Vets have me at my wits end..

[splashgirl45]

My friend has a dog with allergies and now feeds him insect kibble and he is doing very well on it. Not cheap but worth it as it stops him itching

 

[twiggy2]

He is tour dog and the bills are yours to deal with.
I would keep him on whatever food suits him and unless he is ill again I would not take him to the vet.
I would be asking for advice to get him off the steroids but I would expect that to me a chat over the phone.
Maz (my lurcher) has been on purina HA for 7 or 8yrs, she has a list of allergies as long as tour arm, the purina is crap food but she does really well on it so it's what she has.

 

[nagblagger]

Just feel scammed and they think I'm a cash cow.

I've just changed vets after 25 years as the one I trust has just retired. They have been sold to a corporate and I don't like the way its going, all they want are your insurance details! I'm being scammed out of £95 because suture removal is "all inclusive of the surgery bill" - err no it is not, it is listed separately on the invoice, you just have to pay it in advance when you pick the dog up. I am not letting a strange nurse touch my dog when i can do it in the comfort of home. But i won't get my money back!

 

[Clodagh]

Im not taking Scout back for a follow up on his raised kidney levels. He’s had all the extra tests which were fine, the markers were marginal and he looks great. He had a course of abs for a skin issue and is now fat and gleaming.

Replying to myself but I had guilt about not blood testing him again. I just saw the vet for T’s acupuncture and she asked how he was, I explained my reasoning and she said no problem his levels were only marginally raised and if he looked good and sores had healed then not to worry.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

I would probably try slowly weaning him off the steroids as well.

I'm doing exactly that, reduced him down to every second day instead of daily. It's heartbreaking to see him shaking like a leaf whenever food is produced. Even when we are eating he's reduced to a jittering shaking mess. It's really difficult to see

 

[Andie02]

I'm doing exactly that, reduced him down to every second day instead of daily. It's heartbreaking to see him shaking like a leaf whenever food is produced. Even when we are eating he's reduced to a jittering shaking mess. It's really difficult to see

It does sound like leaky gut issues. There is plenty of info available if you google it.

ETA the problem with such issues is that any foods that have irritated their system can take a long to recover from and to heal the gut.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

Introducing bone broth would probably help a lot and also a good probiotic and Turkey tail mushrooms. I changed our dog's probiotic to Adored Beast Healthy Gut 3 months ago and with the bone broth and Four Leaf Rover Turkey tail mushrooms have seen a big difference (we had the dreaded itchy thing with our dog). Boil & Broth bone broth is convenient to use, there is a choice of flavours, and there are offers available occasionally on their website. Avoiding carbs and sugars is a must with the itchy thing.
Healthful Pets stock the Adored Beast and Four Leaf Rover products and are very helpful should you need advice.

Adored Beast Healthy Gut

Adored Beast Healthy Gut is a digestive enzyme with pre and probiotic which helps to rebalance and cultivate proper growing conditions for friendly digestive flora which can be destroyed by antibiotics and toxins. Healthy Contains the digestive enzymes of: papain, betaine, bromelain, pancreatin...

www.healthfulpets.co.uk

Boil and Broth | Bone Broth Supplier | Dogs

Grass-fed, antibiotic and hormone-free bone broth. Dorset ingredients. Premium quality, high in natural collagen. No vegetables just broth.

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Thank you, this actually sounds exactly what he needs, I need to settle his poor tum and I think he needs pro and prebiotics more regularly.

The vet did give me a few sachets of them but it was essentially brewers yeast... I think he needs a little more than that.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

It does sound like leaky gut issues. There is plenty of info available if you google it.

ETA the problem with such issues is that any foods that have irritated their system can take a long to recover from and to heal the gut.

I actually was wondering if it was that myself!

 

[Pinkvboots]

One of ours doesn't tolerate chicken. He gets the classic itchy/inflammed feet and ears. Apparently it's very common for dogs to react to chicken, which was something I learned only as we were going through identifying and resolving his issue. (Also, how many foods are labelled as 'hypoallergenic' and then contain chicken or poultry somewhere in the ingredients - grrr.)

I'm another who would trust your gut. Keep him on the lamb and if he seems well on that, give his body a chance to heal. You could get bloods run again in a few months to see if the low protein issue has resolved for peace of mind?

Alot of kibble that doesn't say chicken on the label at the front often has it as a listed ingredient absolutely stupid isn't it.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

Alot of kibble that doesn't say chicken on the label at the front often has it as a listed ingredient absolutely stupid isn't it.

It's so hard to get food that doesn't have chicken in it!

 

[poiuytrewq]

I was really stressed about my puppy, now 10 months but when he was younger he had chicken based puppy food.
I spent my life clearing literally liquid sh*t from almost every surfaces
Switched food and overnight it stopped.
The second he has anything chicken based he’s back to liquid poo.
My other dog gets itchy and irritated on chicken based food.

I’d stick with the Caesar for now and just play it by ear.
Our older lab has rubbish food, but it’s the one he does best on. I tried to argue it many times but each and every time we go back to the same thing because it’s what he is healthiest on.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Alot of kibble that doesn't say chicken on the label at the front often has it as a listed ingredient absolutely stupid isn't it.

I’ve noticed this! It’s so annoying.
I have become very good at label reading!

 

[KatieDM]

Another one to say my dog is also very sensitive to chicken. Whether freshly cooked or in kibble. Super itchy, runny poo and miserable demeanour. She does best on fish, grain-free kibble (currently Arden Grange) with added oily fish a few times a week (mackerel). She’s a bit of a mutt but mainly Belgian Malinois and Belgian Shepard, with some boxer and random bits in there…

Also as an aside, she had really problematic ears with a hematoma from the constant itching and head swinging. New vet did a proper look under microscope and it turned out she had a really high level of yeast overgrowth! I think it might have been escalated by some Nutripaws calming ‘treats’ she was having. We took her straight off them and it’s cleared up, touch wood. No more steroids!

ETA - another sign of yeast overgrowth is apparently rusty/red hair between their toes. She’s got dappled feet so we could see that.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

It's so interesting to hear everyone with similar issues. Thanks all for replying.

I'm due to go to the vet on Tuesday evening with him for more blood tests. Tempted to just cancel altogether.

He's also on clopidogrel which I'm baffled about, it's an anti platelet medicine to prevent blood clots. It's making him pee all the time

 

[nagblagger]

I would be concerned about your vets treatment @ElectricChampagne.
Cancel the blood test, feed him what he enjoys and tolerates and s#d everything else if he is settled.
That's what I would do.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I would be concerned about your vets treatment @ElectricChampagne.
Cancel the blood test, feed him what he enjoys and tolerates and s#d everything else if he is settled.
That's what I would do.

I think I would be changing my vet tbh.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Some just put chicken fat in the food that's just stupid.

 

[Andie02]

It's so hard to get food that doesn't have chicken in it!

Orijen Six Fish, Regional Red, and the Tundra do not have chicken in their ingredients.

 

[maisie06]

So I'm telling them he's doing well, I told them the chicken makes him worse, but they are pushing the tests and bloods etc.

They want to do a bladder scrape next. I said no. They tested his urine and no protein in it so I don't see why they need to go that route. They're pushing for more tests and I keep saying no..

Just feel scammed and they think I'm a cash cow.

I'd be changing practices and would be fuming about the so called prescription food - utter crap. Go with you gut and how he's feeling, I would not be going back.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

I'd be changing practices and would be fuming about the so called prescription food - utter crap. Go with you gut and how he's feeling, I would not be going back.

I might go back to the original practice tbh

 

[ElectricChampagne]

Hes out in the rain with his coat on chasing pigeons..

 

[Boulty]

If you feel it seems to correlate with him having chicken I’d personally avoid it & see what happens.

Both Z/D & Hypoallergenic do have protein derived from chicken. In theory it’s hydrolysed so shouldn’t cause reactions but animals don’t read the rulebook and I personally wouldn’t feed either to my own chicken / poultry allergic dog. (If you do turn out to need a hydrolysed protein diet in future, which is a recognised treatment for suspected IBD then Purina HA deffo has no chicken or indeed any animal protein in it as it’s specifically designed for creatures that are allergic to life but if it’s literally just chicken that sets off then hopefully no need as it’s not the most appetising!)

If dog seems ok on lamb protein then would probably look for a diet with that as a base that’s also limited ingredient / designed for sensitive tummies (basically that doesn’t have a load of random stuff in it) or could leave on Caesar for now & see what happens if it seems to be working.

Aaaand you’re probably not going to like my next vague musing as it involves the demon Hills but my own suspected chicken allergic dog does super well on ID sensitive dry (egg based so kinda designed for digestive issues involving protein allergies). He spent 3 or 4 months on it after his allergy became apparent and it stopped the intermittent flare ups & he ended up back on it recently after a bout of HGE (drug reaction of some kind). Might be staying on it for a bit as mother feels he’s better behaved / less like a kid who’s eaten all the blue smarties on it for some reason compared to his normal fish / lamb based diet

 

[Boulty]

Oh & I’d hope vet has said this but even if you decide against further testing / treatment atm to test if just avoiding chicken solves the issue the steroids must be weaned down slowly as it’s dangerous to stop them suddenly.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

Oh & I’d hope vet has said this but even if you decide against further testing / treatment atm to test if just avoiding chicken solves the issue the steroids must be weaned down slowly as it’s dangerous to stop them suddenly.

Thanks Boulty, you're posts is full is of useful information.
Thankfully vet had mentioned this. Definitely not going to suddenly stop the steroids, but slowly reduce them. I do think the poor pup has been through a lot, and his protein levels are rising, albeit slowly.
Avoiding chicken seems to be working at the minute!

I genuinely don't know what to do and feel so conflicted. I can't keep putting him through constantly testing testing testing and I've spent into the thousands for inconclusive results so far.

 

[Chippers1]

Just to throw it in the mix but it's unlikely that the Cesar is completely chicken free. There are definitely completely chicken free foods out there as I am currently not feeding chicken to my puppy, she has a mix of wet and dry and the wet is Sainsbury's own brand (turkey, no chicken) or Wainwrights trays turkey. If you have a Pets at Home nearby there's loads of options but equally if the Cesar is working it may just be worth sticking to that.
Hope you find an answer soon and that he will be ok

 

[Teaselmeg]

Go on the Sport Dog nutrition Facebook page, loads of info on there, and if you can post ( sometimes its turned off), ask about your dogs condition on there. Holly who runs it is fab and a mine of information.

I would try Different Dog cooked food. It is not cheap, but brilliant quality and mine love it.

Natural & Fresh Dog Food | Different Dog

Different Dog's tailor-made, healthy dog food. Chicken, beef recipes & more for adult dogs, puppies & senior dogs. Order your first dog food subscription box!

www.differentdog.com

 

[Petalpoos]

Given that nearly all commercial dog food is UPF and therefore probably causes as many problems in dogs as it appears to do in humans, have you considered changing him onto a raw diet?

ETA - or additive free food as recommended above.

 

[Asha]

we had the same issue when Stirling was a pup. we where at the vets all the time with tummy upsets. Vet recommended chicken and rice, and just like your pups he was worse. It was absolutely vile. So after spending ages in the local pet store checking labels we moved him onto Canagan lamb. Hey presto, no more tummy upsets. We now have poos we can pick up. Its quite an eye opener just how many dog feeds contain chicken when you read the small print.

 

[ElectricChampagne]

Sitting in the vets with him as we speak, rang this morning and explained the situation so the vet wants him in to check him over and will refund what I spent on the RC food.

I've been looking up feed and I might try the Rocco hypoallergenic lamb and pumpkin. That's all that's in it according to the ingredients. And it looks decent. Had him on Rocco in the past chicken version but he was happy on it, but changed cos it was hard to get.

I'm based in Ireland so its difficult enough to get decent food. I usually order online for delivery.

 

[nagblagger]

Sitting in the vets with him as we speak, rang this morning and explained the situation so the vet wants him in to check him over and will refund what I spent on the RC food.

I've been looking up feed and I might try the Rocco hypoallergenic lamb and pumpkin. That's all that's in it according to the ingredients. And it looks decent. Had him on Rocco in the past chicken version but he was happy on it, but changed cos it was hard to get.

I'm based in Ireland so its difficult enough to get decent food. I usually order online for delivery.

If you need any specialised dog food bought over from England my OH and I come over about 3x a year, could stock you up!