Food Allergies?

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Does your dog have food allergies?

Diagnosing allergies can be difficult. And how do you know if it’s food or environmental?

Blackspot was due for a blood test to check her thyroid levels anyway when we went to see Dr. Ly (Animal Recovery Centre – holistic vet care in Singapore). I was also concerned at how much stuff she was trying to eat off the ground on her walks. And thought her distended tummy was worrisome.

Right away Dr Ly saw her tummy as gassy because of food intolerance, which according to him, is the reason for bloat, not the more conventional reasons. And gas in a deep chested dog needs to be watched. So if your dog has a glazed-over look and retching, with nothing coming out, head straight to the vet!

We knew Blackspot has allergies. When we adopted her, we were told she had skin allergies as a puppy. When we moved to Singapore, she had pink paws after her long walks in parks. She’s just a very sensitive little puppy. We stopped taking her to the botanical garden daily as it’s full of chemical fertilizers and a huge variety of plants. 

Back in April last year we did a bioresonance test since Dr Ly thought her skin issues were partly thyroid-related and partly food-related.  Sure enough she is allergic to the rabbit Dr B we had been feeding her over the last year, thinking a more gamey protein would be less of a concern for allergies.  We were wrong. She is also allergic to pumpkin, potato, pork, among many many others.

For the bioresonance test there are standard items they test for but it’s best to bring in everything you would feed your dog, including dog food and treats. After the test, we stuck to what we thought she was okay with. But at the vet appointment this time we found out that while Dr B is good, not all the ingredients remain constant – only the protein.  So while Blackspot is okay with lamb, she may not be okay with a commercially prepared raw food mix with lamb. This was what she had been eating for the last several months.

We had assumed since we had figured out her dietary limits, her issues were from trying to figure out the right thyroid medication and level. She’s also allergic to many thyroid supporting supplements.

So now for the next two weeks, until our next appointment, Blackspot is on a bland non-oily fish rice vegetable watery diet, fed in small portions three times a day, with a plethora of gastrointestinal supplements and medication. The goal is to get her off the food causing her issues, clean out her system, and help her digest her food more efficiently. Two of the handful of tablets she’s on I can get from a pharmacy or online – Debridat – a French by-prescription tablet for humans to help with digestive motility (apparently with no side effects) and Nature’s Sunshine vegetarian digestive enzyme (available online).

Please NOTE I’m not suggesting you go out and buy these for your dog but maybe ask your vet about whether these would help your dog.

If your dog has chronic unresolved health challenges, I would suggest doing a bioresonance test.  With the machine, you can actually treat your dog. So yes, while I could probably work on Blackspot not being allergic to certain things, for me, I think it’s best to just cut out the issue-causing items first and work on her overall balance in a holistic way.

This bioresonance test is available for people too!