LeeLoo needs help

[LeeLoo]

We have a 4year old Cairn who has started down a path of allergies. A year ago she had crystals. So Vet took her off the food she was on and now she developed a skin allergy that has bumps appearing. But we don't want the crystals to come back so we are staying away from the original food and now on the vet recomended food. First items on the low alergy food are Gluten wheat and corn????? While on pills, no bumps. But now the pills are finished and bumps came back. Also the food I think is a cause of her starting to pee a lot more and going in the house. She never does this. Any help.... Please

[bradl]

Hi LeeLoo — sorry you haven't gotten any responses so far. I'm afraid (or grateful?) that I don't personally have much experience with allergies and Cairns other than the occasional seasonal environmental allergies. One of our Cairns gets a fraction of a claritin (5 mg) when she's particularly sneezy and face-rubby.  

Not sue what pills you refer to. Food is such a hot topic that I tend to stay clear of it.  I'd continue working with your vet with patience and persistence; sometimes it does take weeks for routines to settle into "new normals."

 

[Ripper70]

Perhaps some additional information would help. What exactly was the diet she was on prior to the vet's recommendations? What food did the vet put her on? Did the vet give you a diagnosis of the bumps on her skin or suggest the cause(s)?

I found an interesting article that may be worth investigation. Please, update us on the pup's condition.

[pkcrossley]

Sounds very frustrating. I agree you don't want the crystals back --that could be more serious than the bumps. Sounds like you need to ask the vet about alternative medicated food --they are not all the same, and LeeLoo could be allergic to fillers or stabilizers that are not the same from food to food. Bumps? I can't picture what you mean. Is something like hives? That could be stress I guess. 

Dogs cannot eat commercial "grain free" foods, mostly, it seems (though they are doing more research) because the brands have high levels of peas and other legumes; not clear what the problem is but they are high in potassium, which can mess up the heart. So the whole food thing is complex and as Brad says it is best to work with your vet to do some research on it.

Peeing in the house is almost as complicated! Since you mention crystals, has she been tested for UTI? Peeing can be anything from medical issues to social/psychological things (which makes me wonder again about stress). I know this is all frustrating and complicated. Get her the best nutrition you can, the most stress-free environment you can provide get her plenty of exercise, and just keep up the detective work to find out what she could be coming into contact with that is making her uncomfortable,. 

[sanford]

As mentioned above, in one of the responses, it would help us to know what kind of pills you are using. Antihistamines? Also, it can sometimes take approx. 3 months on medication for it to take hold.

   As Brad points out, the topic of food is complicated. At the risk of adding to this, I can report that ironically, a number of "prescription diet" foods have low- grade ingredients. An example used to be corn, in 2 of the most heavily prescribed brands by vets! (Perhaps that is no longer the case today)? Corn is widely considered to be a a cheap filler... The cause of many allergic reactions in dogs. The other allergy culprit is chicken, which once was considered benign, but most chickens today have been loaded with antibiotics, hormones, etc. Due to their overuse in dog foods, they are now suspect as a source of allergy problems. I recommend reading labels and avoiding any that list corn in the first 4 ingredients. You might also consider an alternative "novel" protein to chicken such as bison, lamb, rabbit, fish, etc.

i hope this helps and doesn't confuse matters.

Good luck.

[Sam I Am]

I am a big supporterof home made diets that are nutritionally balanced.  If you are interested  and would like to give it a try perhaps look on this site under Resources and then cook books and then Rosies diet. You can always wing it past your vet to see what they say or another suggestion is to find Veterinary practice that offers both traditional and holistic practices. Here is a web site you can click on to see if there is a clinic close to where you live. https://creaturecomfort.ca/resource-centre/holistic-veterinarians-in-canada/

Edited January 1, 2020 by Sam I Am

[LeeLoo]

Thank you for the great ideas. Please keep sending us links and articles to read. What a wealth of knowledge you have all been. We have changed food again and went with our breeder's suggestion. The last new food the vet changed her on to had Gluten, Wheat & Corn as top ingredients. We didn't like the choice but we trusted his judgement. Well after a month on this, we now changed to the breeders recomendation. Leeloo has shown amazing new energy and life. We are still working on the bumps that appear randomly over her skin. They can be small or a bit larger like pimple size and seem to dry out. Her skin doesn't smell anymore so we are hoping the food is the cause and the new food will help them go away. But without a doubt she is ripping around the house and yard like we have known her to do. 

Thank you again!

[Sam I Am]

A lot of truth in the old saying, “You are what you eat”.

[Ripper70]

Which food did the breeder recommend? I'm curious to know how it differs from the brand suggested by the vet.

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

This is what we feed our Lab (sensitive skin and tummy) and the 2 Cairns...I had a hard time finding a food that did not have pea protein in it...made for HUGE poops, etc.  I order it from Chewy.  Earthborn Holistic Venture Alaska Pollock Meal and Pumpkin Limited Ingredients.  We only allow tiny chopped up pieced of raw carrots for treats and the dogs love them more than the commercial store bought treats!  No more bumps on the Lab's skin and less shedding too.  The Cairns are keeping trim and fit after going to carrot bits for treats.

Alaska Pollock Meal, Pumpkin, Tapioca, Sunflower Oil (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flaxseed, Natural Flavors, Potassium Chloride, Salt ,Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, L-Lysine, Taurine, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Zinc Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Exrtract, Rosemary Extract, Green Tea Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Casei Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product.

[LeeLoo]

Hello Everyone

Thank you so much for your thoughtful replies. We have made amazing headway with LeeLoo's allergies/urinary tract issues and this is what we did: changed our vet to someone who truly listened to us and wanted to work with our concerns and ideas; changed food to Natural Balance Limited Ingredients Duck and Sweet Potato - this was LeeLoo's breeder's recommendation and LeeLoo absolutely loves it; added cranberry extract to her food daily - another suggestion by the breeder; we serve her food with a quarter cup of water - this will help ward off the formation of bladder crystals; a sprinkle of Ygia probiotic to each meal; and she is currently taking Apoquel (allergy medication) that will be weaned off in approximately a month. LeeLoo is "all the way back" to being LeeLoo and we are over the moon happy about that.

Thank you for caring about LeeLoo.

Kindest regards

Sue

[pkcrossley]

great to hear this!

[sanford]

Wonderful news! Thanks for letting us know. Happy for you,