My boxer has been scratching and chewing his feet for a couple months. I read that some dogs can be allergic to grains so I switched him to a grain free Blue Buffalo kibble. I mixed it with his old food and I have already noticed him scratching less.

However, his farts are absolutely lethal and steady. Anyone feeding with a high protein kibble and had this issue. Do you think he will adjust to it?

Yeah we use that for the wife's cats.... That crap will stink you out. The cats look much healthier though. They puke less too.

We've started the transition to Blue for our cats. Haven't noticed more stinky poops but they are popping less. Our one cat still has a lot of dandruff tho.

Been feeding grain free/high protein to my boxer for ~4 years. Have no issues with farts unless he goes somewhere and gets into corn based foods.

I don't use Blue, but I love grain free foods for him.

So you read that some dogs are allergic to grain and you switched food? Why not ask your vet instead and go to a hydrolyzed diet until you can actually identify the allergen. Protein allergies are the most common food allergies in dogs.

I asked the vet and they said to give him a Benedryl. He was doped up on Benedryl for a couple months and still scratching. Since the switch a week ago no Benedryl and the scratching has declined drastically.

Not sure why you are being an ass. Are you a vet?

And rule 1.

80% of food allergies are to meat/dairy products, not grains or other carb sources. If you are still feeding the old food, it is highly unlikely that you are dealing with a diet allergy since it is still being exposed to the other food. You would have to have the dog on a hypoallergenic food (which Blue is not despite their excellent marketing as such) for 6-8 weeks. No other treats, people food, rawhides, etc. The gas is probably due to a shift in the GI bacteria because of the diet change.

So is this expensive food a waste?

Why do you think he is so itchy?

quote:

---

80% of food allergies are to meat/dairy products, not grains or other carb sources.

---

Can you tell the coyotes at the ranch this information so maybe they'll cut back on their protein intake?

Thanks!

Switched my dog to blue and the first week or so was terrible with stinky gas. All good now though.

Brother- keep in mind, like Doctors, Vets are NOT always right. (Except for MAnny). You've found the right combination of food so keep doing what your doing. From my experience, this is better than Vet bills!!!

Gas-B-Gone @ Petsmart. One tablet broken up into food and served at each meal eliminates the gas odor problem.

Coyotes actually eat quite a bit of plant matter.

My terrier has the same symptoms--chewing her paws and scratching. It's worse in the summer. I give her hydroxyzine as needed and that helps more than anything. I tried Blue Buffalo as well with the same results as you (and extra bad breath to boot)

Agree - most food allergies are to the protein source, not the grains. There are I'm sure a few dogs that are allergic to wheat, gluten etc. but not very many. To do a proper food trial for food allergies (which tend to persist all year, and can happen at any time even if the dog has been on the same food for years) - minimum 2 months of a hypoallergenic prescription food (or even home cooked - 1 protein source, 1 carb source) with no treats, people food, nothing not even flavored heartworm preventative (like Heartgard, Trifexis, Sentinel, etc. - you have to use Advantage Multi which goes on their back), and a resolution of the itching, along with a re-challenge of the old food at the end, if the itching comes back, it was food allergies.

I am amazed at the number of people buying into the grain free craze...when there is nothing really to back it. Why is corn evil? Obviously it shouldn't be the #1 ingredient but dogs are omnivores...it's okay for them to eat vegetables. Unless your dog is a performance dog (i.e. hunting, field trial, agility, etc) or a puppy, they likely do not need such high levels of protein. Also, there is no reliable skin/saliva/blood test for food allergies.

Dogs also develop seasonal allergies, same as people, however these manifest as skin itching, licking paws/groin/armpits, etc. not hay fever like symptoms. Seasonal allergies is called atopic dermatitis, or atopy. These dogs are itchy for seasons, mostly spring/summer and it occurs yearly, then goes away. Some lucky dogs get both atopy and food allergies. Allergy testing (same as in people) is an option for these dogs.

It really is best to talk to your veterinarian about the signs your dog is having. Skin infections need treatment as they are itchy by themselves, and some dogs need some Pred every now and then to stymy the itch. The point of food trials and allergy testing/shots is to avoid long term use of steroids.

Sorry so long, but allergies are a complicated disease process and there is never a cure, always management. I spend probably 1-2 hours a day talking to clients about allergies (probably more actually since we see a ton of Bulldogs) and it is a difficult topic to get clients to wrap their head around. Everybody wants a quick fix, a cure-all shot, and it doesn't exist.

You don't think they like corn? They readily eat corn in just about any form.

I get they aren't likely to get corn meal.

I mainly just reenforcing the concept that canines at omnivores and not obligate carnivores.

Very true. I'll be the first to admit, if something is remotely "premium", I'm already looking at something else.

quote:

---

However, his farts are absolutely lethal and steady.

---

I'm on my second boxer and this one is 3.5 months old. I think constant lethal farts are just natural for them.

Rule 1



[This message has been edited by aggieforester05 (edited 9/23/2013 4:18p).]

Been raising boxers for 15 years and these farts are not normal boxer farts but I know what you mean.

quote:

---

I am amazed at the number of people buying into the grain free craze...when there is nothing really to back it.

---

I will back it with less shedding, prettier coat, a ton less crap in the back yard and my dogs both being strong and healthy as an ox. Just the difference in the amount they crap is more than enough to justify the added expense IMO.

A recent study of atopic dermatitis conducted at Wright State University has concluded, “storage mite sensitivity in dogs may be as important, if not more important, than dust mite sensitivity”.
In other words, the consumption of grain storage mites and their carcasses must be considered an important cause of atopic dermatitis in dogs.

Yet grain mites and insects can together create a much bigger problem. They can easily pick up and spread the spores of highly dangerous molds. Molds are completely invisible to the naked eye. What’s worse, they reproduce by creating even smaller seed-like particles called spores.

Now, because molds and spores are so microscopically tiny, they can easily spread by way of the wind — or by hitching a ride on the bodies of mites and weevils. So, it doesn’t take long for an entire storage bin of cereal grain to become quickly contaminated. And because they’re so cheap, low-quality contaminated grains like these are frequently used to make dog food.
That finding clearly implicates grain-based dog food as a possible cause for this far-too-common condition.

Of course, many dogs are allergic to the molds and spores that ultimately find their way into their daily rations.
Yet the greatest danger to any pet lies in the potential for ingesting the poisons produced by the molds themselves. These exceptionally dangerous poisons are known as mycotoxins.
Today, there are hundreds of known mycotoxins. Here are a few of the more common ones known to affect dogs…
Aflatoxin
Vomitoxin
Zearalenone
Ochratoxin
Fumonisin

If a dog were to eat a commercial pet food contaminated with a disease causing level of aflatoxin, the result could be catastrophic.

Have a link, I'd like to read it.

Can be found under Dog Food Advisor.Com

The title is canine diseases linked to cereal grains in dog food.

The Wright State university study can be found www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I give my 55 lb yellow lab a Zyrtec non-drowsy over-the-counter generic antihistamine everyday in her dog food. She doesn't chew her legs. Albertsons sells the generic for around 20 cents each in a 60 count bottle so it's minimal cost each month.

Ursus, and so do my labs and mastiff eat plenty of plant matter. It gets stringy in their feces the part they do not digest. I try to stop them to no avail. Nothing worse than a pooch wanting to come in the house or garage with a turd dangling by a grass thread.

All 4 of my dogs (and all my dogs previously) had great coats, lived to the ripe old age of 16, energy, normal poop, etc. and eat regular Purina and Science Diet. I think a lot has to do with placebo effect, just basing it off what people tell me. I am glad your dogs do better on the grain-free. It is different for each pet.

That study (and website you copied & pasted from...) is hard to find! And the only one that I could find. However, consider that storage mites are a possible contamination with ALL dry dog food, not just grain-free!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18494758
It is the act of storing a food for a period of time, not the fact that it has grains in it. I have an allergy panel out on a Bassett right now, I know it checks for dust mites, but I will have to see if it includes storage mites as well when it comes in later this week.

I end up telling clients - feed whatever food makes you happy and makes your dog happy. It's different for each dog. 1 of my dogs gets diarrhea on Purina, but loves her Science Diet. It gets frustrating when clients would rather trust the 18 year old at PetSmart (you think they aren't about making money too?) over your veterinarian. Same thing with groomers - do you ask your hairdresser advice on what to feed your kids? Not likely. Don't take everything at face value and what some random guy on a website said isn't always the truth. Dr. Google isn't always right.

There isn't enough data out to say one way or the other on what is the best food, and I don't think there is one single best food, but if your dog is doing great why change things up just because everybody else is doing it?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21106038

Another study I just found. Had dust mites in the bags of dog food too!

Not to mention the principle researcher has a history of animal welfare issues.

I noticed there a lot of advice based off what appears to be one article. Good info '22

quote:

---

I think a lot has to do with placebo effect, just basing it off what people tell me.

---

I've told this story before, but, when I went to training with Virbac I was shocked to see placebo effect in animal studies. Most of the time is was even more pronounced than in human pharmaceuticals.

I wonder how much trust folks would give a human dentistry website if it was run by a veterinarian. I give as much credibility to dogfood advisor as I give The Democratic Party on Obamacare

I have fed just about every dog food out there at one time or another, and I have had trouble with all of them eventually.

One thing that I went to a couple of years ago is a rotational diet. I feed 3-4 different foods in rotation, each with a different protein ingredient. All of the past stomach problems have disappeared for my 5 mutts. And at the very least, I figure if there is a recall issue with a food I am feeding, they are getting a limited amount of that food.