# It seems Gemma is allergic to pork as well. Now what?



## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

So, I don't feed Gemma raw beef because the last time I did, she had major bowel distress for two weeks. She also just didn't seem to do well on her Ranchlands (beef) Acana kibble. She gets Grasslands (lamb) Acana in the morning and a fresh raw meal at night. My problem with the raw meal is that I can't give her beef, and now it seems I also can't give her pork.

She's been eating pork for almost a week now and she has started shedding terribly, her eyes have started watering again, and she's back to itching all the time. This is the ONLY other thing that has been introduced to her diet, so it must be the pork. When this all started before, I had recently started including fresh pork for some of her raw dinners so I am believing that this could be what was causing her itch issues the whole time. Whether the raw beef and kibble made her itchy or not, she did not do well on either so I don't want to give her beef.

Now I'm running out of raw options to feed her. The only other normally available meat here is chicken. Is it okay to give her just chicken for her raw dinner? The grocery stores have beef, pork, and chicken. I actually haven't even seen lamb before. There doesn't seem to be local "butchers" like I am familiar with in the US. There's just one big place that processes and cuts all the meat and distributes it among the grocery stores here. The grocery stores don't even have a butcher or a meat department, so they don't cut or grind any of the meats they sell. So, our meat options are pretty limited to what the grocery stores sell on their shelves.

Grocery stores do have some fish. Are there any types of fish that would be appropriate to feed her? I read not to feed wild caught salmon because there is bacteria in them that can make a dog sick. Is this true?

I hope there's something I can swap in for chicken every now and then because chicken every single night is boring and I know that white meat isn't as good for her as red meat. I just want to make sure she gets proper nutrition. I don't want to feed her 100% Acana because it makes her poop a lot. She only poops 1-2 times per day when I feed her 50% Acana and 50% raw.

I guess the main question here is if there's nothing else to feed her besides chicken, would it be okay to just have her on chicken for the raw portion of her diet?


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## pupluv168 (Mar 7, 2012)

I think as long as she is eating kibble, she is getting all of her needed nutrients. So the raw is just a bonus and can be whatever you want. There is no need to balance raw if she's getting kibble too.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

I've read that too. That as long as raw isn't more than 50% of the diet, that there's no need to balance. I could be wrong of course! We do chicken only with odie right now, but she doesn't eat raw everyday (except ziwipeak). 


Sent from my iPhone using PG Free


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## intent2smile (Dec 4, 2011)

Caitlin I have no advice but just wanted to say I hope you find the perfect balance soon!

Hugs to Gemma I hope your itchies and shedding end soon!


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Poor baby girl.
You can feed white fish, and also oily fish like sardines and sprats. I freeze all fish for two weeks before feeding, and avoid salmon. Fish is one of those things they either love or hate though. Even Bambi who is a canine hoover isn't keen on fish. Harley loves it though, and he is quite fussy, so maybe Gemma will too.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Thanks, everyone! I'll probably just be feeding chicken then. I'm a little worried about the bacteria in fish and such, and also the pollutants in so many types of fish. As long as chicken is okay since she's only getting it for dinners, I'm sure she'll be happy enough with it. She really freaks out for anything that's fresh raw. She does even seem to like fish because she has tasted some haddock before and loved it.


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

LittleGemma said:


> So, I don't feed Gemma raw beef because the last time I did, she had major bowel distress for two weeks. She also just didn't seem to do well on her Ranchlands (beef) Acana kibble. She gets Grasslands (lamb) Acana in the morning and a fresh raw meal at night. My problem with the raw meal is that I can't give her beef, and now it seems I also can't give her pork.
> 
> She's been eating pork for almost a week now and she has started shedding terribly, her eyes have started watering again, and she's back to itching all the time. This is the ONLY other thing that has been introduced to her diet, so it must be the pork. When this all started before, I had recently started including fresh pork for some of her raw dinners so I am believing that this could be what was causing her itch issues the whole time. Whether the raw beef and kibble made her itchy or not, she did not do well on either so I don't want to give her beef.
> 
> ...


Listen I don't mean to sound harsh or anything but can I ask why on earth you are still trying to feed raw when she's eating a 5 star kibble and does ok on that? and I ask because she has obvious demonstrated sensitivities.

Chi's are sensitive little dogs, there's been more than one person on this forum who's dog got sick from raw. 
If she's thriving on kibble I cannot say I would rock that boat! 

Just my opinion having owned many dogs in my years!


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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

Actually I was going to ask the same thing. I realize raw is very good and all, but maybe it just isn't for Gemma because she keeps having issues. Why experiment? Also maybe Acana is also not for her if she is pooping a lot from it. 

I am leary of chicken because I worry about salmonella, but I am not sure if that applies to dogs. Also, why does the raw have to be meat? How about vegetables? Will she eat raw carrot etc?

Maybe just stop trying the raw for a while and give her just kibble. I have been giving Kalisee just kibble with a few drops of fresh olive oil in it and I leave the bowl there..eventually, every single day, she goes and gobbles it all up. The kibble I give her doesn't make her go alot at all. I know its may not be the absolute very best, but it is working for now and we can afford it. (Belcando)

I give her raw on occasion for variety, but I do not change things often and I have never had a allergy or poop problem...just one time when I gave her watermellon and that did not agree with her at all. 

Maybe Gemma would not mind the same thing every night. We, as humans, may get bored of the same and the same but some dogs do well with that. I used to think the same thing till I realized that Kalisee has been eating the same thing for months and doesnt mind..although she does get a few other little tidbits too at times. Not all doggies are the same though.

I hope you solve your little girls food issues and hope that the itchies go away!


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

KittyD said:


> Listen I don't mean to sound harsh or anything but can I ask why on earth you are still trying to feed raw when she's eating a 5 star kibble and does ok on that? and I ask because she has obvious demonstrated sensitivities.
> 
> Chi's are sensitive little dogs, there's been more than one person on this forum who's dog got sick from raw.
> If she's thriving on kibble I cannot say I would rock that boat!
> ...


It's only because she poops 4 times per day if I feed her only Acana. In Sweden, this is the only 5 star kibble I can get aside from Orijen. Not sure what other to feed her then if not Acana.



Kalisee said:


> Actually I was going to ask the same thing. I realize raw is very good and all, but maybe it just isn't for Gemma because she keeps having issues. Why experiment? Also maybe Acana is also not for her if she is pooping a lot from it.
> 
> I am leary of chicken because I worry about salmonella, but I am not sure if that applies to dogs. Also, why does the raw have to be meat? How about vegetables? Will she eat raw carrot etc?
> 
> ...


She was just eating kibble for a month to get her back to normal. Once she stopped itching, I introduced raw pork back into her diet but then she started itching again. I don't really want to chase her around all day waiting for 4 poops that she would just love to eat if I don't catch her. She uses pads, so she goes when she wants. I wouldn't give a crap if she pooped 10 times a day but the problem is that every time she poops, she tries to eat it. So if I am not home or awake to pick it up, it's in her mouth and she brings it up on the couch and leaves chewed up pieces all over it. There's a better chance of me being around to pick it up if it's just 1-2 poops per day. She's been yelled at, she's been spray bottled, she's been given pineapple, I've sprinkled pepper over her poops, and nothing works for her. She will do whatever it takes to eat her poop so the only way it seems I can really stop her is by picking it up immediately. She did stop eating it for a while when she was on antibiotics, but obviously I can't give her antibiotics all the time. Right now she seems to have a schedule of one in the morning and one at night, so it's easy for me to predict when she's going to do it. When she is just on Acana, it's at random times all throughout the day.

Haven't tried vegetables but don't really want to because there's no reason for her to have vegetables. She already gets more vegetables than she needs in her Acana, and I'm assuming that is why she poops so much on it because it's 40% unnecessary ingredients that don't really get absorbed by her.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Oh, also, it's very rare for dogs to get salmonella from raw meat. They have short digestive tracts that don't give bacteria really any time to multiply, and the have very strong digestive juices that kill bacteria as well. Way more potent than the human digestive system! I'm not too worried about salmonella from chicken.


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## jan896 (Dec 9, 2009)

I had a dog once that ate his poo.... I used Pineapple and it didn't work.... I bought some Coprophagia pills from the petstore and within 2 days he never touched his poo again... have you tried buying pills?? I crunched them up in his food.......


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## Kalisee (Jun 1, 2012)

LittleGemma said:


> Oh, also, it's very rare for dogs to get salmonella from raw meat. They have short digestive tracts that don't give bacteria really any time to multiply, and the have very strong digestive juices that kill bacteria as well. Way more potent than the human digestive system! I'm not too worried about salmonella from chicken.


Oh I didnt know this..I wasn't really sure about it. Try the chicken. If she likes it, she wont mind having it every night. I also forgot you have a poop eater, sorry! Ever tried to put vinegar on them or will she gobble it up? 

I know how you feel about not being able to get good food where you are. I hope you resolve the issues soon.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Caitlin, I know exactly how you feel. At the beginning of this year I started Lulu on a homemade diet--long story short--she is very allergic to chicken. Then I went on a quest for the perfect food and discovered I think she is allergic to lamb (not brave enough to test it to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt). I said all that to say I came to this conclusion from my personal experience that I hope helps you--I don't know if it is fact it is just what I believe. First, if she likes chicken and is not allergic and you are OK with her eating that for her evening meal every night--do it! No variety. I personally believe dogs don't need it. Lulu and Gidget get Venison ZP every morning and night and carry on before you can get it down for them to eat like they are deprived! LOL I think we put our human feelings of a need for variety on them. Secondly, if you are having a problem with number of poos on Acana, I know you have tried ZP for Gemma before and she did not like it, but she was tiny and you could not afford to hold out on her. She is bigger now and you could attempt to try the ZP again and give her a few days to decide that was it and see if she would eat it. If you are OK with Acana and don't want to go the ZP route, if you have to order your Acana I would encourage you to go to their website and read about their Limited Ingredient foods--Lulu loved Duck and Barlett Pear and Gidget ate Lamb and Okanangan Apple. Being Limited Ingredient it may cut out something that may cut down on the number of poos and I liked the fact that their LI foods did not have rosemary but their other foods do.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

jan896 said:


> I had a dog once that ate his poo.... I used Pineapple and it didn't work.... I bought some Coprophagia pills from the petstore and within 2 days he never touched his poo again... have you tried buying pills?? I crunched them up in his food.......


I have not tried those pills. They don't seem to exist here in Sweden (vet had no idea what my boyfriend was talking about when he asked for a product to make her stop eating poo), but I can probably order them from Amazon. I'm willing to try anything at this point. I woke up to Gemma licking my face and when I got up and walked out into the living room she had just been munching on turds on the couch... ukeright:



Kalisee said:


> Oh I didnt know this..I wasn't really sure about it. Try the chicken. If she likes it, she wont mind having it every night. I also forgot you have a poop eater, sorry! Ever tried to put vinegar on them or will she gobble it up?
> 
> I know how you feel about not being able to get good food where you are. I hope you resolve the issues soon.


No worries! Glad to be helpful. She used to get vinegar in her water but I've never put it on her poops directly. Worth a shot!



lulu'smom said:


> Caitlin, I know exactly how you feel. At the beginning of this year I started Lulu on a homemade diet--long story short--she is very allergic to chicken. Then I went on a quest for the perfect food and discovered I think she is allergic to lamb (not brave enough to test it to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt). I said all that to say I came to this conclusion from my personal experience that I hope helps you--I don't know if it is fact it is just what I believe. First, if she likes chicken and is not allergic and you are OK with her eating that for her evening meal every night--do it! No variety. I personally believe dogs don't need it. Lulu and Gidget get Venison ZP every morning and night and carry on before you can get it down for them to eat like they are deprived! LOL I think we put our human feelings of a need for variety on them. Secondly, if you are having a problem with number of poos on Acana, I know you have tried ZP for Gemma before and she did not like it, but she was tiny and you could not afford to hold out on her. She is bigger now and you could attempt to try the ZP again and give her a few days to decide that was it and see if she would eat it. If you are OK with Acana and don't want to go the ZP route, if you have to order your Acana I would encourage you to go to their website and read about their Limited Ingredient foods--Lulu loved Duck and Barlett Pear and Gidget ate Lamb and Okanangan Apple. Being Limited Ingredient it may cut out something that may cut down on the number of poos and I liked the fact that their LI foods did not have rosemary but their other foods do.


It is so frustrating trying to figure out what works and what doesn't without having to expose them to something that is potentially making them feel unwell for a long time. I'm just stopping the pork now before it gets any worse. Not worth the risk in my opinion. Same with the beef. I looked up those limited ingredient foods here a while ago and I did find the lamb and apple one, but no duck. When I put in my next order, I'm going to ask if I can get a sample size of the lamb before I buy a whole bag. It has oats which I'm not totally fond of, but if she does better on it, then I guess that's what matters to me.

What does rosemary do? Is it bad?


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

I have limited computer time so bear with me. We are in the midst of moving across the country. But wanted to jump in and ask.... are you SURE that the pork you are feeding is not enhance with sodium? Read the label. It has to be 100mg or less per 4 ounce serving. MUCH of pork (and beef and chicken too) is being injected with salt solution to add flavor and tenderness. Its really common in this country, I don't know about Sweden. 

One of the MAIN causes of intolerance of raw meats and itching is the sodium content of the meat. So that would be the first thing I would check! 

If you are positive that it has no salt added, then just go back to chicken. She will still get the benefit of the raw meat/bone if chicken is the only meat she can tolerate. Hang in there.


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

There is a published study that raw fed dogs shed Salmonella in their stools.
So that is something you might want to seriously consider given Gemmas propensity to eat poop in light of her waking you up this morning by licking your face ...


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

There is a thread on this site on 5-9-12 called "Rosemary in Foods." I would attach the link, but I don't know how, but you can do a search and find it. It is believed rosemary may cause seizures in dogs. I do not know if it does or not; but when I read something like that, and I can feed a food that does not have it--I err on the side of caution.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Caitlin, there is rosemary in the Ranchlands. Is there in the Grasslands? I wonder why they chose to include that ingredient.


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## momofmany (Apr 23, 2012)

I'm sorry to hear Gemma is having so many problems I hope you find a balance that you both can live with.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

It is very common from what I understand. My cat Huly can only have Turkey, Chicken and Pork. He is allergic to all seafood, beef, lamb, and deer.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Brodysmom said:


> I have limited computer time so bear with me. We are in the midst of moving across the country. But wanted to jump in and ask.... are you SURE that the pork you are feeding is not enhance with sodium? Read the label. It has to be 100mg or less per 4 ounce serving. MUCH of pork (and beef and chicken too) is being injected with salt solution to add flavor and tenderness. Its really common in this country, I don't know about Sweden.
> 
> One of the MAIN causes of intolerance of raw meats and itching is the sodium content of the meat. So that would be the first thing I would check!
> 
> If you are positive that it has no salt added, then just go back to chicken. She will still get the benefit of the raw meat/bone if chicken is the only meat she can tolerate. Hang in there.


I always stay away from sodium enhanced meats. As far as I know, the pork she was eating was free of sodium enhancement unless I missed it somewhere on the packaging, but I don't think so. I'm going to have to look at it again at the store though and find out to be sure. Thank you for pointing that out!



KittyD said:


> There is a published study that raw fed dogs shed Salmonella in their stools.
> So that is something you might want to seriously consider given Gemmas propensity to eat poop in light of her waking you up this morning by licking your face ...


I'm sure there's plenty of awful stuff in poop. Believe me, I was not okay with being licked in the face this morning. She usually doesn't wake me up that way, and then I found out she just happened to have ate some crap. Was not pleasant.



lulu'smom said:


> There is a thread on this site on 5-9-12 called "Rosemary in Foods." I would attach the link, but I don't know how, but you can do a search and find it. It is believed rosemary may cause seizures in dogs. I do not know if it does or not; but when I read something like that, and I can feed a food that does not have it--I err on the side of caution.


Oh, I didn't know that. I wonder why they are putting that in their grain free Acana formulas...



KrystalLeigh said:


> Caitlin, there is rosemary in the Ranchlands. Is there in the Grasslands? I wonder why they chose to include that ingredient.


Yes, it seems to be in Grasslands as well. I wonder the same thing. 



momofmany said:


> I'm sorry to hear Gemma is having so many problems I hope you find a balance that you both can live with.


Thank you, Pat. I'm sure we will. It just may take a bit of trial and error.



Huly said:


> It is very common from what I understand. My cat Huly can only have Turkey, Chicken and Pork. He is allergic to all seafood, beef, lamb, and deer.


Poor Huly. It sucks having to restrict what they can eat. It sucks more that beef, pork, and chicken are pretty much all I can get here. Turkey, duck, and lamb are rare finds. I wish we knew a hunter so we could get venison and moose. Maybe that's something to look in to.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Oh and by the way, I bought 4 weeks worth of fresh chicken for her at the store today. It shouldn't be sodium enhanced. Didn't say anything about that unlike the frozen chicken that does state how much sodium content is in it.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

KittyD said:


> There is a published study that raw fed dogs shed Salmonella in their stools.
> So that is something you might want to seriously consider given Gemmas propensity to eat poop in light of her waking you up this morning by licking your face ...


All dogs shed salmonella in their faeces, the amount is only marginally higher in raw fed dogs. The reason why good hygiene is important, regardless of what is being fed.

I hope Gemma is feeling better soon. You could still try fish. Fish sold for human consumption is fine, to be extra safe I freeze for two weeks prior to feeding. I feed it frozen so it gives a bit of a dental workout too.


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

I might also suggest trying Ziwipeak again. To be honest, I am lazy and just am not willing to go raw. However, I like really like the ingredients of Ziwipeak (or limited ingredients). When I started Lady on this she went from a two a day to a once a day pooper! When Prince joined us on another food he would do two to three small poops a day. After switching him to Ziwipeak, he is also a once a day pooper now. I totally understand that you want to feed her in a way that limits her poop, especially of she eats it. Both Prince and Lady will get the cat poop if we don't get to it immediately. This totally grosses me out. We can't gate the cat boxes because one cat is 17 years old and can not jump. Did you try the different favors of Ziwipeak, maybe she didn't like the flavor??? Both mine love it. I use the venison flavor.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

Caitlin, I might just send a quick email to Acana and see what they have to say about the rosemary. You must be excited about them making a similar product to ziwi! Maybe Gemma will like it! 

Even though I have no issues with the amount of Odie's poop, I still like to feed some raw meals every week to shake things up, and of course for the dental benefits of a raw bone. I know that dogs are totally fine with eating the same meal everyday, but I like to give a few unconventional meals a week for some enrichment. I wanted to do this with a dog ever since I gave educational talks at wolf feedings (as part of a job I had) and saw how excited they got about different meals. Chihuahuas aren't wolves, but I see a lot of the same with Odie. It's just fun! By the way, the wolves would sometimes eat Acana!


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Wicked Pixie said:


> All dogs shed salmonella in their faeces, the amount is only marginally higher in raw fed dogs. The reason why good hygiene is important, regardless of what is being fed.
> 
> I hope Gemma is feeling better soon. You could still try fish. Fish sold for human consumption is fine, to be extra safe I freeze for two weeks prior to feeding. I feed it frozen so it gives a bit of a dental workout too.


I do have some pollock in the freezer. Is that safe to feed?



Jayda said:


> I might also suggest trying Ziwipeak again. To be honest, I am lazy and just am not willing to go raw. However, I like really like the ingredients of Ziwipeak (or limited ingredients). When I started Lady on this she went from a two a day to a once a day pooper! When Prince joined us on another food he would do two to three small poops a day. After switching him to Ziwipeak, he is also a once a day pooper now. I totally understand that you want to feed her in a way that limits her poop, especially of she eats it. Both Prince and Lady will get the cat poop if we don't get to it immediately. This totally grosses me out. We can't gate the cat boxes because one cat is 17 years old and can not jump. Did you try the different favors of Ziwipeak, maybe she didn't like the flavor??? Both mine love it. I use the venison flavor.


She still doesn't like ZP. She has tried the venison food but she has tried all treats flavors which is basically the same thing and she didn't like any of them either. She didn't even like the cat version. She is still really small and can't afford to lose any weight, so I don't want to chance her not eating again. Believe me, I wish she would just eat ZP! All my problems would be solved!


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

KrystalLeigh said:


> Caitlin, I might just send a quick email to Acana and see what they have to say about the rosemary. You must be excited about them making a similar product to ziwi! Maybe Gemma will like it!
> 
> Even though I have no issues with the amount of Odie's poop, I still like to feed some raw meals every week to shake things up, and of course for the dental benefits of a raw bone. I know that dogs are totally fine with eating the same meal everyday, but I like to give a few unconventional meals a week for some enrichment. I wanted to do this with a dog ever since I gave educational talks at wolf feedings (as part of a job I had) and saw how excited they got about different meals. Chihuahuas aren't wolves, but I see a lot of the same with Odie. It's just fun! By the way, the wolves would sometimes eat Acana!


That would be very cool to see what they have to say. If you mail them, I would love to hear their response. Also yes, I am so excited for their premade raw to come out. I really hope it's available here in Sweden. If it's not at first, I'm definitely going to request it from every supplier here.

Gemma is totally fine with eating Acana every day too, lol. She loves it! But she loves raw anything as well. She gets dried duck breast fillets too as treats/dental chews during the afternoons. So, she gets a good amount of variety anyways in her diet.


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

LittleGemma said:


> That would be very cool to see what they have to say. If you mail them, I would love to hear their response. Also yes, I am so excited for their premade raw to come out. I really hope it's available here in Sweden. If it's not at first, I'm definitely going to request it from every supplier here.
> 
> Gemma is totally fine with eating Acana every day too, lol. She loves it! But she loves raw anything as well. She gets dried duck breast fillets too as treats/dental chews during the afternoons. So, she gets a good amount of variety anyways in her diet.


Just sent them a message! I'll let you know if I get a reply. I asked why they include it and if there are any plans to remove it from their kibble.


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Pollock is fine. Can you get whole oily fish like sprats?
Have you tried other dried raw foods like K9 Naturals? I don't know if you can get it in Sweden, and I think it might be even more expensive than ZiwiPeak, but it is another option to try.
I still can't believe a creature as beautiful as Gemma would have such a filthy habit as poo munching lol. She is a little horror in disguise!


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

KrystalLeigh said:


> Just sent them a message! I'll let you know if I get a reply. I asked why they include it and if there are any plans to remove it from their kibble.


Awesome. 



Wicked Pixie said:


> Pollock is fine. Can you get whole oily fish like sprats?
> Have you tried other dried raw foods like K9 Naturals? I don't know if you can get it in Sweden, and I think it might be even more expensive than ZiwiPeak, but it is another option to try.
> I still can't believe a creature as beautiful as Gemma would have such a filthy habit as poo munching lol. She is a little horror in disguise!


I'm not sure about the oily fish. I will look this week at the store. And no to the K9 Naturals. I have looked before. It seems we just get Acana, Orijen, and Ziwipeak.

LOL, I know. If you met her in real life, you would never imagine she did such a nasty thing. She's so sweet and adorable and innocent. It so does not match her personality, lol. It's really the only naughty thing she does. She is very well-behaved with everything else. My little turd monster. :foxes15:


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

Lol, I could never be cross with that adorable face!


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## KrystalLeigh (Aug 17, 2011)

HAHA oh no! Is that going to be her naughty november entry?


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## chaiteahuahua (Jul 2, 2012)

Hey Caitlin, this is slightly off topic but, have you thought of decreasing her Acana portions at all? I've heard that when dogs poop too much their portions are too big. Just wanted to pass that along if I haven't already


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## carrieandcricket (Dec 6, 2011)

I didn't read the whole thread, so I'm sure someone has already said this. My vet told me some dogs can develop an intolerance to pork. Kinda like an allergy. Just thought I'd share that.


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

A lot of people on here suggesting to try ZP again. Sorry to bump on your thread Caitlin, but I too am having allergy issues with Miya. 

Miya has always been very itchy. I can't tell if it's an allergy or dry skin. She's been on kibble, and for the past 8 months or so, a combo or raw and ZP venison, and ZP lamb. She is still itchy...so...I mean, what can I do? I'm so lost for options. I duno the difference between the symptoms of allergies and dry skin. I've given her benadryl in the past, it doesn't seem to help much. So what's that mean?

Also, the day or two after a bath, she's fine. This makes me think that she just has dandruff and that makes her itch.

I was considering trying a different kibble, like Acana, to see if that helped at all.


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

Wicked Pixie said:


> Lol, I could never be cross with that adorable face!


Yes... I'm never truly upset with her. I just pretend to be disappointed for all of 5 minutes then I can't resist that little face staring up at me.



KrystalLeigh said:


> HAHA oh no! Is that going to be her naughty november entry?


LOL! Oh god, I hope not!!



chaiteahuahua said:


> Hey Caitlin, this is slightly off topic but, have you thought of decreasing her Acana portions at all? I've heard that when dogs poop too much their portions are too big. Just wanted to pass that along if I haven't already


I remember you telling me about how their bodies can go into overdrive if they're fed too much Acana. I've actually upped her portions since then because she is so tiny. I also feed her almost 10g more raw per meal than is recommend because she is such a little twig. I'm a little nervous to try cutting back on her food. She can't afford to lose any weight. I would prefer if she would gain a couple ounces but she is "ok" right now. But she only poops twice per day when she's eating a mix of raw and Acana, so that seems about right. She gets 2 tbsp of Acana in the morning and 30g of raw with a few drops salmon oil at night.



carrieandcricket said:


> I didn't read the whole thread, so I'm sure someone has already said this. My vet told me some dogs can develop an intolerance to pork. Kinda like an allergy. Just thought I'd share that.


It could be a developed intolerance, same with the beef problems she started experiencing around 6 months. Whatever it is, it's enough to keep her off of both meats for good. She's already itching less since I stopped feeding her pork two days ago. It's definitely related to that.



teetee said:


> A lot of people on here suggesting to try ZP again. Sorry to bump on your thread Caitlin, but I too am having allergy issues with Miya.
> 
> Miya has always been very itchy. I can't tell if it's an allergy or dry skin. She's been on kibble, and for the past 8 months or so, a combo or raw and ZP venison, and ZP lamb. She is still itchy...so...I mean, what can I do? I'm so lost for options. I duno the difference between the symptoms of allergies and dry skin. I've given her benadryl in the past, it doesn't seem to help much. So what's that mean?
> 
> ...


I'm sorry to hear Miya is an itchy girl as well.  What kind of protein was in her kibble before? Could she possibly have an allergy to lamb or venison? Maybe you could try an Acana formula, even possibly one of the limited ingredient ones that Tina was talking about like the Duck and Pear one. I think it would be perfect for Gemma if it didn't have oats, but I don't really like to feed grains. But if you don't mind grains, maybe give it a shot? Duck is very low allergen. Do you give salmon oil as well? That has seemed to help Gemma since she started itching, and her coat is so soft.


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

LittleGemma said:


> I'm sorry to hear Miya is an itchy girl as well.  What kind of protein was in her kibble before? Could she possibly have an allergy to lamb or venison? Maybe you could try an Acana formula, even possibly one of the limited ingredient ones that Tina was talking about like the Duck and Pear one. I think it would be perfect for Gemma if it didn't have oats, but I don't really like to feed grains. But if you don't mind grains, maybe give it a shot? Duck is very low allergen. Do you give salmon oil as well? That has seemed to help Gemma since she started itching, and her coat is so soft.


I do give oils often. I hope she isn't allergic to venison & lamb..but she is still itchy so, I may need to start thinking of trying something else. I remember LS suggested an Acana brand that she feeds to her rescues and she was very happy with it. I just don't want to be switching her back and forth between kibble and raw. Here in Japan, it's a little hard to feed raw as well. I mean, there are butchers, but everything is in Japanese lol and I'm not able to read it yet.


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## KittyD (Apr 2, 2010)

Wicked Pixie said:


> All dogs shed salmonella in their faeces, the amount is only marginally higher in raw fed dogs. The reason why good hygiene is important, regardless of what is being fed..


I'm sure, but an elevated amount even if marginal is too much for us personally so we opt not to feed any raw in our home.
When I mentioned that.. I was factoring in and assuming that good hygiene was a given.


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## Zorana1125 (Oct 24, 2010)

Hi love! Sorry to hear about Gemma's allergies! Lola has allergies too, I think both environmental and food, but I've never figured out her food allergies. I'm not sure if you have already thought about this, but have you considered Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw? I think I may try to feed that exclusively to Lola and see if it helps her allergies. It's also really convenient bc you don't have to thaw it, it's always ready to go. Lola also hated ZP and would touch it no matter what I did. Can you get Stella and Chewy's by you?


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


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## LittleGemma (Apr 1, 2012)

teetee said:


> I do give oils often. I hope she isn't allergic to venison & lamb..but she is still itchy so, I may need to start thinking of trying something else. I remember LS suggested an Acana brand that she feeds to her rescues and she was very happy with it. I just don't want to be switching her back and forth between kibble and raw. Here in Japan, it's a little hard to feed raw as well. I mean, there are butchers, but everything is in Japanese lol and I'm not able to read it yet.


LS feeds the Pacifica flavor. That one is fish. You could give it a shot. There's beef, lamb, chicken, and fish for the grain free flavors, then there are limited ingredient duck and lamb flavors but they contain oats.

I know what you mean about it being difficult to find stuff. I still don't speak Swedish (bad) so I can't ask for help or find out where things are on my own. It's up to my boyfriend and he always makes it more difficult than it needs to be when I want him to ask about something. I guess he just doesn't understand what I'm talking about since he has lived off of processed sausage and frozen sodium enhanced chicken all his life. Fresh meat is like "whaaat" to him. And weird cuts for dogs is even more bizarre to him.



Zorana1125 said:


> Hi love! Sorry to hear about Gemma's allergies! Lola has allergies too, I think both environmental and food, but I've never figured out her food allergies. I'm not sure if you have already thought about this, but have you considered Stella and Chewy's freeze dried raw? I think I may try to feed that exclusively to Lola and see if it helps her allergies. It's also really convenient bc you don't have to thaw it, it's always ready to go. Lola also hated ZP and would touch it no matter what I did. Can you get Stella and Chewy's by you?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App


I'm sorry to hear Lola also has allergies.  I wish I could get Stella and Chewy's, but so far I have not found it from any online suppliers here. I'm pretty sure we just have ZP, Acana, and Orijen for top quality premade foods.


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## chaiteahuahua (Jul 2, 2012)

LittleGemma said:


> I remember you telling me about how their bodies can go into overdrive if they're fed too much Acana. I've actually upped her portions since then because she is so tiny. I also feed her almost 10g more raw per meal than is recommend because she is such a little twig. I'm a little nervous to try cutting back on her food. She can't afford to lose any weight. I would prefer if she would gain a couple ounces but she is "ok" right now. But she only poops twice per day when she's eating a mix of raw and Acana, so that seems about right. She gets 2 tbsp of Acana in the morning and 30g of raw with a few drops salmon oil at night.


That's good that she hasn't been pooping as much on Acana/raw and I totally understand the weight issue-- if we feed B even a little under his usual (1oz Acana per meal + raw turkey crumble 3x/week), he drops weight like mad and his spine/hips show way too much. I wonder how accurate the Acana feeding guidelines are for our Chis, since I believe their metabolisms are a little different than bigger dogs.


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## teetee (Aug 25, 2011)

My husband seems to think that some chihuahua's are itchy and i may be over thinking it. he's saying maybe we should buy a humidifyer if she does in fact, have dry skin. May try that before switching her food to see. I really don't know if it's allergies or dry skin.


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## pmum (Oct 17, 2010)

They claim most food allergic dogs do well with Lamb.
Thou lamb is little higher in fat..


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