[Stef_Walsh]

Another thread!

This is continued from another thread I started in the health forums, but I'm not getting many responses and I'm just looking for some relatable experiences. Basically, Ace has been very itchy and I found some scabbing on his inner thighs. Based on the centralized area of the itchiness, which is primarily his inner things and paws, the vet said he most likely has a food allergy. The below is my last post in the other thread:

Okay so I went to the vet, and it appears as though Ace has developed a food allergy. He eats Eagle Pack Large Breed Puppy, by the way. The vet said that this is the most likely cause of the itchiness.

She said that there is a chance that it may not be that, so she has given Ace cephalexin for 14 days to treat a possible skin infection. She's also prescribed theraderm cream for the areas that I found the scabs to make sure that he doesn't develop an infection from biting/scratching at them, and also told me to give Ace Benadryl to combat some of the itchiness.

Does anyone have any experience with food allergies in goldens? To my knowledge, it is not uncommon in many dogs, especially goldens. The vet recommended that I continue to feed Ace his puppy food and that we treat the itchiness superficially with the benadryl and such, and switch him to a hypoallergenic dog food at about 8-9 months to obviously solve to root of the problem. However, I have read that many users on this site give their puppies adult food fairly young. Ace is 5 months now, so would it be safe to start feeding him the hypoallergenic food sooner rather than later?

 

[Chancellor'smom]

Hello. I am going through the same thing with my golden who is 9 months old. He had been on Eukanuba large breed puppy food and kept getting an ear infection. Then around 7 months he kept itching, scratching and I kept seeing little scabs. We are being told food allergies. However he isnt improving much with treatment. We switched him to Natural Balance sweet potato and duck, have been giving him antihistamines, antibiotics, even steriods. His vet wants me to give him a little more time but it's been about a month. I am planning on getting a second opinion most likely next week. Our golden's energy level is pretty low for a puppy too. I am requesting a full panel done on his thyroid. My daughter is raising my golden's litter mate and she has been on natural balance since about 4 months. It's not a puppy food but seems like a good food for them. We add sprinkled glucosamine to their food. Good luck figuring out your puppies issues, it can be frustrating.

 

[Ljilly28]

My golden Tango is very allergic to salmon, and her grandfather has a bad reaction to it too- weird.

 

[Sally's Mom]

IMO food allergies as a cause for itching are over diagnosed. In dogs under one year, allergies, in general are not common. My dogs like to bite and scratch, it's what Goldens do. But they don't make lesions... So I don't worry about it. A lot of it is behavioral, it's what they do before they go downstairs with me in the AM. They also sneeze when I walk in the door at night when I come home from work. With a true food allergy, you have to limit food at first, so if you feed a special food, but the same treats and bones,etc, you will not get an accurate result.

 

[Stef_Walsh]

IMO food allergies as a cause for itching are over diagnosed. In dogs under one year, allergies, in general are not common. My dogs like to bite and scratch, it's what Goldens do. But they don't make lesions... So I don't worry about it. A lot of it is behavioral, it's what they do before they go downstairs with me in the AM. They also sneeze when I walk in the door at night when I come home from work. With a true food allergy, you have to limit food at first, so if you feed a special food, but the same treats and bones,etc, you will not get an accurate result.

I actually asked Ace's trainer's opinion on this as well after class this evening. She's also a very reputable dog breeder (of Mastiffs and German Shepherds), so she's pretty much seen it all. She is actually of the same opinion as you, and said although a food allergy is possible, she would likely attribute it to something else. In fact, she said that she's seen the same symptoms Ace is having in other dogs due to Sentinel, which Ace has been taking monthly.

She also recommended giving him a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar once a day to help keep his skin healthy, which I'm going to try.

All the same, I'm going to see how this whole thing turns out. Once Ace is finished the antibiotics and the spots on his legs clear up, I'm going to just wait and see if it become a recurring thing.

 

[Willow52]

Hello. I am going through the same thing with my golden who is 9 months old. He had been on Eukanuba large breed puppy food and kept getting an ear infection. Then around 7 months he kept itching, scratching and I kept seeing little scabs. We are being told food allergies. However he isnt improving much with treatment. We switched him to Natural Balance sweet potato and duck, have been giving him antihistamines, antibiotics, even steriods. His vet wants me to give him a little more time but it's been about a month. I am planning on getting a second opinion most likely next week. Our golden's energy level is pretty low for a puppy too. I am requesting a full panel done on his thyroid. My daughter is raising my golden's litter mate and she has been on natural balance since about 4 months. It's not a puppy food but seems like a good food for them. We add sprinkled glucosamine to their food. Good luck figuring out your puppies issues, it can be frustrating.

When Maggie (RIP) was a puppy her first year was plagued with ear infections. After much trial & error we narrowed it down to a corn sensitivity. We put her on a corn-free diet and the infections stopped.

 

[Tailer'sFolks]

Hemopet can run a food sensitivity test for $95...I did this for Tailer and found he does not tolerate corn...got rid of the corn and he stopped having Hot Spots often. Best $$ I spent! Good Luck!

If it's the Sentinel, is there an alternative?

 

[County JR]

I used to feed my golden mostly raw dog food until he developed an allergic reaction. Switched to Orijen and he was fine.

 

[Swampcollie]

Has your dog actually been tested to determine for certain it has a food allergy?

In reality food allergies are NOT common at all. It is far more likely that the dog has a sensitivity to something it has come into contact with (Pollen, Chemicals, Dust Mites, Fleas, etc.)

 

[Stef_Walsh]

Has your dog actually been tested to determine for certain it has a food allergy?

In reality food allergies are NOT common at all. It is far more likely that the dog has a sensitivity to something it has come into contact with (Pollen, Chemicals, Dust Mites, Fleas, etc.)

No, it hasn't been determined. The vet's opinion was that it's most likely a food allergy, but that it could also be something else. However, I've since gotten a second and third opinion so I am questioning the vet's assessment. If it is something like fleas, pollen, etc, I think that it should clear up now that winter is here and fleas and plant life are essentially dead for the season.

The antibiotics she prescribed are helping clear up the scabs on his inner thighs, although Ace is still a little itchy (but there has been a huge improvement there). However, he's only been taking them since Wednesday and he has to continue it for 11 more days, so I'm hoping that there will be further improvement.

As well, here are a couple of photos of the marks on his skin. There are only 5 in total that I can see, 2 on each thigh/leg and there is one of the base of his tail. Hopefully you can see them well, as they are a little obscured by his fur. I suppose in this respect we've been fortunate that his stomach isn't covered in these things, so it could be a lot worse. I've combed through his entire body several times as well, and I haven't found anything more. In fact, his skin and fur is perfectly healthy and his ears are clean (although he has been pawing at his head a little bit, but really not very much at all. He's done it maybe three times.)

The first two photos are the same mark on his right inner thigh, the third photo is his left inner thigh.

Thoughts?

 

[Swampcollie]

The photos are kinda blurry but that looks more like a reaction to some type of insect bites.

 

[Stef_Walsh]

Update time!

Ace continues to take Cephalexin and will do so for one more week. The marks on his thighs and the base of his tail are all cleared up, and his itching has decreased considerably, but is still present. Right now, his itching seems to be in several places: his paws, his tail, his back/shoulders, and to a small degree his face/ears (he rarely rubs at them but has done it a few times). His coat is shiny and his skin is healthy with zero flakiness. His ears are clean and don't smell, so no infection there.

I have to say that I am at a complete loss as to what is going on. Of course, allergies are a real possibility, but wouldn't his skin show signs of something like that other than the itching? There were those few bumps I posted pictures of, but there were so few and now they're gone! I guess I'll have to continue to wait and see. Maybe as we get deeper into winter it might clear up some more if it's being caused by environmental allergens? Here's hoping! Otherwise, I'll maybe switch up the food and see if it helps.

 

[jluke]

My last rescued adult Golden had numerous allergies to pollen and food. He did best on Taste of the Wild Wet Lands formula which contains duck, goose and rice (!). He was also allergy tested and took daily oral medication and an injection (which I did) every two weeks of a medication which was compounded especially for him. His case was extreme, I think. There are veternary allergy specialist who can do the required testing.

 

[mba3boiz]

I happened to look at this forum, because I just came back from the vet with my 8 month old puppy. Your pictures look almost exactly what my dog has. My vet said Joe got the condition from probably running through the tall grass. He also has some yellow mucus in his eyes, so he is being treated with cefpodoxime for the skin, and neobacimyx for his eyes.

 

[Yuki]

my previous golden Saya was highly allergic to many things from flea or insect bites to dog food.

i tried many foods nothing worked for her so i had to put her on homemade dog food (sometimes raw diet) and supplements which controlled her allergies also spot on treatment for fleas and ticks.

i had a very hard time taking care of her cuz she was too sensitive.

i also recommend changing the diet to taste of the wild dog food.

 

[quilter]

I don't know... Those look like flea bites to me.

... My dogs like to bite and scratch, it's what Goldens do. But they don't make lesions... So I don't worry about it. A lot of it is behavioral, it's what they do before they go downstairs with me in the AM. They also sneeze when I walk in the door at night when I come home from work. ...

Too funny. My pup scratches when he wakes up in the morning. Stretch, shake, scratch, repeat. I read that they sneeze when they are happy. One book said to get your dog really happy and then he'd sneeze and you could teach him to sneeze. Years of trying with my last dog - no success. Casper doesn't sneeze much, so I haven't tried. He does snort, so I'm teaching him "snort." He now snorts *really* loud.

 

[Yuki]

it does look more like flea or tick bites and allergy towards insect bites than food allergy.