Allergy/intestinal dogs & supplements?

2710 Views 21 Replies 8 Participants Last post by MelissaHoyer, May 3, 2008

Brightelf

Discussion Starter · May 2, 2008

Duhhh.. I know I asked this before, but..

I can't find the thread.

I am looking for reccomendations for two types of supplement:

1) a coat supplement (or general multivitamin)

2) an enzyme or digestive support (not Prozyme, doesn't do well for Grimm) to use when transitioning Grimm to raw, and to help him absorb nutrients better.

I am hoping Tula, 3K9Mom, Lauri, and all the pros out there with allergy-sensitive-tummy issue dogs will take the stage and offer their opinions.

What about the B Naturals line? Or are there better supplements out there for sensitive dogs?

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katieliz

· #2 · May 2, 2008

solid gold seameal is just wonderful for coats...makes them absolutely luxurious and very close to odor free. love it!

MelissaHoyer

· #3 · May 2, 2008

I've used B Naturals for about 4 years now for my GSD with mild EPI. She has always had digestive problems and eats a raw diet. The raw diet has been a godsend for us and I will never feed kibble again to any of my dogs.

Here are the supplements she gets:

B Naturals Immune Blend (1.5 tsp daily)
B Naturals Digestion Blend (2 tsp daily)
B Naturals Green Blend (.5 tsp daily)
Probiotic (1 pill, made for kids)
Joint Supplement
Fish Oil (3000 mg daily)
Vitamin E (400 iu daily)

When I started giving the B Naturals stuff, I started at full dose and worked my way down to a level that I feel comfortable using with her - about a half dose. If you have more questions about B Naturals, you can join the yahoo group K9Nutrition - the moderator is the owner of B Naturals (Lew Olson). She is always happy to answer questions.

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Brightelf

Discussion Starter · #4 · May 2, 2008

Isn't SeaMeal mostly flax though? I can't recall.. maybe I am confusing SeaMeal with something else? LOTS of dogs are allergic/sensitive to flax. I could try it though, if you think the results are good.

Thank you 2SableGirls! This is just what I was wondering about. Have you seen any change in coat and stool with raw and these supplements?

LJsMom

· #5 · May 2, 2008

Lady Jane was VERY allergic to the Sea Meal.

Ingredients
-----------------------------------------------------------------Dried Seaweed Meal | Flaxseed Meal | Dehydrated Lemon Powder | Carotene | Chlorophyll | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Dried Asparagus Oryzae Fermentation Product | Dried Asperigillus Niger Fermentation Product | Pineapple | Lactose |

3K9Mom

· #6 · May 2, 2008

Re: Allergy/intestinal dogs & supplements?

Ruth will suggest coconut oil!

I feed a 1/2 regular (human) Centrum multi-vitamin tablet 2 times a week . I split the tablet with my pill splitter. My vet suggested I give a multi-vitamin just to ensure I'm not missing any vitamins and minerals with my raw diet, and many dog multi-vitamins have fillers and things like wheat germ for palatability. We are, of course, allergic to wheat.

I've added *local* *raw* honey into Camper's diet for allergies. He HATES it. But I've already seen a great change. I had to take him off all antihistamines, and I was terrified that he would become Itchiest Guy Alive. Turns out -- nope. No itching. At all. It's spring. Trees are blooming. Weeds are blooming. Grasses are blooming. Flowers are blooming. I haven't vacuumed in a few days. He's not scratching. Praise the Lord! Praise the Bees!

Other than that, I feed veggies, dairy and eggs, and don't supplement.

Well, I take that back. When Camper has major GI issues, I feed this: Animal Essentials Enzymes and Probiotics and human grade Acidophilis capsules that I buy at my drug store.

I am very hesitant to add flax to Allergy Boy's diet. And someone I respect highly here (I think it was Lauri) said that kelp is an allergen for many dogs. So I stay away from that too. As you know, I tend toward paranoid when it comes to incorporating new things in Camper's diet.

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3K9Mom

· #7 · May 2, 2008

Oh, reading Sable Girl's post, I do feed olive oil and lots of oily fish (and sometimes fish oil if it's a week when I haven't fed much fish). I tend to think of those as "food" and not "supplements" though. So I thought I'd clarify that.

LJsMom

· #8 · May 2, 2008

I also give LJ honey - Active Manuka Honey. My cringes because its $25 for a small jar but I think it helps. She also gets coconut oil. Last week I mixed some with calendula tincture and rubbed it on one of her "icky" spots. That one patch cleared up.

tracyc

· #9 · May 2, 2008

Quote: I've added *local* *raw* honey into Camper's diet for allergies. He HATES it. But I've already seen a great change. I had to take him off all antihistamines, and I was terrified that he would become Itchiest Guy Alive. Turns out -- nope. No itching. At all. It's spring. Trees are blooming. Weeds are blooming. Grasses are blooming. Flowers are blooming. I haven't vacuumed in a few days. He's not scratching. Praise the Lord! Praise the Bees!

Fanny is also the subject of my own local-honey-innocultion experiment. So far, so good... The air is thick with spring pollen here, but so far, no itching or pink, inflamed skin like last year. The real test will come this fall, but I'm cautiously hopeful.

mspiker03

· #10 · May 2, 2008

Hmmmm...you both (Lori and Tracy) have me thinking local honey might be next in my dog diet addition (we've done garlic and ACV so far). I wonder where I get that around here

We were able to take Levi off antihistimines last year after our raw diet switch, but we've been fighting some fairly minor ear itchies with slight hair loss (vet doesn't seem worried about the ears - no mites or anything...just allergy itching). Soo....this might be my next step.

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3K9Mom

· #11 · May 2, 2008

Originally Posted By: mspiker03 I wonder where I get that around here

I'd try Henrys/Boneys/Sprouts. Whatever their name is this week.

The Stig

· #12 · May 2, 2008

Wow. That is VERY promising! Thanks for the link up, mspiker!

I have tried ACV and spirulina, none of them have worked.

So a few days ago, I started thinking about adding Royal Jelly.

I think I will go with honey! It's cheaper. Hehehe

3K9Mom

· #13 · May 2, 2008

WDJ warns that royal jelly has a sharp bitter biting taste, so most dogs don't like it (hmm. Camper, who hates sweet gloopy honey just MIGHT...). Because it's so much more potent, you don't feed as much, so the price is somewhat offset. They recommend organic royal jelly. It's highly perishable, so if you're prone to forgetting things on the counter and not putting them back in the refridge right away (um, that's would be ME!), it's not a great option either.

The Stig

· #14 · May 2, 2008

Hmm ... Janka is very picky too. I will give honey a shot first.

Is there a particular kinda of floral honey I should give her? I know there are a few kinds of honey, like clover honey, etc. Or is it OK to give her honey derived from various flora?

tracyc

· #15 · May 2, 2008

I'd go with just a clover or wildflower honey. There's no need for anything fancy or rare. The critical issue is that it be produced locally--as close to where you live as possible. "Raw" is preferred, meaning it is unpasteurized.

The Stig

· #16 · May 2, 2008

Thanks, Tracy!

I wonder how I would know if it's produced locally.

I guess I can ask the blokes who work at Trader Joe's.

I don't suppose a honey comb would be good because of the beeswax?

Can't get any more raw than that! I think ...

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mspiker03

· #17 · May 2, 2008

Question for Lori and Tracy...
How long did it take you to notice changes from the Honey? Tracy, was Fanny an itchy gal before the honey?

How much are you guys giving a day/week/whatever?

I see a trip to Henry's in our near future (maybe Rei and I can carpool!! hehe).

The Stig

· #18 · May 2, 2008

Good question! I always forget to ask how long it will take to see results!

Melissa, you can check out Henry's and I will reconniture Trader Joes. We can report via cell phone. Hehehe ...

Perhaps meet up at your place for drive, and if possible leave the 3 pups with the husbands (hmmm ... ) and we can go tear down the house with lamb and honey for the pupperoos!

tracyc

· #19 · May 3, 2008

Fanny was itchy before the honey--last year, but it had subsided with winter. I started the honey treatment before spring arrived, so there wasn't a situation where she was itchy one day, then fine the rest...more that we avoided the itchy season when it started this year.

I've been giving her the honey for about 8 weeks or so. She gets a bite about the size of a jellybean once a day. (She's only 30 pounds) I'd guess a daily teaspoonful for a GSD-sized dog.

Local honey: Google it! Type "San Diego Honey" and see what turns up. I'm sure you've got several local honey producers that either sell direct, on the web, or list the local stores where they sell their product. Also, most "health food stores" will sell local honey. Just ask them. A national brand of honey from a regualr grocery store will not be what you want for this purpose.

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mspiker03

· #20 · May 3, 2008

Thanks Tracy!

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