go_java Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2008 Posts: 20 Location: DC Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Thu Aug 14, 2008, 1:04pm Subject: Dog Owners Thread
I have a 2.5 year old dog, and he recently broke out into a rash. I think it was from his food because it consistently got worse each day. So I'm planning on switching over to a grain-free food, and I was wondering what you guys thought of Taste of the Wild?
MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 4,663 Location: Vancouver Expertise: Professional
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Posted Fri Aug 15, 2008, 12:05am Subject: Re: Dog Owners Thread
I dunno about the food per se, but Marzocco the dog had a bad skin problem last year, and we figured it out after a few weeks....
I have a stand up wide shower in one of my condo's bathrooms; Zocco was taking to sleeping on the tiles in it (it is ground level, no step-over) on hot nights.
Turns out the shampoo, soap residues etc all led to her having itchy, irritated and blotchy skin.
Cutting her off from sleeping in that shower cleared up her skin problems in a few weeks.
Maybe look for something similar your dog is doing?
CoffeeRoastersClub Senior Member Joined: 6 Jul 2005 Posts: 2,135 Location: Vernon Expertise: Professional
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Posted Fri Aug 15, 2008, 6:48am Subject: Re: Dog Owners Thread
go_java Said:
I have a 2.5 year old dog, and he recently broke out into a rash. I think it was from his food because it consistently got worse each day. So I'm planning on switching over to a grain-free food, and I was wondering what you guys thought of Taste of the Wild?
My mother-in-laws cat had some skin irritation issues also. There were no parasite issues. She started giving her omega 3 vitamins, cured it.
I'd first go Mark's route since you have a dog and not a cat. If Mark's suggestion does not work, maybe you should ask your vet about omegas. Or better yet bring him to the Vet.
Posted Mon Aug 18, 2008, 4:12pm Subject: Re: Dog Owners Thread
Good Advice re: checking in with your vet. My dog has food allergies/sensitivities and is on a holistic type food after many tries at different formulas. He did not have rashes, but rather room-clearing SBD's. Usually a food related allergy will manifest itself as a gastro-intestinal upset. If he's not itching/scratching or passing gas, its probably NOT related to his feed. It could be parasitic or environmental (as suggested by the other posters). Any chance it could be a hot spot? Or possibly stress related?
Posted Mon Aug 18, 2008, 4:27pm Subject: Re: Dog Owners Thread
Hi Brett,
I do hope you're not looking to an internet forum as a substitute for a proper vet visit. That said, did you change his food recently? If he's been on the same food for a long time and just now developed a rash, it's highly unlikely that the food is the cause.
A rash could be any number of things including those posted above, and possibly even more. And if it is still getting worse, something needs to be done asap. Bottom line, go to the vet.
MarkPrince Moderator Joined: 19 Dec 2001 Posts: 4,663 Location: Vancouver Expertise: Professional
Espresso: Frankenstein'ed LM Linea Grinder: Anfim Super Caimano Vac Pot: 1922 Silex Drip: Krups Moka Brew Roaster: Hottop
Posted Tue Aug 19, 2008, 1:48pm Subject: Re: Dog Owners Thread
BTW, I also agree with a call to a competent vet should be the first priority, but I also have to say this.
When Marzocco broke out in her rash / skin problems last year, the first thing we did was a vet visit. They suggested all manner of things (diet, food changes, etc), ran some tests, made us buy some expensive medicines, etc etc.
A week or two passed, and we had bills for a) new food, b) medicated shampoos, c) several dog medicines, and still the skin problems continued. I was quite frustrated by it all, as seeing a dog suffer is one of the things I like least in the world. So one afternoon just thinking about what was going on (it was a particularly hot afternoon), I went to go check on Zocco and saw she was lying in her usual "when it's hot" spot - the full shower. I started thinking about reactions to soap, shampoos, etc, and we tried a change - closing off access to the walk in shower.
Within a few days, we saw an improvement. Within a week, (and a good "medicated shampoo" bath later), it was all but cleared up.
I called the vet to let them know what happened. Got a "huh, well that's good then".
go_java Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2008 Posts: 20 Location: DC Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Aug 19, 2008, 2:08pm Subject: Re: Dog Owners Thread
petuniaii Said:
Hi Brett,
I do hope you're not looking to an internet forum as a substitute for a proper vet visit. That said, did you change his food recently? If he's been on the same food for a long time and just now developed a rash, it's highly unlikely that the food is the cause.
A rash could be any number of things including those posted above, and possibly even more. And if it is still getting worse, something needs to be done asap. Bottom line, go to the vet.
No I'm not looking for advice. When his rash broke out it was when I had just started giving him new food (some generic brand, forgot the name). But now that I feed him TOTW it has gone away...so looks like it was because of his food. Oh and I did take him to the vet and they said the same. I just wanted to know what you guys thought about Taste of the Wild..if anyone had tried it, etc.
Posted Tue Aug 19, 2008, 2:56pm Subject: Re: Dog Owners Thread
Oh, good! I'm glad to hear he's doing better. (Sorry I was a little testy there. I get a little defensive about dogs sometimes.)
Just out of curiosity, what was the reason for changing his food to the generic stuff in the first place? We had a cocker spaniel with sensitive skin (itchy, etc.) and apparently the corn in his food had something to do with it. We switched to a lamb & rice formula and it got tons better. I've never heard of TOTW, but I'm pretty clueless about dog food. But hey if he likes it, doesn't cause any problems and isn't horribly expensive, why not stick with it?
Good point Mark. Just like people-docs, vets can throw a lot of things at a problem and maybe something will stick, or not. They have to rely a lot on owners paying attention to things. Plus a rash is such a vague symptom, it could be just a blip or it could be a sign of that nasty contagious mange (sarcoptic or damodectic, I always get them confused).
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