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Hypoallergenic/grain free


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Hi I have a 3 year old lab, who has had problems with dry skin/redness/itching. My vet recommended a hypoallergenic diet as he thinks she could have tolerance to certain ingredients. 

The hypoallergenic diet has worked on and off, my father recently spoke to a dealer on a working dog food stand at a show and he said that I should put my bitch on a grain free diet. Could someone please explain the differences, as I'm wondering why the vet never said this in the first instance. My bitch has had to have steroid injection and tablets she's back to her self then, and then after a period she's scratching again some weeks later. Many thanks 

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59 minutes ago, squirrel shooter said:

My bitch has had to have steroid injection and tablets she's back to her self then, and then after a period she's scratching again some weeks later. Many thanks 

A bit cynical on my part but perhaps that's your answer right there. Your vet didn't suggest the grain free diet as tabs, injections and hypo allergenic food would be an ongoing income stream for the life of the dog.  

We started to feed ours on an 80/10/10 raw food diet a few months back when our spaniel pup started to develop some itchiness and dry skin on her belly. We thought it could either have been an allergy to the dry/ wet mix puppy food or a grass seed and pollen allergy. As well as being a lot more keen to eat their breakfast in the morning I think the feeding of raw over canned/ sacked premade foods has helped reduce the itchiness and dry skin to nothing (this could also coincide with the changing of the seasons and reduction in seeds and pollen she has come into contact with on walks) and given a noticeable boost in their energy levels and overall wellbeing. 

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Many grain free dog foods are hypoallergenic. 
 

Sometimes it’s just an odd ingredient though. 
 

I find CSJ tripe decent even for my dog with a very sensitive stomach. 
 

CSJ no grainer even better but few £ more. 
 

BARF can be very good if you have the facilities and time but it’s hard work if you want to go away anywhere. 

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If you can get it then the raw food is probably the way forward, at least to try anyway. I used to get bags of meat trimmings from a local butcher that would have otherwise been binned at 20p a bag and the odd big marrow bone for free, that was about 12 years ago and he has since retired and I've now no supply but my word it was great stuff. 

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We get our raw food delivered frozen from a specialist raw food shop. Comes in 500g packs and works out at less than £1 a day to feed two dogs.

As it's made from flesh, organs and bone chunks there is a very little in there to trigger alergies.

If you have young children and your kind of lax about the dogs licking the children's faces or your children could easily access the feed bowls then it's probably not suitable but in all else cases it's the better option.

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I’ve got a Springer and a not sure spaniel, possibly Brittany. 
 Both now on raw they both are much better dogs on it all round. The Brittany or what ever he is doesn’t have an undercoat to speak of and in summer was getting bothered by something pollen or grass and is much better on raw. 
 Temperament of them both is better too. 
 
Bulmers complete is the one we’ve settled on. It’s easy enough to feed and available locally. 

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On 11/10/2021 at 15:01, Lloyd90 said:

Many grain free dog foods are hypoallergenic. 
 

Sometimes it’s just an odd ingredient though. 
 

I find CSJ tripe decent even for my dog with a very sensitive stomach. 
 

CSJ no grainer even better but few £ more. 
 

BARF can be very good if you have the facilities and time but it’s hard work if you want to go away anywhere. 

It is worth trying different foods until you find one that suits the dog. As Lloyd says it can be just one ingredient or the way the food is put together. I had the same problem with my last pup. Eukanuba used by the breeder had him scratching but a move to Harringtons puppy and problem solved.

Good luck

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one of my dogs bad guts and bad cote  flaky skin    changed to a gluten free bag food    gablestock at newark   £15 a bag  pets shops   same  bag £45      never looked back      chicken is the other one that causes problems    when i was a kid we fed our  dogs with table scraps  left overs etc they were our dustbins nothing wasted 

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