# Raw Feeding for Allergies



## Kettle (Feb 23, 2012)

I have begun raw feeding my 10 month old GSD to try to determine if his allergies and rashes are food related. So far my vet has proven to be somewhat incompetent in dealing with this issue. When I took him there a few months back she didn't have a very good look and just said season allergies. I don't know how long she thinks the season lasts for but she told me the exact same thing when I took him back a couple of weeks ago. Mind you she did do a scrape for mites the second time which turned up negative. She also prescribed me some very expensive Cortavance spray which I purchased and then didn't want to use because there was a strong warning about it inhibiting the dogs growth if used for longer than a week. So I decided that before I try any of this I would take matters in my own hands and try to eliminate things from his environment, starting with potential food allergens.

The bulk of his meat is Kangaroo mince for muscle meat which I mix with Turkey necks for the raw meaty bones and chicken liver for organ. He certainly loves his new diet, as does our Golden Retriever who is usually a very fussy and slow eater.

My question is to how long I should give him on the raw good before I can rule out the allergy/rashes being food related? So far he has been on it for about a week and I can't see any real improvement, still has red eyes, pink ears and a very irritated chest. I plan to keep him on the raw food anyway as I believe it to be a more natural diet but I would like to know when I need to start considering other options.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

The raw part has nothing to do with improving your dog's allergies. You need to feed a single protein that he's never had before and usually leave him on it for about 6-8 weeks before adding something else. Here you are feeding three different proteins and chances are he's had two of them before and could be allergic to them already.


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## Kettle (Feb 23, 2012)

Well he was on dry before and my understanding was that a lot of the allergies had to do with the grains rather than proteins. Thank you for your insightful, yet condescending reply, you must be the best dog owner ever.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

I wouldn't think of it as allergies, more like intollerance to processed food with synthetic vitamins and minerals devoid of amino acids and naturally occuring enzymes.

Removing the processed food is a start, and depending on the how toxic the body is will depend on how the individual dog will respond. The liver is probably overloaded resulting in "allergy" like symptoms - itchy skin.

If you really want to make sure you are getting the most natural toxin reduced diet for faster healing, I would suggest that the chicken liver be organic...it is a nominal amount of the diet, a nominal expence - the liver is the filtering system of all weird crud they put in chicken feed (incl. GMO maize, soy)

A good quality fish body oil (3 only) to balance the omega6/3 ratio (re: meat protien high in 6)and raw organic cold pressed coconut oil to assist the body in removing yeasts and bad bacteria that have proliferated in do to carbs and grains (sugars) from the kibble


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

If your vet thought it is seasonal allergies, which would be pollen related, have you tried local honey? A tsp per day mixed with a little yogurt is the only thing that halted Jax's itching.


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## Gilly1331 (Apr 16, 2011)

We switched to raw bc of allergies and have never looked back. Our male couldnt handle any of the kibbles we had tried, would vommit and have liquid poops of all different colors. Vet checked all possibilities and he was healthy other than not tolerating any of the kibbles we tried..it progressed to dry scaley allegator type skin starting in his ears and paws and belly. We switched to raw and everything went away. However we did find out he has a chicken allergy and now we don't feed any raw chicken parts but we feed all other raw proteins. 

Start your pup out on one protein usually chicken or some type of poultry and feed only this protein for 6 weeks or so. You can feed different body parts of the same protein..legs, backs, necks, livers, hearts etc. Then add in a 2nd protein and so on. After about 4-6 months you should see some typ of difference if there was an allergy to the kibble you were feeding.

Good luck.


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## Elaine (Sep 10, 2006)

Kettle said:


> Well he was on dry before and my understanding was that a lot of the allergies had to do with the grains rather than proteins. Thank you for your insightful, yet condescending reply, you must be the best dog owner ever.


Wow. You seem to know it all when you say nonsense like this. Allergies can be to any protein your dog has eaten, not just grains. So glad you know it all and I hope you get the help you are looking for because you aren't getting any more from me. Good luck.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Elaine said:


> The raw part has nothing to do with improving your dog's allergies. You need to feed a single protein that he's never had before and usually leave him on it for about 6-8 weeks before adding something else. Here you are feeding three different proteins and chances are he's had two of them before and could be allergic to them already.





Kettle said:


> Well he was on dry before and my understanding was that a lot of the allergies had to do with the grains rather than proteins. Thank you for your insightful, yet condescending reply, you must be the best dog owner ever.


Elaine wasn't being condescending...she was explaining how to do it and why you need to do it that way. My Boxer is fine with all grains but can't have chicken. Proteins, grains...you have to limit it to one at a time as Elaine explained above. RAW doesn't have anything to do with it. You could put him on a LID kibble and still accomplish the same thing.


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## 4score (Nov 4, 2011)

Kettle said:


> Well he was on dry before and my understanding was that a lot of the allergies had to do with the grains rather than proteins. Thank you for your insightful, yet condescending reply, you must be the best dog owner ever.


Looks like you received some excellent advice.

I re-read that reply 3 times and I don't get the condescending message out of it either. She was just trying to help.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> If your vet thought it is seasonal allergies, which would be pollen related, have you tried local honey? A tsp per day mixed with a little yogurt is the only thing that halted Jax's itching.


Like clockwork with the leaves falling Rusty started itching last month. I am picking up some raw local honey on my way home today. I will report my results It's just the Fall with him..ugh.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Try it for a week and let me know. It helped Jax and it's helped my friends dog. I read an article that the honey is supposed to come from with a 50 mile radius of you.


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

Kettle said:


> Well he was on dry before and my understanding was that a lot of the allergies had to do with the grains rather than proteins. Thank you for your insightful, yet condescending reply, you must be the best dog owner ever.


Aw don't take Elaine's advice as condescending. IMO she's always looking out for the best, (but shhh don't tell her she can come off as brazen sometimes ). She means well. 

<3 Elaine 

I hope your pup feels better. Just wanted to say that and chin up. You've got some pretty good advice form Jax08 too c: Keep us posted on how your pup does!


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Jax08 said:


> Try it for a week and let me know. It helped Jax and it's helped my friends dog. I read an article that the honey is supposed to come from with a 50 mile radius of you.


This will be perfect, the location is less than 10 miles from my house. It's actually a produce farm I frequent often anyway. I didn't know they had hives on the back of their property. Heck, I might start putting a little in my yogurt too. Glad to hear you saw results that fast. I will let you know.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

The person I buy from is about 5 miles from me. He said about 50% of his honey goes to ppl with allergies (1T per day for people) and some have been able to come off of steroids. The only downside to honey is that it obviously affects your sugar levels, and that of the dogs, so if you are diabetic you'll need to monitor.

I took Jax off the honey after her itching stopped to see what would happen and within days she was scratching again so I'm sure it is the honey that helped.


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## leahcepukas (12 mo ago)

Jax08 said:


> Elaine wasn't being condescending...she was explaining how to do it and why you need to do it that way. My Boxer is fine with all grains but can't have chicken. Proteins, grains...you have to limit it to one at a time as Elaine explained above. RAW doesn't have anything to do with it. You could put him on a LID kibble and still accomplish the same thing.


Elaine was suggesting doing a controlled test...I had to do that with my GSD...I ended up roasting legs of lamb for about 3 years until I finally introduced beef. I made her food for 14 years; first lamb, then beef, rice and sweet potato.... I am pretty sure she wouldn't have live to 14 on dog food.


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