Food Allergies - Atopic Dermatitis

Question:

Dear Dr. Smith,

I have a three year old Golden Retriever.  He is neutered.  He is slightly overweight  He currently sees a conventional vet.  He has been allergy tested and is allergic to dust mites and marsh weed. He has also been diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. He is taking allergy shots at this time.  He is also supposed to be on prednisone but we do not want him on it any longer due to the side effects.  He currently eats Alpo healthy weight.  He is taking 10mg of Claritin and he also takes fish oil.  We stopped the prednisone and now he has a rash all over his body.  He is also loosing his hair and chews his paws.  He scratches non stop.  We tried Benadryl and it helped but it made him like zombi and only minimally relieved his symptoms.  I am looking for something I can give him that will not have as many negative side effects as the prednisone which has seemed to be the only thing to really reduce his symptoms. 

Response:

Hello Amanda,

Thank you for your inquiry to Holistic Pet Info. Your Golden’s clinical signs of paw chewing, hair loss and rash are all indicative of a food allergy. Very commonly if there is one allergy then additional allergies are found as well. Environmental (mites and marsh weed) with concurrent food allergies even with flea allergies are more common than previously realized.

The very first thing you need to do is change your dog's diet and place him on a diet elimination allergy trial. I personally compare Alpo to fruit loops and twinkies, it is full of food dyes, preservatives and the protein and carbohydrate quality are dismal.

The commonly seen food allergens are chicken, beef, corn, wheat, rice and soy. I recommend offering your dog an alternative protein (salmon, duck) and carbohydrate (sweet potato, barley). Look on ingredient lists for whole proteins, no meal or by products and you must eliminate all treats (unless they are the same formulation as the food). You may find dietary recommendations in the Food Allergy section on our web site. The diet must be continued for 6-8 weeks for the skins’ immune system to respond.

I would also have his thyroid checked, golden retrievers are high on the list for hypothyroidism which has an enormous effect on the skin. You may give him chlorpheniramine, one 4 mg tablet twice to three times daily. It does not cause as much drowsiness as Benadryl, but quite effective at decreasing itchiness. I seriously doubt you will have much affect on the skin without changing to a better quality, no preservative, non-dyed diet.

Best of luck,
Sincerely,
Colleen Smith DVM, CVA