# Chicken Allergy? Need some advice



## Mcap (Mar 31, 2012)

We have 2 16 wk old brothers (Rocco and Milo). The kennel had them on Eukanuba puppy and when we brought I noticed that Rocco seemed to be scratching a lot. I figured it was the Eukanuba and I transitioned them to Bravo Raw Balanced Chicken and Acano Pacifica kibble. I free feed the kibble, but they don't each mich of it anyway. After 3 weeks Rocco's scratching has gotten worse and he is biting the fur on his paws. We went to the vet and she thought it might be a grass allergy or maybe the chicken. Milo has been fine through all of this. I am thinking it is chicken since the Eukanuba is also chicken based. Neither pup has really done well on the raw (tried NV, Darwin'sand Bravo). I am going to stop the raw chicken blend and just serve the Acano Pacifica (fish based) and see what happens. 

I am really disappointed in the raw feeding results, but I am hoping it is just the chicken and I can feed a different raw formula. My vet said to try turkey, but I think I want to stay away from foul for now.

I'm looking for some ideas, assuming Rocco is allergic to chicken. I have to switch both dogs since feeding 2 different menus is not an option.

I am open to suggestions!

Thanks

Mike


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

There is no reason to not try the turkey. Dogs are not allergic to a species of animals, but are allergic to specific animals. Chicken is not turkey so you can try it if you want.

A raw diet is not magic. If your dog has a food allergy, it won't matter if you are feeding kibble or raw: you dog will react either way. The trick is finding which foods your dog can't have.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I would be a little more pragmatic about verifying chicken is a culprit before I decided the puppy had a chicken allergy because it really limits your sources. I had a dog who was found to be allergic to chicken and it tooks us a good while on elmination diets and introducing other sources of meat to determine that.

You could try putting the puppy on Natural Balance LID as there is a good variety of proteins to see if a non chicken source works. Look at ALL the food ingredients. My chicken boy also could not tolerate flax seeds.

This dog also had other immune system issues and I wound up going back to comercial feeds (of all things Purina ONE Senstive Systems) for his life. It worked and he had solid stools and quit itching......Without chicken as a base raw food becomes more of a hassle. You might try deer processors, beef processors, for low cost scrap.


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## Mcap (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. I am cutting out Chicken and flax to see if it makes a difference. I am also eliminating the raw for now and we will see in a week if my issues have cleared up. I am transitioning to Acano Pacifica and if that doesn't clear things up, I will move to a single source, limited ingredient food. Hopefully once the issues are cleared up I can introduce a new raw protein source. If not, it's kibble, canned and/or some home cooking for the boys. I have been wiping down his paws with Apple Cider vinegar and water. They are normally used to getting a bowl of raw in the AM, but today they got wet down kibble. That went over like a lead balloon! Hopefully they will get the picture by this evening cuz I hate to see them not eating. 

Mike


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## Mcap (Mar 31, 2012)

Two things have transpired in the last couple of day:

1) I am now think the allergy is grass related versus chicken. We were playing with the dogs on the grass yesterday and after going all AM without scratching (in the house), as soon as we came in from our training and playtime (in the grass). Rocco started scratching again. I have been using a 50/50 mixture of Apple Cider vinegar and water to wipe him down (the spots he's been biting) and also adding it to their water. This seems to help as he hasn't been chewing his front paws for the last few days.

2) The other thing I figured out (kicking myself in the rear), is that I was putting the raw food back in the refrigerator after they were done eating. After reading about how you should discard all uneaten food, I think this is why they both had the "squirts" for 3 days. I should have just weighed out the Bravo instead of just putting out a big hunk in both bowls. Both of their systems are back to normal and they have been off the raw for 2 days. I play on slowly transitioning them back to raw over the next week or so. I have been mixing canned duck with their kibble along with some cooked burger/rice. They definitely like the raw better!

Mike


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

If you can afford it, you can get a blood test from the Vet to rule out environmental allergies. However, I think your dogs need to be older to get accurate results. Our dog had an itchy stage, the same as yours. We thought she was allergic to chicken too (although not able to confirm it).

We had success with prepared raw from Nature's Variety. We also went to non-chicken based puppy food, Solid Gold Wolf Cub. Now that our dog is 2years old, she seems to tolerate chicken well. She has RC German Shepherd food, Honest Kitchen dehydrated food and we cook her fresh, organic meals too.

Looking back I sometimes think her itching may have been due to another food additive or grain. Or maybe her body just needed a rest/break from chicken, who knows! Hopefully, your dogs will grow out of this stage and their food intolerance. BTW, our old dog had environmental allergies - dust, mold, sage and something else. Once she got past 2 years old, she seemed to grow out of those.


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## Mcap (Mar 31, 2012)

Thanks for your help.

Mike


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## cci058 (Nov 18, 2011)

Hi there. If went round and round with food issues for two years. Maverick couldn't tolerate chicken or any other poultry. No peanut butter, no cheese, no egg.... the list seemed to be endless. We spent hundreds of $$ at the vet and even more on different foods. Jan 1 of this year, we went 100% raw. She did an amazing 180 turn. While her diet is limited, she is doing great. Ironically, she tolerates the raw chicken just fine. We feed Bravo Balanced, the beef and the chicken. Rabbit is a treat once or twice per week. The first thought I had when I read your post was you should go 100% raw and cut out the other kibble. I know others think that is just fine, but I'm wondering if the combo is causing a concern. The digestion rates are so different and may their bellies are just too sensitive? Just a thought. Do you use any probiotics? I measure out 2 lbs per day. If I overfeed, she gets the squirts too. Too much organ meat can cause that as well. Good luck!


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## Mcap (Mar 31, 2012)

Right now I have them on Fromm Gold LB Puppy and Merrick canned. Their systems seem to have stabilized and the "squirts" are gone. I went to the breeder this AM for training with one of the pups. All of her dogs look beautiful and she recommended feeding a high end kibble with canned for a couple of months to see how they do. There coats have a brown shade to them and should be jet black. They are long coats and they are shedding their puppy "fuzz". I've put these pups through a lot in the last three weeks so it's back to conventional food for awhile. We'll see how they do.

Mike


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