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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Recommend me a good dry dog food for dermatitis

28 replies

tanfastic · 26/10/2012 09:55

I have a 6 year old Lhasa Apso who suffers from dermatitis. I've spent fortunes at the vets trying to find the cause as there is no cure other than antibiotics every now and again which cures it temporarily.

Anyhow, i'm now going to try his diet to see if that has any affect. I have fed him Bakers Complete all his life and I have heard this isn't a very good dog food. You can't get any other from the bloody supermarket though can you?

I've read some of the other threads in the archives about this but there is conflicting advice.

Anyone got or had a dog with a similar condition that has improved through a certain brand of food? Please help!

OP posts:
ThePinkNinja · 26/10/2012 09:59

My little doglet doesn't have bad skin but does have bad tummy...
We switched to an awesome brand called orijen and it's improved greatly.
Look into it/ try it... It's a very natural food. Costly but cheaper than vets bills. :)

Original poster
tanfastic · 26/10/2012 10:30

Thanks, will have a look at that. I don't mind paying a bit more. I'm not convinced that it's the Bakers because he's been eating that all his life and the skin thing has only come on the last couple of years. I'm just a bit desperate now though....

OP posts:
D0oinMeCleanin · 26/10/2012 10:47

Bakers is akin to feeding your toddler on a diet solely made up of Haribo. It's really, really, really bad.

I'd rather starve my dogs than feed them that crap. It's full of colours and additives. There are some who believe it can cause seizures, behaviour problems, skin complaints and other issues.

Fish 4 Dogs is meant to be good for dogs with skin issues.

Original poster
tanfastic · 26/10/2012 10:54

Yes I recently spoke to someone who used to work in the Bakers factory....they didn't have a good word to say about it, hence the reason i'm changing. Fish 4 dogs has been mentioned to me before so thanks.

OP posts:
D0oinMeCleanin · 26/10/2012 11:02

There are loads of decent foods around. Orijen is what I would feed if I fed dry, however I think for a dog with skin issues Fish 4 Dogs would be the best dry food.

If you can and are willing to switch from dry have a look into BARF (Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food - depending which book/website you are reading)

It's basically a mixture of raw meaty bones, raw meat and fish and a handful of veg every now and again. Dogs love it and it's great for their skin and teeth.

Many foods these days are full of cheap fillers such as wheat and maize which is indigestible for dogs and many are allergic to it.

Original poster
tanfastic · 26/10/2012 11:04

Just had a look at the Fish 4 Dogs website and it's not as expensive as I thought it would be to be honest.

OP posts:
glasscompletelybroken · 26/10/2012 11:45

We just changed our dog onto the eukanuba fish & potato diet as she has allergies. Only been on it a couple of weeks and already her coat looks better. She is still itchy but the vet said it would take up to 8 weeks before we know if it is working.

Lolly7 · 26/10/2012 11:45

Canagan grain free dog food. It is made in UK and the quality is apparently on a par with Origen. www.canagan.co.uk/ It is cheaper than Origen. Origen is more expensive because it comes from Canada.
There is a prescription diet you can get from vet - z/d Canine ULTRA Allergen Free
www.hillspet.com/products/pd-canine-zd-canine-ultra-allergen-free-dry.html

Lolly7 · 26/10/2012 11:50

Orijen not origen. Blush

noteventhebestdrummer · 26/10/2012 11:53

We have James Wellbeloved delivered free by Amazon subscribe and save, it comes 2 weekly and is cheaper than Pets at Home!

Lonecatwithkitten · 26/10/2012 12:11

I have had great success with the Wafcol salmon and potato. Though I would say anything is better than bakers. You need to try any diet for a minimum of 12 weeks before you can say it is not helping.
Have you had any allergy testing done by the vets as this could identify what foods you need to avoid. I tend to advise this is done first so we can choose the foods on the basis of the blood results.

toboldlygo · 26/10/2012 12:46

Anything is better than Bakers. I am a firm supporter of the raw/BARF diet but know it is not for everyone and my second choice would be Fish4Dogs. They have 10% off everything this weekend. :)

Original poster
tanfastic · 26/10/2012 13:09

ive not had allergy testing. My insurers won't pay out as i'm on a one illness per year premium. I've just paid over £500 on skin biopsies and antibiotics/shampoos and steroids. My vet tells me that allergy testing is expensive so I really don't have the money to go down that route.

OP posts:
DuffyMoon · 26/10/2012 13:11

sorry slight hijack - can anyone recommend a wet food. I would prefer to feed dry food but the dog looks really sad when I give it him and eats it in a sort of "ohhh ok then...if there's nothing else" kind of way" and looks like this :(

Original poster
tanfastic · 26/10/2012 13:18

my dog does that.....he always looks at me as if to say "it's not fillet steak then? oh ok"....

OP posts:
D0oinMeCleanin · 26/10/2012 14:56

I use Nature Diet trays which are a wet food, the are usually around 80p a tray and a small breed like mine would need one tray a day, larger breeds up to 3/4 trays a day, so it could be pricey if you have a big dog.

Lougle · 26/10/2012 15:12

Burns Potato and Pork is excellent.

Want2bSupermum · 26/10/2012 15:31

We are in the US so the brand names are probably different. Our golden is a sensitive soul and we switched him to grain free last month. It has made a huge difference to his paws already (no redness) and the yeast infection in his ears is nearly gone.

We use nutro grain free. To help with his skin we put olive oil on it every other day.

glasscompletelybroken · 27/10/2012 10:31

tanfastic it sounds as if we have a similar problem. We can't afford allergy tests either so are trying the fish & potato diet recommended by the vet as a starting point. I will let you know if we get a real and sustained improvement - I am really hoping so as the itching is awful for her and also awful because it makes other people think she has fleas or something!

ditavonteesed · 27/10/2012 10:34

I feed mine on barking heads good hair day, with the odd raw egg and tinned sardines chucked in for good measure. It is the only food that doesnt upset eric tum and they both have silky shiny coats. they do a variety for different things.

LollopingLil · 27/10/2012 10:36

Duffy, we swear by Natural Instinct.

toomuch2young · 27/10/2012 10:43

Wafcol salmon and potato has been the best thing in the world for on of mine, my little allergy previously itchy jrt now has hair and isn't itchy!! Fab stuff. And supplement with Yumega plus - really good.

Basic tips for suspected allergy dogs -

  • less carpets if poss - or Hoover daily to reduce dust mites
  • spray house every few months with a mite killer such as Acclaim. Also protects house against fleas and reduces all creepy crawlies.
  • small bags of food to avoid storage mites
  • wipe face after eating. *wipe paws and tum with damp cloth after exercising on grass
  • boil washbblankets and toys regularly with non bio washing powder
  • avoid all sprays like febreeze or scents like shake n vac

Hope these help.

Original poster
tanfastic · 27/10/2012 17:53

Thanks Smile I have just ordered some Fish4dogs complete and I'll try that for a few weeks to see if there's a difference.

OP posts:
CottageCheeseAndAppleSandwich · 27/10/2012 19:09

Fish4Dogs is good choice but stinks to high heaven so make sure you've got an airtight container to put it in.

Lavendersbluedillydilly1969 · 27/10/2012 19:27

Ours gets value beef mince raw (about 400g) a day plus a bowl of pretty much any complete dry food (currently sainsburys own). He's a large dog and when he was younger we had real difficulty getting him to eat enough dry food and we tried everything including orijens. He was skin and bone and the vet was talking about expensive tests for digestive disorders etc. We tried a raw food diet too but he wasn't keen and one day just thought we'd try just some mince.
He's never looked back, his skin improved no end (no more dandruff) and he put on 6 kg in 6 weeks and has maintained it. The vet said he didn't understand it but it suits him so don't change.