food trial for my pet's allergies ?

[Elvis Lee Mommy]

Hello

Has anyone had to go through a food trial for their pet to determine if the pet has food allergies?

The Vet thinks Elvis has food allergies & put him on Vet Formula Prescription Eukenuba F/P dry & wet which has potatoes, mackrel & herring. Vet thinks he could be allergic to certain proteins such as chicken, beef, lamb, duck or turkey.

Has anyone gone through this with their pet? How did it go?

[ikklegem]

We had to go through a food trial for Poppy but not because of allergies. In the end it turned out her problem had nothing to do with diet but it was just a matter of eliminating things. It was pretty expensive to give her white fish and potatoes and after that she had to have special tinned food from the vet.

I can imagine how worried you are because I know how I felt last year, I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of his problem eventually and he'll be OK.

[Chrissy]

We had to go through this with our shepherd.. she ended up having to be on some kind of not-so-cheap lamb and rice formula.
Our collie/pointer X is recently starting to show signs of allergies now so we're going to have to go through food trial again with her now It's frutrating
Best of luck to you!

[noemirdgz]

Hi!!
I`m new and I just read your question about food allergies.I have a yorkie that suffers severe allergies.I took him to the vet and at first they told me the same thing that it could be the food.So I change his food to the one the vet recomended,lamb and rice but I didn`t see any difference.I would bathe him with the oatmeal shampoo and I would notice he would get worst,he would scrath a lot more.So I decided to get him allergy tested. It was the best thing I did. They gave me a list of everything he was allergic to.I was very surprise to see that he was very allergic to oats,so thhat`s why he would scratch after I would bathe him the oatmeal shampoo.As for the food they gave a list of all the food he would tolerate.So my point is if your dog is really suffering from allergies the best thin is to get him tested that way is easier to avoid any food he is allergic to.Even the food the vet recommended at first he was allergic to. No he still suffer from allergies but he is a lot better his hair grew back and he doesn`t scratch as much.

I hope everything goes well!!!!

[Elvis Lee Mommy]

Quote: Originally Posted by noemirdgz Hi!! I`m new and I just read your question

Welcome to the forum & thank you very much for the information. If you don't mind me asking, was the testing expensive? A neighbor told me it cost her over a thousand to have it done for her Maltese & the vet said it is expensive too but did not give me a price. So far, I'm not noticing much of a difference & he really does not like the new food very much (potato, mackerel, herring)

[noemirdgz]

I only pay the most $200.00. And the test was very specif as to what he was allergic to. Also they give you a list of food he would tolerate. It was a blood test that was send to a lab.The name of the lab is Spectrum Labs. Inc(veterinary allergy testing and treatment) If you have more questions feel free to ask.I don`t mind at all.
noemirdgz

[millie121]

Hello,
I am in the process of trying new foods now, as my cat has sensitive stomach. I don't know if it's an allergy specifically, but I'm going to test out Natural Balance. They have foods formulated for both dogs and cats with single protein/carb sources. I can let you know how it goes with Kitty, but that may not be much help for puppy. My parents Westie is allergic to Meat AND WHEAT! So she's on the Natural Balance all-veggie dog food and she is much better (she did have constant skin problems and diarrhea..but no more).

Allergy testing may be a good way to go if you can't find a good food for your Lil Elvis....especially if it will help you find a food that's less expensive than prescription. Good luck with everything...it can take a while to figure out what works by switching foods, so hang in there mom and Elvis.

[Elvis Lee Mommy]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for the well wishes & answers to my questions. Elvis Lee lost 7% of his weight in 3 weeks so I took him off the prescription fish/potato food. It got to where he refused to eat all day long and by 5pm I had to force his mouth open and make him eat, he hated it so much. I can't watch my baby suffer & 3 weeks is too long. I feel really bad that I did not stop the food earlier.

The Vet has been calling every 2 or 3 days to follow up with his eating & paw biting. I brought him in yesterday. We are going ahead with the blood work for allergy testing. He is being tested for food allergies as well as atopic allergies. Cost is $ 255 and well worth it to find out what is troubling my baby boy.

When we came home from the vet, I gave him a scrambled egg (his favorite) and he gobbled it right up. Last night I put him back on Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lovers Soul dry food. He loves that stuff. It's holistic, no preservatives, no fillers or byproducts. So, I'll keep him on this until I get the test results. The Vet also prescribed special shampoo and a leave in conditioner that is 1% hydrocortisone & it seems to give him some relief. We've been using it once a week for 3 weeks.

The Vet said, depending on what he is allergic to, we can restrict his diet to avoid allergic foods and/or the lab can make a scerum especially designed for his body & get an allergy shot once a month. I guess we need to wait to see how many things he is allergic to. I'll keep you all updated. Thanks again. This forum has a great group of petlovers & I really appreciate your replies.