to other dogs. Meanwhile, it may be wishful thinking clouding my view, but it's quite cool here now, only 8C for the past three mornings, and I think Oban is not as itchy.

  6. #6
    Real Retriever 3ChocMom's Avatar
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    I just had this conversation with my holistic vet on Thursday during Brandy's appointment. I brought a print out of the test I posted here several weeks ago (not Nutriscan, it's done by Glacier Peak Holistics) because I wanted to get her opinion on it before I spend the $80. She told me she hasn't heard of the Glacier Peak test, but she has done the Nutriscan test on her own dog and his results were that he had sensitivities to almost everything they tested for. She said she didn't know what she could feed her dog when she saw the results! She also told me that she recommended it to a friend of hers, who did the test, and that one came back positive for almost everything too. It made her start to wonder about it because she didn't know how both dogs could be sensitive to just about everything.

    That said, she also has a lot of respect for Jean Dodds and she told me Dr. Dodds swears the saliva is more accurate for assessing sensitivities. Since the Nutriscan test is only for food and we don't think Brandy's issues are food related, she told me to go for it and see what the Glacier Peak test says.

 



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