I have a Cairn Terrier that has allergies to almost everything. Has anyone else had a dog like this ?

Question

He is allergic to poultry, potatoes, soy, and grasses. I have had every test known to vets run on him and cannot control the scratching except with steroid pills which I hate to give him very frequently. I have tried Atopica as well and it helps some but is very expensive. He is on Purina HA dog food and has no snacks others than those without the ingrediants he is allergic to. I would really like to know if any of you have had a similar experience and have found a remedy that is safe.

Answer 1

You should consider trying a raw meat (B.A.R.F.) diet.
Give your dog raw beef with cooked rice, and other vegetables that hes not allergic to.
I've also heard others call Purina crap/garbage dog food, and that people shouldn't feed it to their dogs.

Answer 2

I'm afraid a Cairn would not be suitable. This dog, along with all other terriers, has a double coat. The hard, outer coat needs handstripping and the inner wooly coat sheds. This dog also produces dander (miniscule skin flakes) which is what which most allergy sufferers react to. You should be looking at breeds such as the poodle or Bichon Frise. They have a wool coat and do not produce dander.

Answer 3

I have a friend with a highly allergic dog also (I also have one with seasonal allergies and an allergy to lamb and something found only Nutro products - haven't figured out what). She found help with a veterinary dermatologist who put her dog on Cyclosporine for a period of time. It's a harsh drug too - typically used by transplant patients to suppress the immune system to avoid rejection and also used for some autoimmune diseases. Her dog is doing much better now and no longer on this drug. They taper them off this drug after a period of time and the effects seem to last.

Veterinary dermatologists are hard to come by - ask your vet for a referral or call the closest veterinary university teaching hospital to you and see if you can find one. It's often the best route when nothing else works.

Answer 4

Yes.

I once had a dog that was allergic to the following (that I knew of): chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, canned tuna, eggs, all grains.

I'm guessing that you have tried a variety of different foods? Sometimes it takes a while to find the right one, or in the case of my Webster I never did find a kibble he could eat (and I tried LOTS).

Since your dog is allergic to potatoes AND grasses, I'd suggest switching to a low carbohydrate diet. So far the only kibble I know of without grains or potatoes is "Instinct" by Natures Variety. It now comes in Rabbit formula, which might be worth a try. http://www.naturesvariety.com/content.lasso?page=1465&-session=naturesvariety:C667AC09167cb20936MlQ29FFACA

Or you may end up having to make his food yourself. I'd suggest starting off with ONE single protein (i.e. hamburger) and see how he does on that. This is not intended to be a long-term diet, just an experiment to see how he reacts to that one ingredient. If he reacts to the beef, try a different protein. If he's okay with it, try adding a second ingredient to see how he does with that. Keep testing different ingredients until you come up with a balanced diet for him.

That's basically what I had to do with Webster. It took a long time, but it was worth it. He went from being constantly itchy, with bald, red patches and perpetually oozing ears (and the stench!), to a normal dog with only a little bit of itching in the springtime.

Another thing you need to watch with allergies is stresses on the immune system. My vet told me that Webster should never be vaccinated again (vaccines can make allergies worse). Anesthetic is another immune system stressor, while it is sometimes necessary it's best to keep it to a minimum.
http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm#map

NOTE: I am NOT against vaccination in general, but they should be used with caution.

Here's a really good site on dog nutrition to start you off
http://www.dogaware.com/

Feel free to email me if you have further questions, I'll try to help.

Answer 5

yes my dog is allergic to wheat so its hard to find food that does not have wheat and i feel bad for ur dog its allergic to grass u should try to put little doggie shoe and try to put on long socks on all of the feet so he cant touch the grass and i dont know what to do about the other things but thats a good one right

Answer 6

Would you try Canidae dog food? Testimonials claim that it clears up all kinds of skin conditions and is very good for them. It doesn't have wheat, corn, or soybeans. There are different varieties and you can get little sample bags to try first. Make sure your home is stress-free.

Answer 7

I do ,i have a chihuahua and he has allergy almost to everything i have to give him hypoallergenic from royal canine its really good but when i try to give him treats or other type of food he has allergic reactions.

Answer 8

Hello there, I have a girl with "identical" issues. If you care, I can e-mail you something.
Best of luck