[Dailydrool] Allergies and dog food

[dpmcquade at verizon.net]

We have had two bassets with serious allergies, and my best advice would be to try putting your dog on a fish-based food--buy the smallest bag you can as a test run. Fish seems to have a good chance of not causing allergies. It has certainly helped our Holly, who has terrible allergies to things such as chicken, turkey, grains, and who knows what else. You may also want to use a food that has limited ingredients, to limit the possibilities for allergens in the food?this will also help you identify what your dog may be allergic to if the fish diet does not work, since you will only have a few ingredients to rule out of the diet. Most of all, be sure to avoid common allergens such as soy, wheat, and corn. This goes not only for your dog?s food, but also for every treat and other bite that goes into your dog?s mouth.

Carefully read ALL the ingredients on everything. Our first dog with allergies, Belvedere, kept getting itchy until I realized there was corn starch or some such thing in some of his treats. As soon as I changed treats to something with no corn, the itching stopped.

Ears and allergies are usually connected. If your hound?s ears are bad, allergies are often not far off. Dealing with the allergies will probably help the ears too.

If a fish-based food does not help, you may have to go to something more unusual, like buffalo meat. I?ve never had to do this. But you want a food that the dog has not had much contact with and is therefore unlikely to be allergic to.
 
Should all this fail, you probably need to see a vet about allergy issues, but food is a starting point. It could even solve your problem, if it?s not too serious. Our Belvedere did fine, once we eliminated corn from his diet.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets