Holistic for Dogs!

Posts Tagged ‘dog allergies’

A dog’s coat is a dip stick for its health.  A dull, shedding, flaky coat can be a symptom of poor nutrition or caused by an undiagnosed disease.  Allergies can also cause itching skin and bald spots.  Visually assessing the coat is a valuable tool in measuring the holistic health of the dog.

The first factor to consider in a dog with a poor coat is its diet.  Every dog is different and a food that is a perfect fit for one dog may not supply everything that another dog needs exactly.  While feeding a dog the commercial dog food equivalent of Mcdonalds keeps them full and provides the major macronutrients a dog needs, it may not supply all of the additional vitamins and minerals a dog needs to thrive.  It also may not provide the proper balance of nutrients a dog needs.  Upgrading the food of the dog may help to improve the coat of the dog and also its holistic health.

A supplement that frequently works wonders on a dog with dry skin and coat is fish oil.  Fish oil supplements from the local health food store work well.  It usually comes in gel capsules that can easily be emptied over the dog’s food.  The additional fatty acids help to lubricate the dog’s coat for improved luster.  Sardines packed in water are also an excellent source of fish oil to add to a meal.

There are also herbal supplements that can improve the coat from within.  Oregon grape is one herb that is often used to improve skin or there are different herbal supplements that can be purchased.

Food allergies and environmental allergies can cause dry skin, itching and baldness.  The most common symptom of food allergies is generalized itching.  Itching can become severe enough that the dog creates open cuts on its skin.  Obviously this causes hair loss.  The skin can also become crusty  and flake.  The prevalence of more severe allergies occurs in certain breeds, like French bull dogs.    Food allergies can be conquered through testing or pinpointing allergens.

When the diet of a dog is judged to be sufficient but the dry, flaky coat persists, this can be a sign of an underlying disease.   Endocrine disfunction like hypothyroidism or cushing’s disease can manifest as a poor coat.  Other symptoms of disease in conjunction with the coat merits testing.  A veterinarian can test for thyroid function and this can be treated with herbs in mild cases.  If the herbs prove to be ineffective, the synthetic hormone thyroxine may be prescribed.  While I am an advocate of natural remedies and healthy lifestyle choices for disease prevention, thyroid hormone may be necessary for a dog with an endocrine disorder to live a  happy, healthy life.  Often this type of disorder is caused by the body having destroyed thyroid tissue due to an autoimmune response.  The body may have a very limited margin to heal naturally in cases like this.  Symptoms often resolve quickly following hormonal therapy.

A healthy coat not only signifies a healthy dog but it also reduces the need for vacuuming!  A healthy coat will shed less than a dry, itchy coat.  Any dog would be eternally grateful for relieving that insufferable itch.

Technorati Tags: dog allergies, dog nutrition, food allergies, Herbs for dogs, shedding, thyroid disease

I’ve been feeding my dogs a lot of raw meats for the last few weeks.  Since then the itchy has really gone down.  There is a lot less licking and scratching in my house.   My dogs have no red itchy spots on their skin and it’s quite a relief!   Overall, I’d consider my raw meat home cooking has resolved the initial dog allergy problem in my house.

So after feeding almost exclusively raw meat, I’ve added back potatoes to their meals.  And also veggies.  So the average dog meal consists of one boiled potato, a bunch of peas or green beans, and some raw meat.   After boiling the potato, it is mashed with some added water to make butter-free mashed potatoes.  Then the veggies are added at about equal parts.

To be honest, the only raw meats I’ve been feeding have been beef, chicken, and some organ meats.  Raw meat still makes me nervous with the chances for disease but I haven’t had any problems.  As a precaution, I freeze all of the meats prior to feeding.  I do not know if this has been proven scientifically but many raw feeders suggest freezing at some point in the preparation process.   Raw pork or game meats have a trichinosis risk and should either be frozen properly or cooked.

I’ve had the most success with cutting the meat up into small pieces or else the dogs run away and eat it on the couch, blood and all.  I’ve tried giving whole turkey necks and turkey gizzards but have found those overwhelming for my small dogs.  The turkey necks are simply too large and the gizzards I believe have a funny taste as they refuse to eat them.  Those will need a little bit of work.   Chicken gizzards, hearts, and livers all were greedily taken though.   The seven bone roast cut is an affordable way to bring home both meat and bones to puppy not to mention the organ meats are all REALLY cheap.

I have also been utilizing a lot of frozen veggies into my meals.  They keep longer and are tasty to me!  I try to give my dogs frozen veggies and some other veggies as available.

I suppose though, the lesson to take is:  if a dog has allergies, feed a limited diet for at least two weeks or until symptoms subside.  Then begin adding back one food at a time.  Strangely, I’ve found that cooking chicken causes severe itching while raw chicken does not.  Patience and a clear idea of the allergy food plan is super important as giving a wide variety of foods will not help the diagnosis of the culprit.

Technorati Tags: dog allergies, food safety, Home Cooking for Dogs, raw dog food diet

So as I’m sure every one can tell, until now my main doggy menu consisted of home cooked meals of starch, veggies, and protein.  Truth be told, I was struggling to find foods that made my dogs less itchy.   Rice= scratching, sneezing,and stomach aches.  Cooked chicken = scratching excessively.  Certain foods made my poor puppies immediately and incredibly itchy.  But there has been a low level of itch that has persisted in spite of my best efforts.

This whole dog allergy situation really reached a head a few weeks ago.  Emmala began scratching so vigorously that she was leaving open sores along her mouth and behind her ears.  She has a dime sized bald spot behind her ear.

So after a lot of thought, I decided to try all raw meats to see if that offered relief.  I would consider this basically an attempt at a raw dog food diet.   As a biology major in college, I thought about the nature of cooked meat.  When proteins are heated they begin to denature.  The proteins break apart and no longer have the three dimensional shape that they had when they were being used by the body.  As protein is the real culprit that cause immune response, I thought could it be that the denatured proteins matter?  Even in potatoes and rice, protein in those foods are the culprit for allergies.
I’m not going to lie.  I don’t really understand how my dogs were not more itchy when they were eating kibble as that is all obviously cooked.  Maybe they weren’t allergic to the corn in the food?  Perhaps the percent of the protein in their food was less.  I’ve even considered giving up and going back to kibble! (Briefly)

Any way, I began feeding my dogs all raw meats raw dog food diet.  If they are going to eat it I have to be willing to eat it so everything comes fresh from the grocery store.  I began feeding slabs of raw tuna, some hamburger, raw chicken, and raw organ meat.  I still supplement with raw veggies and an occasional cooked potato but I feed them their meat all rare.

The dogs really love this new raw diet.  But don’t really prefer the gizzards and livers.  (I wouldn’t suggest stocking up until you know your dog will eat it.)  I am giving them a varied diet of body parts and animal types.  There is a whole movement called the BARF (biologically appropriate raw food.. I believe) diet.  The diet consists of entirely raw meat with the philosophy that raw animals are exactly what a wild dog would eat.
After a few weeks of raw meat, low and behold my dogs are no longer pink all the time.  They are still scratching a little but this seems to make a world of difference.  No more swollen lips or scabs.  I will keep you updated.  But so far that is looking really good.

Technorati Tags: dog allergies, raw dog food diet, raw meat