Letters from readers:

Home-cooked meal best
for dog with allergies

Hello,
My dog has a problem that is common to many dogs – he scratches a lot and is beginning to scratch red patches on his skin. I have combed and brushed and can guarantee he has no fleas. I have also examined his fur everywhere and there are no ticks anywhere. I know that certain plants can cause allergy on contact but there doesn’t seem to be any particular area of his body that is affected as there would be if he had contact allergy. His scratching seems just a random thing and anywhere on the body. The vet wanted to put him on steroids, but I am more interested in finding out what is causing the itch and eliminating it, rather than just covering it up. Any suggestions? – Amanda, Hamilton NZ

Hello Amanda,
Good on you for not going down the steroid road unless absolutely necessary. It really does sound like an allergy to me, but contact allergy is not the only type of allergy dogs suffer from. There are many airborne pollens and spores that can affect dogs the same way that they affect humans, but as he is not sneezing or coughing I think it is more likely to be something he is eating. Have you recently changed your brand of dog food, or changed the way you feed the dog? Even a change from ordinary dog food to hypoallergenic dog food can trigger an allergy – it all depends on what the dog is allergic to!

Most commonly, allergies are triggered by colourants, preservatives, wheat, corn, soy or dairy, but any of the other ingredients in commercial dog foods may also launch an allergy. If you have changed brands, read carefully the ingredients on one of the old brand packets and the new brand. If there is something in the new one that is not in the old one, it could be the offending ingredient. But not necessarily – allergies can flare up at any time. I would recommend home-cooked meals at least for a few weeks to see if the scratching clears up. If it does, then you can guarantee that the dog is allergic to something in the new food (or perhaps a new recipe from the old food company). Finding the culprit is just a matter of trial and error.

If you find the dog does well on home cooked meals then why not keep feeding him on home-made? That way you will have a whole lot more control – keeping a record of everything you feed him is also a good idea. If he ever breaks out in pruritis again you will be able to look at your notes and trace any changes in ingredients that could be responsible. You may find your dog reacts to one or more ingredients over time, so just make sure you keep a record of which foods cause the problem and avoid them at all times. Make sure you keep your vet in the loop – inform him-or-her of what you are doing and what your findings are. You can gain a lot of help from your vet with setting your dog’s natural diet and what you should or should not feed him. Good luck with that. - Ed