Canidae vs Canidae Lamb & rice Allergy quest..

Ok, I started Rosco on Canidae when I first got him. Long story short he was scratching and had a skin biopsy done that reveled a minor skin allergy. He was put on DVP Venison and has been doing well on it, save for some loose stools here and there. But the scratching stopped. We figured it was the chicken in the Reg Canidae that caused the reaction as it seems to be a commen thing for dogs. Anyhoo, hes been on the CLR since Sat. Im starting to notice hes scratching a bit more. If you run your finger along his side, the muscles tighten up.

Great, so Im wonder, whats causing it? What in both Canidae formulas would cause this? The lamb? I think Prin mentioned Flax causing scratching, Both Canidae formulas have Flaxseed, yet the DVP has Flaxseed oil.

Can anyone see anything else that i could say would match up and cause an allergic reaction? The other thing i noticed is he really smells doggy on this.

Reg Canidae

Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Herring Meal, Flax Seed, Sun Cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Chicken, Lecithin, Monocalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory root), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Sodium Selenite, Papaya, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Canidae Lamb & Rice

Lamb Meal, Brown Rice, Canola Oil (preserved with Mixed Tocopherols), Flax Seed, Sun cured Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Lamb, Lecithin, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Linoleic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Dried Enterococcus Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus Acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Extract, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Extract, Inulin (from Chicory Root), Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Fermentation Solubles, L-Lysine, Taurine, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Mixed Tocopherols (source of Vitamin E), Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Cobalt Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (source of Vitamin B2), Beta Carotene, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Folic Acid, D-Biotin, Organic Selenium, Dried Papaya, Dried Pineapple, Vitamin B12 Supplement.

Here are the DVP ingredients

Venison, Whole Grain Brown Rice, Rice Flour, Venison Meal, Rice Bran, Canola Oil (preserved With Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid), Natural Flavor, Flaxseed Oil, Kelp Meal, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, Choline Chloride, L-lysine, Dl-methionine, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Parsley, Rosemary Extract, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Taurine, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Potassium Iodide, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Proteinate, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Manganese Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin K1 Supplement, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid (Vitamin B-9).

The flax in the canidae is higher on the list (before the fat*) so it could really be a cause for itching.

Otherwise, maybe the sunflower oil.. :shrug:


(*they say the bulk of the food is before the first fat)

some dogs are allergic to lamb... :shrug: poor puppy! itchies suck! :frustrated:

ok, just to shake it up some, before he went on the DVP, he was on Wellness Venison. Again, did fine itchy wise. Can you guess what in that...

Ground Brown Rice, Venison, Brown Rice Protein, Flaxseed, Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Natural Venison Flavor, Taurine, MINERALS: [Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Zinc Sulfate, Zinc Proteinate (a chelated source of zinc), Iron Proteinate (a chelated source of iron), Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Proteinate (a chelated source of copper), Copper Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate (a chelated source of manganese), Manganese Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite], VITAMINS: [Beta-Carotene, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin C, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin K Supplement, Vitamin B-12 Supplement].


So I'm guessing it has to be the lamb :confused:

it could very well be... guess there's only one way to find out! :shrug:

Yeah, I'd guess the lamb.

Well, its not the lamb. He must have ate somthing or somthing went on to cause him to scratch as hes still on the lamb & Rice and he hasn't scratched since Wednesday! Who knows then. Guess I'm gonna stick with the Canidae Lamb meal & rice as long as he continues to do well. :thumbs up

Maybe your bread crusts? :D (Jemma's allergic to mine...:o)

When you mentioned smelly skin I decided to check something out. it could explain the itchy skin(puritis) that ocassionly flares up, as they age they problems get worse the skin will get oily and smellier(seborrhea)

Studies indicate that the breeds most commonly affected by autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis include Golden Retriever, Great Dane, Beagle, Borzoi, Shetland Sheepdog, American Cocker Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, Boxer, Doberman Pinscher, German Shepherd, Akita, Old English Sheepdog, and Irish Setter. Symptoms usually appear between one and five years of age, but blood tests can indicate the potential for disease before clinical signs appear. Unfortunately, a clean thyroid test at one year of age does not mean the dog will remain free of disease throughout its life

From your avatar I am assuming Rosco is a boxer , it probably would not hurt to have a thyroid panel run just to see if he is hypothyroid, I still to this day not not know why vets do not test for hypothyroidism more often in suceptable breeds could save many owners from running around trying one food after another, every time I have suspected, I have aleays had to ask to have the test done. And I have now had 3 dogs that had hyprothroidsim, and it did not always affect skin or cause weight gain, but if you have that has skin problems or itchiness and in the high risk category it is worth testing them for.

actually, I think Rosco is a bullmastiff...he's just a very young one :)

Correct, hes a 6.5month Bullmastiff. He had a skin biopsy done when we first encountered this and it came back as a minor food allergy.

Although, hyprothroidsim is somthing that is fairly common in this breed and you hear alot about. Its somthing to keep an eye on.

As for the smell, Im wondering if he didnt roll in somthing. My parents two dogs every other week seem to roll in somthing and come back smelling like omg I cant explain. Ive read its to hide their scent from animals they may be hunting, and that all dogs can do this out of natural instinct. We gave him a bath and washed his bed and he was fine. :thumbs up