# 10 year old GSD on raw - vet recommends an elimination diet - thoughts?



## GSDSammie (Dec 13, 2010)

Hello! My 10 year old male GSD has been on raw for the past 9 years due to IBD issues as a puppy. He's generally been healthy since, with occasional flare-ups (diarrhea, weight loss) every couple of years that goes away with a temporary bland diet and metronidazole. He's been on Apoquel for the past 2 years or so because of itchy skin (I know it's not good for dogs long term use but it has helped with his daily quality of life, would like to get him off). After an IBD flare-up this spring that did resolve, but now a new bacterial infection on his anus that an animal dermatologist has just found that his body seems to be struggling to get rid of, they are recommending an elimination diet as they think his allergies are food related. He's been eating a combination of chicken, beef, fish, tripe, his whole life. He's currently on Primal premade because I wanted to be sure it was a fully balanced meal. They are recommending kangaroo, ostrich, rabbit or emu and no treats, supplements, etc for 8 weeks (basically nothing he has ever eaten before). I realize that this is probably a very good thing to do, but recognize that it will be very difficult to source these proteins in raw form and also don't know if it should be so extreme as to not give regular supplements (omega, cosequin, monthly heartgard/flea tick). They are hoping that we can combat the food allergy and get him off Apoquel which would be great. Has anyone done this before and had success before I start going down this length and expensive path?? Not that money is important when it comes to the health of a dog, but I am already spending $450 a month on his food (he's not my only dog!) and would anticipate this could double with these novel proteins. This is not sustainable both financially and also in terms of regular access to these foods. Thanks for your feedback!!


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

would you be open to a novel protein kibble?


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

What about venison? A hunter may be able to keep you supplied at a reasonable cost.


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## Heartandsoul (Jan 5, 2012)

Is your chicken, beef and fish a rotation or are these combined in each meal?

I’m wondering why your vet just doesn’t slowly eliminate from what you already are giving, starting with chicken. It just doesn’t make sense to add a completely novel protein before figuring which of the usual is causing the problem.

Chicken seems to be the worst culprit.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I agree with Heartandsoul. Why wouldn't you just start with your current diet instead of introducing something completely different? If you can eliminate one of those, but keep the others, it would save a lot of headache as they are more easily available.


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## GSDSammie (Dec 13, 2010)

Thanks all, I agree with your assessments! My gut instinct is that both chicken and beef are culprits because I've seen him have IBD flare-ups in the past when eating more chicken than typical (i.e. chicken leg quarters), and lately have pretty much only been feeding beef with a little bit of lamb (no chicken for the past 6 weeks) and still has issues. I worry about going with a novel kibble because he hasn't eaten kibble in 10 years and would hate to further disrupt his system away from what he's used to. I found a good website that has a lot of raw dog protein sources for sale that I think I could move to venison, rabbit, etc that would be a bit of an increased cost but help me move away from chicken and beef more easily. Home Page | Hare Today It's so easy to go down a rabbit hole of information and further questions!


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Keep in mind that chronic IBD can lead to cancer, so your window to solve it on your own is limited. 

You can definitely buy novel protein in a raw state too, at higher costs. I've been trying to talk the ONE dog product vendor in the state of Louisiana who works with Nutria meat to offer the meat frozen, but he's afraid of liability. It's an abundant, invasive species that the government pays to cull because it destroys wetlands, and it's very clean red meat. It's the ideal affordable novel protein for allergy dogs....but not commercially available. _sigh

ETA: _Just noticed the part about the bacterial infection. I don't think I'd feed raw to a dog with problems with bacterial infections anywhere in the GI system -- they may not have enough "good guys" to deal with the "bad guys" in our dirty meat supply. When my raw-fed guy is sick, I cook his meat (lightly boil) so that it's easier on his digestive system (not sending in salmonella, e. coli, etc. that _normally _aren't a problem, but could very well be one for a sick dog).


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## saintbob (Jul 14, 2018)

Have you considered eggs? Either scrambled or raw added to the appropriate kibble.


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## Rodjer123 (Oct 29, 2020)

Look, you absolutely don't need to spend a lot of money to get high-quality protein. There are excellent sports nutrition serums that will help your dog absorb almost everything it consumes, and they will cost a maximum of $ 200 per month. Of those that 100% help to cope with the situation - this is omega 3, whey protein hydrolysate, b vitamins for better absorption and cat's claw, a drug that pulls infection from the intestines. There are such drugs cheaper it seems at https://www.veterinaryschoolsu.com/vet-assistant/online-programs/ . But I could be wrong. Try it, go in and ask around at any sports store. Good luck to you!


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