Allergy

Hi, my dog has environmental allergies—cats, pollen, and dust mites—and has struggled a lot with his ears and a fungal infection under his armpits. We’ve tried lots of different diets and it doesn’t seem like he reacts to food, but now we’ve started him on the pork and seafood cooked version; however, he’s scratching quite a bit now and it’s hard to tell if it’s down to the food or his environmental allergies. As we’re now in the worst season for pollen, his ears are fine and his tummy is absolutely fine. He’s been on the raw diet for the first 14 days, but we were advised to give it cooked, so he’s been on that for three weeks now. So I’m wondering what you think about this? He’s also getting his own vaccine for environmental allergies, which has been made specifically for him. I find it hard to know whether it’s one thing or the other that he’s reacting to. Regards, Kristina

• Hi Kristina! I fully understand that this is difficult to tell apart, especially now in the middle of the pollen season. From what I can gather, I wouldn’t conclude that this is the food just yet. When his tummy is fine and his ears are calm, those are actually quite positive signs. The itching could very well be linked to environmental allergies, especially since he has already tested positive for pollen, dust mites and cats. I wouldn’t get too hung up on raw versus cooked right now either. The most important thing is that the diet remains stable for long enough for us to actually assess it. Major changes now could make it even harder to know what he’s reacting to. That said, I would definitely consider gut flora here. Skin, the immune system and the gut are closely linked, and with dogs…
• OK, that’s what I thought, and it’ll take time before it has an effect on him, but I was just so unsure, so thanks for the reply 🙂 I reckon we’ll carry on with this and see how it goes from here 🤞😀 He certainly loves the food 🤣😀
• That sounds like a plan 😊 It’s so good to hear that he likes the food 😍
• Hi, my dog is having an operation and I’m wondering if there’s any special type of probiotic we should give him during this period, whilst he’s on painkillers? Something that gives his gut health an extra boost? The neutering was due to a health issue, and didn’t quite go to plan. This will surely affect his whole system.
• Hello! If he is also to be given antibiotics in connection with the operation, Saccharomyces boulardii is definitely one of the probiotics I would consider. It is a beneficial yeast, not a bacterium, and therefore tolerates antibiotics well. Read more here: probioticshttps://homecooked.furry-fitness.com/nb/community/forum/1a544ad7-5e0c-4c87-b5dc-192b5b0ee84e Get well soon to your son ❤️ Hope the operation goes well and that he’s back on his feet in no time! ☘️
• Thanks for your reply. I’ll look into it; luckily, he doesn’t need any more painkillers, so I’m hoping it won’t upset his stomach too much. Thanks, let’s hope it heals quickly now 🙂
• Hi, is S. boulardii a suitable probiotic for increasing gut bacteria when a dog has low levels of these? Could I give this as a treatment to boost gut bacteria? I also add a little apple to their food.