Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Chocolate lab skin issues...food allergy?
My chocolate lab Molly is 2 1/2. She had noticeable dandruff from a pretty young age which we didn't think much of, I'm sure it's fairly common. About a year ago, Molly's older (by 9 months) half brother Jake died pretty suddenly of lymphoma. Being that he was awfully young to die from cancer (younger than Molly is now) I went on a rampage through our house and yard trying to eliminate all possible carcinogens, including changing Molly's dog food. I did a lot of research and decided on Blue Wilderness salmon flavor dry kibble.
Molly was very close to Jake so of course she had a rough time after he passed away and this time period coincided with the change to Blue Wilderness. She seemed to make the food transition pretty well until maybe about a month later I started noticing thinning/balding areas on her back by her tail. Being that I was super paranoid about Molly getting cancer and jumping at every little thing, when I mentioned to DH about the bald patches he shrugged it off. He didn't seem to be able to see it for whatever reason. He also knows we can't run to the vet every time I worry about something because it would probably be a daily occurance! We decided maybe it was a combination of grief and the changing seasons (this was spring time) and I figured I'd just keep an eye on it. It slowly got worse. We finally did make a vet appointment which I unfortunately couldn't make because of my work schedule but DH took her and the vet didn't think it was a problem. I think he tested for a few things- mange, mites, and I think he took a blood sample too but nothing came up and he didn't see evidence of fleas. SHe seemed otherwise healthy so we decided to watch and wait some more. To me it didn't seem to get any better and when she went back to the vet a 2nd time (this time because she had diarrhea and pretty bad dehydration) the vet thought it was getting better! It definitely wasn't. I took matters into my hands and did a lot of research. I found that this sounded like an allergy, most likely a food allergy. We immediately switched her food and the diarrhea got better within days and in about a month her fur started to grow back, although her entire coat remained thin for a while. We switched her (and the other dog we rescued after Jake died) to Holistic Select lamb and rice flavor.
One other time her fur started falling out I traced back to a new biscuit treat I had started giving the dogs. As soon as I stopped giving her those biscuits her fur stopped falling out and eventually started growing back. It is now full and healthy looking as far as I can tell, although she does still have dandruff. But this whole experience definitely taught me that Molly has very sensitive skin and/or allergic tendencies.
Sorry this is so long but I wanted to give all the background info. Even though Molly's coat looks fine now, a few months ago I started noticing random scabs on her body. They are mostly the size of a grain of rice, or slightly smaller. We have a small fenced in yard and she doesn't have access to briars or barbed wire fences or anything like that. We don't have a cat either. Molly and our other dog play a lot but I don't think that could cause this. Oddly I never seem to find any open or fresh wounds, just these small peeling scabs. In the last month or so I've noticed she has a lot of them on her head, especially on her "cheeks", the area under where her ears hang. Although she was prone to ear infections when she was younger, her ears seem clean and healthy now. She was just at the vet for a checkup and he agreed her ears look good. I feel so bad because I constantly see her rubbing the side of her head against the wall or the bed trying to scratch the scabby areas. Must be super itchy :-(
I'm starting to wonder if I should change her food again. I read that grain-free foods are usually a good idea for allergy-prone dogs? But I also read that certain proteins are common allergens too. So I don't know what to do! I don't even know if this is a food allergy. DH thinks its just seasonal but I know its been going on too long for it to be that. Anybody have any experience with this or advice? I will probably take her back to the vet soon but I don't have much faith in doctors anymore, for humans or pets!
I wanted to take her to a canine dermatologist but I looked into the one near me and it is $170 just for a consultation! That doesn't include skin scrapings or other diagnostic measures, not to mention actual treatment. I would happily spend the money to make her well but we just don't have that kind of money right now. I've looked into grain-free foods and I'm leaning toward Taste of the Wild, seems to have gotten lots of good reviews.
Thanks for reading!
Re: Chocolate lab skin issues...food allergy?
Gosh, you guys have all been through the ringer! I'm sorry for the loss of big brother.
I'm no expert, but this has been my experience. I had not have hair falling out except for randomly on the top of one pup's head. We went to the vet over and over and then it just grew back in and has never been a problem again. Dogs are confusing. I highly recommend looking at the FAQ's for more links and advice on allergies and skin problems.
My younger dog has sensitive skin and some sort of food allergies/ sensitivities, including constant itchiness, ear infections and diarrhea/ soft stool. The little scabs by the ears I usually find when she is scratching herself because her ears are irritated. If you can't see build up, have you smelled her ears for a yeasty smell? Has the vet checked the inner ear for infections?
Test one for food allergies is usually feeding them something completely unique that they have never had before. They cannot be allergic to something they have never been exposed to. Fish and potato worked for her- no grains at all. The problems seemed to go away. I gave her bit of chicken and noticed problems again. Gave food with rice- problems. Lamb and fish seem to have the best results for her. I got new calming treats for them, and it gave her the big D and she started scratching- sure enough, there was chicken added for flavor.
I've also had to go through periods where I bathe them more often, with a charcoal based wash from the feed store, soaked them in oatmeal baths and used medicated leave in conditioners. They manage to find things to roll in, especially the neighbor's grass while out for a walk, at the park, at the beach, etc. You never know what pesticides, fertilizers, etc they can come in contact with. And the salt water, chlorine from the pool, etc can dry their skin out as well.
For us, staying completely grain and chicken free has made the biggest difference. Keeping a close eye on where they flop and roll and bathing as soon as we get home keeps things under control.
Good luck!
Thank you so much for all that information! I think I will definitely try the grain-free diet now. I didn't realize that chicken was such a common allergen for dogs until my recent research, seems so odd! But I will definitely try cutting it out and see how she does. And thank you for reminding me to check the ingredients on her treats as well.
Thanks!!
Our lab has a lot of allergies too. We tried going raw (which improved things for a little while) and we were about to do allergy tests when the vet encouraged us to do a limited ingredient diet (we chose venison & sweet potato). We were told to avoid chicken, lamb, beef, and grains. After a few months we added the occasional bully stick back in (no good) and then we tried a wet food supplement that had lamb in it (no good).
Now we want to put Mendel on a higher quality (5star) food so we will be trying a fish based food (still grain free).
I will say that adding a fish oil capsule a day has helped too.
Thank you for your replies, that is so helpful! Reading your experience about trying to do whats best and actually making things worse...thats my worst fear! Especially after switching her food to one of the best we could get and causing her so much harm. It kills me :-(
Maybe I should try the allergy testing. About how much does that cost? We have some money set aside for this but it's not a ton. But if I know something will definitely be worthwhile I will find a way to make it happen! I got even more confused when I looked at the ingredients of the Blue Wilderness salmon we started her on that made her lose her fur - it's grain-free! So maybe it is a protein allergy in her case. I don't want to keep switching her food until we know more, that's stressful enough in itself let alone feeding her something that she's allergic to.
She did get anj itchy rash in her belly area and under her back legs which I think was poison ivy. But these other scabs are so random and unexplained, and most recently they are concentrated on her head.
Thank you all again I feel so much better now that I have an idea what I need to do next