chick wiggle Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Ive come back from the vets this morning with a long list of things George (my 1 year old shihtzu/westie x) is allergic to or intolerant to. He is allergic to ... beef, lamb, cows milk, wheat, pork and potato. He is intolerant to ... duck, chicken, turkey, egg, soybean, barley, rice, grasses and dust mites Hes always been 'picky' about his food, or so i thought, so i had started cooking his meals myself, mainly rice and chicken or turkey. So ive been feeding him everything hes allergic to Hes never really been 100% since we got him, now i know why! The vets given me tins of food to feed him, which is venison and peas. But at £2.05 a tin! im going to have to look at making his meals myself again. I could give him venison, rabbit, fish and sweet potatoes and vegatables. Its the treats thats getting to me. We used to give him a crisp or a biscuit or bread or pizza if we were eating those, now he cant have any of them! Most dog treats will have one or more of the things hes allergic to, i thought maybe chocolate drops, but im not sure wether they will have dairy/wheat in them. So, if any of you have any ideas at all of treats i could give him that dont have any of the things above in them, please let me know Sorry, bit of a ramble there wasnt it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Like I said to you on the phone Hun, better you know that to be working blind, you will find a way through it Hun, huge hugs xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Sorry to hear that. I'd be tempted to get a 2nd opinion, and in the meantime feed him on a fish and rice kibble. If he likes fish then add some tinned pilchards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 A second opinion may be a good idea DM, but the vet i take him to is one of the best in the country, often on TV. He is intolerant to rice too, so it would have to be sweet potato. I think i can manage the main meals, its the treats im struggling with. Not that we give him loads, but when we have something, we always give him a bit too, like crisps, biscuits etc, (even a bit of sausage he cant have ) but we cant now. I dont know if he can even have rawhide chews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Oh no, poor wee man! CSJ do quite a few feeds in their ranges for dogs with food intolerances. http://www.csjk9.com/ Worth emailing them to see if they have anything suitable. They do a lot of natural herb based treats as well. Give him a snuggle from me xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I think i can manage the main meals, its the treats im struggling with. Not that we give him loads, but when we have something, we always give him a bit too, like crisps, biscuits etc, (even a bit of sausage he cant have ) but we cant now.I dont know if he can even have rawhide chews. Try making liver cake or fish cake for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Would have to be fish cake as unless it's venison/rabbit liver he'd be allergic.. I just checked out that website snowy gave you sandie and there looks to be some treats there Hun Huge hugs for you and sloppy kises for George, don't get them round the wrong way xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Oh Snowy! Thats brilliant! None of the meals would be suitable, but he can have the fish skin treats and the poppet treats! Thank you very much, im ordering some tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Try http://www.jonangell.co.uk Moochoo and I both feed our hounds on this and it's very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cooks Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Good idea Clare. But it contains potato and George is allergic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Sorry, I missed that allergy on the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Glad you have found some treats for him! It might be worth emailing them anyway - when I emailed about my dogs, I got a reply from Ceri Rundle who owns the company and who has developed the recipes for the feeds. You never know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 It is rather a long list Clare and easy to miss something on it E-mailing them is a good idea Snowy, i will do, ive spent so much time this afternoon finding suitable looking treats only to find one or more of his allergys in the ingredients list The fish treats look good though, 100% fish skins, cant get any fewer ingredients than that eh? Mmmm lovely fishy breath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sage Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Poor George, Zoe & I sending him a big hug. Sage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Thank you Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I am guessing that your dog has been put on Z/D which excludes most possible allergens or something similar. There are treats around that are gluten free and/or hypo-allergenic but I think that you need to have a look at the ingredients of each one before you risk it. James Wellbeloved Crackerjacks and Mini Jacks and Coachies both have hyop-allergenic treats but you need to check all of the ingredients. You can also buy venison tongues and hearts that contain nothing else. It will be pricey to feed him on a 'prescription diet' but shop around for the best price. It is not worth the potential additional vets fees for straying from the right diet. It is also worth making sure that you only feed as much as you need to of a prescription diet as they tend to contain very little water unlike shop bought food and you often don't need to feed as much as you might think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Thanks CM, the fish and vegetable one looked promising, but then in the ingredients are potato flakes So, im looking at fish skin treats, 100% fish skin and nothing else. The tins ive been given are d/d venison Hills prescription diet. When i go back to the vet i will ask him if i can make his food myself. Im sure it would be cheaper buying venison, rabbit, fish and sweet potato and cooking it at home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 You can cook your dog's food using sweet potato and white fish and/or the other things that your dog can tolerate. Just cube it and boil, steam or microwave. You can buy sweet potato quite cheaply from some Asian supermarkets or see if you can find someone with a cash and carry card. Fish for Dogs treats are all pure fish skin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 19, 2011 Author Share Posted December 19, 2011 Using sweet potatoes every day wouldnt be too much? Thanks CM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 That sounds like a plan. I feed a fish and rice kibble (very little) with raw meat and bones, plus fish treats - they love fish and it really makes their coats shiny. I hope that he gains condition and thrives when you find the right diet, sounds like making it yourself is the way to go, then you can be sure exactly what is in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 Fish for Dogs treats are all pure fish skin Tango adores Fish4Dogs treats - she gets really whingey and whiney if we are late going up to bed because she always gets a F4D treat at bedtime. Nothing like being told by your dog to go to bed! It's definitely worth having a look at their website as they sell quite a range of treats. I'm not sure if their kibble would contain any of the foods George is allergic too, but it might be worth a look? Just a small tip - a lot of Fish4Dogs products are cheaper if you buy them from Vet UK than from F4D's website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Another vote for Fish4Dogs here too, they are fantastic (so Willow tells me!!!) if rather whiffy!!! Another great company for "alternative" nutrition for dogs is Denes ... not sure if they would have anything to help little George, but their in house vet nurse was MASSIVELY helpful with a dog I used to have with diabetes, don't know what we would have done without them! http://denes.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Ooo thank you very much LavendersBlue and Brambles i will have a look at those sites too I managed to get him some stuff from sainsburys freefrom range, some rich tea biscuits, oatmeal cakes, crisps and crackers. Also some fish twists from P@H. Although P@H are unbelievable! they had some rabbit mince which i thought was brilliant, i can feed him that! Then i looked at the ingredient list on the back and theres more chicken than rabbit in it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 That figures....battery chicken meat is cheaper than rabbit! I'd steer clear of too many 'human' treats or carbs. The fish treats are very high value for dogs and they are great for training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted December 20, 2011 Share Posted December 20, 2011 Be very careful with any biscuits and oat cakes, I would be surprised if he is able to tolerate anything containing gluten and perhaps soya too. It will take only a small amount of something that he is allergic to to trigger a reaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
