Can anyone help with a dog with a possible food allergy?

[NatJ]

If I don't do brown rice, is it okay just to feed the carrots, broccoli and maybe kale along with the meat, and extra vitamins, or should I add another filler?

It would depend on the purpose of the "filler."

I think you mean a source of calories that are cheaper than the ones from meat, fat, or other vegetables.

Because you do not need the "right" texture to make kibble, and you are not trying to make the cheapest-possible dog food, you probably just need to get the right amount of calories for the dog from other sources.

(I do not know dog nutrition well enough to recommend what to feed, but I understand part of the purpose of grains in a commercial dry dog food--texture, and cheap calories.)

 

[clickchicks]

Not all grain is filler. Many grains offer nutritional benefits that compensate for expensive or hard to find nutritional sources.

Example: getting the correct amount of manganese in the diet is just as important as getting other minerals. The primary "meat" source of manganese is shellfish, which is not always easy or cheap to get. Brown rice and oatmeal are very easy to acquire, are inexpensive, and are a good source of manganese.

Grains can be useful to a balanced diet. Unless you are able to truly achieve the variety needed to suit the requirements of "balance over time", consider the actual nutrient value of the foods are you feeding.

 

[Halfpasthen]

I err on the side of over-simplification when it comes to food lol. Really I just feed my dog all of my leftover cooked food and add in whole prey like quail or chicken and he does well.

You have a slightly different situation since your pup has suspected intolerances.
You will probably want to focus on a sort of elimination diet. Get his symptoms under control on a very basic recipe and slowly add things back in.
You may find that he can tolerate some food in small doses. When you eat the same food day in and day out (Iams every single day) it's easy to evoke an immune system response. He may do just fine with the same ingredients that are in iams in smaller doses.
It's definitely going to take some trial and error.

 

[Halfpasthen]

Dr. Becker has a youtube channel where they deep dive into raw food diets. Lots of great information there. Even if only as a jumping off point.

She also has great information on chronic yeast infections and hot spots.

So so so so many of my clients have chronic yeast infections. Usually in the ears. But it spreads very fast to the paws when they scratch their ears. Later they spread it to their undercarriage, shoulders, etc. I would bet money you are dealing with something like this. Vets (in general but not all certainly) are pretty awful about diagnosing skin conditions.

I am really sensitive to the smell of yeast and I can usually smell it when I'm within feet of the dog. Smell your dogs ears And feet. Corn chip or yeasty bread type smell is usually a telltale symptom.

 

[Halfpasthen]

You may find that all of his itching is related to a bacterial or fungal (yeast) infection. So you really will have to treat that. The underlying cause of these types of infections ARE usually diet related. Or rather...related to a weakened immune system caused by a biologically inappropriate diet.
You can request that your vet does a skin scrape or smear to identify the exact type of infection you are dealing with.

I meant to type all that out yesterday but didn't have time lol.

 

[clickchicks]

Corn chip smell is not yeast. Its caused by a few harmless strands of bacteria that all dogs have. That doesn't mean it can't be occurring alongside yeast or other issues, but the corn chip smell = yeast infection is a myth.

 

[Halfpasthen]

Corn chip smell is not yeast. Its caused by a few harmless strands of bacteria that all dogs have. That doesn't mean it can't be occurring alongside yeast or other issues, but the corn chip smell = yeast infection is a myth.

I have heard mixed opinions on the corn chips smell from vets. Even generally harmless bacteria can cause issues if the dog gets overrun with it due to a weakened immune system.
You are right that I don't usually associate corn chips smell with yeast. The yeast smell is incredibly over powering to me and is very distinct.

 

[Halfpasthen]

Corn chip smell is not yeast. Its caused by a few harmless strands of bacteria that all dogs have. That doesn't mean it can't be occurring alongside yeast or other issues, but the corn chip smell = yeast infection is a myth.

You are probably right that people associate the corn chips smell with yeast bc they often just happen to coincide.

 

[Halfpasthen]

Considering this dogs particular symptoms I still feel some sort of fungal or bacterial infection is likely. At least gives you another thing to consider.

 

[clickchicks]

The association with "fritos feet" and yeast probably comes from the fact that proteus bacteria (the cause of the corn chip smell) breeds best in warm, moist environments. Dogs with yeast infections may lick more and cause the bacteria to bloom. However, it is not strictly indicative of yeast even if the smell is strong.

I've fed raw for over a decade and all my dogs have the corn chip smell. Excessive licking, swelling, or discomfort of the feet/paw pads are probably your best early signs of yeast infection.