Allergies/Food

Sammy started itching last weekend and it got worse as the week progressed, so she went to the vet today. They prescribed a medicated shampoo and leave-in conditioner. The vet also said I should change her diet to a food that supports skin health. He said this before he even asked what kind of food she eats. When I told him she eats Taste of the Wild, he acted like he had never heard of it because he said her food should be grain free without beef, which it is. So my question is, do you think TOTW is a food that supports skin health? It says on the bag that it contains omega fatty acids that help maintain healthy skin and a shiny coat, so it seems to support skin health to me. If you don't think TOTW supports skin health, can you recommend a brand that does?

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Permalink Reply by Jane on September 5, 2011 at 10:34pm

Has she ever been itchy before? I think this is heavy ragweed season, Luke started itching like crazy too just a couple weeks ago. Your vet didn't suggest trying Benedryl or Claritin/Zyrtec or anything like that? It seems kind of odd. I would be inclined to try treating for a season allergy and see if that helps anything before I would change her food.

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Permalink Reply by Katy on September 5, 2011 at 10:49pm

The vet technician suggested benedryl but not the vet. I am going to do that too, I just wanted an opinion on "skin healthy" foods because I disagreed with the vet on switching.

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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on September 5, 2011 at 11:17pm

All that is really in skin formulas of food is a smaller omega 3:6 ratio. Most dog foods are between a ratio of 1:5 or 1:10 but the optimum is 1:2-- that's twice as many omega 6's as omega 3's. Not sure how TOTW is in this department. An omega 3 supplement would do just fine-- oily fish, fish body oil, and flaxseed oil are good sources of omega 3's. Don't switch your food just yet, especially if he's been on it for a while and has been doing well.

As for environmental allergies, have you done anything in your home that could cause irritation? Like change detergents or soaps? Worth a thought!

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Permalink Reply by Katy on September 6, 2011 at 2:32pm

I'm not sure how to find out that exact ratio...I'm normally good in math haha but does this help figure out the ratio: the back of the bag says it contains 0.3% omega 3's and 2.4% omega 6's.

Sam has been on the food for somewhere around 6-8 months and she has never had a problem with it. I originally thought she was itching because I switched the flavor of the food, but she had already eaten the specific flavor before. I will keep in mind the supplement.

We did have new laundry detergent but I re-washed her blankets in just soap and water to see if that was the problem and I don't think it was.

Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on September 6, 2011 at 12:27pm

Most of the foods in the market these days have added Omega 3's and have some aspect of skin health support. You could always add a skin supplement such as wild salmon oil or ground flax seed just to give an added boost since your pup is having problems. One thing to consider too is fleas. My parents just had a very expensive couple of trips to the vet, rounds of shampoos and medications, etc because their lab started itching relentlessly. No fleas were found on them, the cats, or even on the dog. The third trip to the vet they finally found some flea dirt and put him on Comfortis and the issue went away within a couple of days. He was on Frontline religiously and had been every month for his entire life. For some reason the Frontline quit working and the fleas took over. There weren't enough to actually see them anywhere but he is a black dog with dark skin so they'd be hard to see even if there were a lot of them. Just a thought.