Flynn 11 y/o Foxie Cross - Right adrenalectomy- Good Bye Flynny We will miss you

Trish,
Be careful, hypoallergenic diets can be tasteless. You want to give Flynn something that he is going to want to gobble up.:D. Buddy is allergic to many things. The question isn't what he's allergic to, it's finding something that he can tolerate and not have a reaction to.
Buddy eats Blue Buffalo Basics - Salmon and Potato Formula. It is a special blend for dogs with food sensitivities. I don't know if you have that there.

Hey Trish,

Haven't caught up for a while but congrats on Flynn's test results, some positive news there for sure.

As far as the diets go, is there anything else (other than Ziwi obviously) that is made in NZ, or do they bring Black Hawk in from Aus at all? I don't know if there is anything specifically hypo allergenic from them, but I worry now about the big brands like Hills etc as they are so heavily radiated when they are imported in. I reckon our kids have enough to go through without adding that issue to the mix, so I have changed my boys to Ziwi and Black Hawk. Coming from NZ, food doesn't get radiated, and the Black Hawk here is made in Victoria. Again though, I don't know if they have a hypo allergenic formula.

Alternatively, could you consider home cooking for him? We know Flynn loves "real" food from your parents, :p so maybe fresh food would suit him more? Oz was always allergic to preservatives so he has had home cooking and kibble his whole life. Certainly knocked those issues out anyhow, the trick obviously would be to find a protein source to use that doesn't upset Flynny.

Anyway, hoping you are well and having a great weekend. Take care and Fraser sends sloppy kisses.

Hi everyone
Thanks for the comments on diet, it is such a confusing area to research!

I would love to feed him a home cooked diet, but they do not come without difficulty either. I have been looking up local NZ papers on this topic tonight and these three papers are by an IMS that my IMS consuted about Flynns gastrointestinal problems. The first one discusses home cooked and the other two are about hydrolysed diets. They are a bit different to other hypoallergenic diets because they alter the proteins with the goal of less irritants in the bowel. It seems Flynny's small intestine is showing inflammation which has been picked up on ultrasound hence the recommendation for the hydrolysed food trial.

Home prepared discussion paper
http://samedicine.anzcvs.org.au/same...ed%20diets.pdf

Hydolysed diet papers
http://samedicine.anzcvs.org.au/same...ed%20diets.pdf
http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/wsava/2010/b2.pdf

Addy, what do you think on these?

I think the Geneva paper interesting as it relates also back to the digestibilty of foods, pointing out that poorly digested foods can also contribute to loose stools, which has me thinking about my Zoe and her Zeal, though she was on highly digestible ID with not good results either:confused::confused:

Fo Zoe, I would not want to use a soy based diet because I know she has problems with increased estrogen.

We have to take in to account the carbs in the hydrolized diet as well as the protein, from what I gleaned from some other sites, try to pick a hydrolized food with novel carbs and protein is preferred, which is pretty darn hard these days, so we would have to do the best we can. If you make a homemade diet, you do have more control of that, you have more choices unless all the proteins are used up. It really does not matter if a dog's diet is not exactly balanced for eight weeks, in my opinion.

I'm wondering if the soy diet might not be a pick if Flynn will even eat it.

I remember on by IBD forum, if you had a rescue dog and could not possible know what protein the dog may have eaten they suggested going back 2 years if you could and that meant not even one mouthful and they wanted us to pick a new protein and carb.

Flynn would eat one of these diets for about eight weeks, monitor how he does and if he does well, then you reintroduce his previous food to see if you get a response. If you do then you know he is allergic to something in his previous food. Isnt that how it works?

I would be worried about Flynn eating one of the hydrolized diet for a regular, permament food though that is just me. Im also wondering if he will eat the soy based food or would you do the chicken liver? I did not realize how limited the hydrolized diets are as far as choices of proteins and carbs.

Quote:

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Hydrolyzed protein diets often feature chicken or soy as the protein source, with soy often preferred since few dogs have likely consumed soy protein as part of their former diet, so they are unlikely to be allergic to the soy protein. These proteins are usually paired with potato, rice or cornstarch as the carbohydrate source as these are less commonly used in commercial dog food production than other carbohydrates like whole kernel corn or wheat.

In addition to helping alleviate food allergy symptoms, hydrolyzed protein diets can also help treat:

•colitis
•idiopathic diarrhea
•inflammatory bowel disease
•otitis externa
•short bowel syndrome


Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d Ultra Canine
Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d Ultra Canine uses hydrolyzed chicken liver and potato as its protein and carbohydrate sources for adult dogs. The liver has been broken down into its amino acid components to reduce the chances of it causing an allergic reaction in sensitive dogs. Prescription Diet z/d Ultra Canine is available in dry and canned formulas.

Purina HA HypoAllergenic Canine Formula
HA HypoAllergenic Canine Formula from Purina Veterinary Diets uses hydrolyzed soy protein and cornstarch to provide balanced nutrition for both puppies and adult dogs. It is a highly digestible, vegetarian diet that is available in a dry formula only. HA HypoAllergenic is compatible with a Purina treat called Gentle Snackers, which also contains hydrolyzed soy protein.

Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Hypoallergenic
Royal Canin uses hydrolyzed soy protein and rice to provide nutrition for both puppies and adult dogs with food allergies. It also contains ingredients to improve a dog’s skin and coat, as well as balancing a dog’s digestive system. This highly digestible diet is available in a dry formula only. It is not recommended for pregnant or nursing females.

Other Options to Consider
Hydrolyzed protein diets are one option owners of dogs with food allergies can try, but they may not work in all cases. If your dog’s symptoms do not improve with a hydrolyzed protein diet, you may want a commercially prepared hypoallergenic diet that features unique sources of protein and carbohydrates that may not create an allergic reaction in your dog.


Read more: Hydrolyzed Protein Dog Food - VetInfo

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I thought I just read about a canned version of Royal Canin- maybe this article is older- Zoe cannot even eat kibble, yikes, she's out of luck with hydrolized diets unless we can find more.

Good morning everyone, lovely sunny Sunday morning here!

Thanks for your comments Addy, I was leaning towards the soy as well as he has reacted to chicken in the past. Although he did have some last weekend with no ill effects. I understand the proteins are broken down in the hydrolysed diets to decrease gut inflammation but I thought it might be best to not have chicken in the mix at all. My problem is a vegeatarian Flynn?!?! :eek::eek: He loves his meat, even though it might not be doing him any good at the moment. Plus the Purina HA only comes in biscuit form and I was hoping to at least have him on wet and dry for variety. Still it is worth a try to see if we can settle his poor tummy down without having to resort to more meds.

I have posted to a IBD facebook group so will see what they have to say about it all. xxxx

I think the soy diet is the better option for a chance of success since he also has never eaten it, hydrolized or not it gives you a better shot at success, but I dont know if our Flynn will like his soy burgers:):)

Maybe try it and then switch to the chicken liver option if he wont eat the soy.

I made my decision on Zoe. I am going to try to get rid of the rest of her raw food. Her Zeal is still high protein but if I can replace those 137 calories of pure raw protein with lower protein, maybe I can get her UPC down under 1.5. The new IMS thought part of her higher Bun was from her diet. I want to try this first before trying an ACE inhibtor. Problem is it will take me 2 months to do it so I wont see the effects on her next test.:(:(:(

If her IBD gets worse, I'll be back looking at these diets. But her stool is better on now then it was.

Let me know what the IBD Facebook people say. I wonder if it is my old IBD forum.

HI Addy and everyone... These are the hydrolysed formula's available in NZ, both Royal Canin and Hills has chicken in it so I think I will go for the Purina HA blend, give it a try and see how we go. I am nervous about doing this but after giving him normal preservative free venison meat plus grain free venison and potato biscuits is not working for him. He is lying about this morning, had a normal BM but I think his tummy is sore... but still I have been sitting about :) and usually if I do little he follows suit, so best I get out and get some things done in the yard before we get buried under the autumn leaves that are piling up!

Addy, I don't think they need to go on an ace until UPC hits 2. So you got a ways to go there. Maybe the diet change will do the trick for Zoe and she won't need it. In saying that, Flynn seems to be tolerating his Ace (benzapril) really well, the UPC when it went high in April was 3.57, starting benzapril brought it down to 1.49 in little under one month. Last week it was up again to 1.84 but that is with testing at a different lab to the others so I am not getting to perturbed about that right now with his gut problems being the most pressing issue. I did ask the IMS about his kidneys, she said there is no reason why it will not stay lowish now his BP is under control, she said the changes in his eyes have resolved with the hypertension stabilising so hopefully she thinks the same will apply to his kidneys that have also suffered with high BP. But we obviously have to watch them.

Royal Canin Hypoallergenic

COMPOSITION: rice, hydrolysed soya protein isolate, animal fats, minerals, hydrolysed poultry liver, beet pulp, soya oil, fructo-oligo-saccharides, fish oil, borage oil, marigold extract (source of lutein). ADDITIVES (per kg): Nutritional additives: Vitamin A: 24800 IU, Vitamin D3: 800 IU, E1 (Iron): 40 mg, E2 (Iodine): 3 mg, E4 (Copper): 11 mg, E5 (Manganese): 53 mg, E6 (Zinc): 202 mg - Preservatives - Antioxidants. ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Protein: 21% - Fat content: 19% - Crude ash: 8.4% - Crude fibres: 1% - Per kg: EPA/DHA: 3.4 g - Essential fatty acids: 47 g

Purina HA
Ingredients: Starch, hydrolyzed soy protein isolate, vegetable oil, calcium phosphate, partially hydrogenated canola oil preserved with TBHQ, powdered cellulose, corn oil, potassium chloride, vegetable gums (gum arabic, guar gum), choline chloride, dl-methionine, salt, magnesium oxide, lecithin, taurine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, vitamin E supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, calcium carbonate, vitamin A supplement, copper sulfate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin supplement, garlic oil, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), sodium selenite

Fiber (estimated dry matter content) = 4.4%

Hills ZD
Starch, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Soybean Oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Hydrolyzed Chicken, Powdered Cellulose, Lactic Acid, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Potassium Chloride, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid, Rosemary Extract, Beta-Carotene

Trish,
I hope Flynn loves his new chow and his new chow loves him!:). It is always somewhat scary when you have to switch foods. I've had to do it several times due to Buddy's allergies. There is always a period of adjustment.:o Sending lots of love and hugs for you both.

By the way Trish, Flynn looks almost identical to the dog that I had when I was child. He was raised as my little brother. I was the baby and my older brothers had each other, so Spot was my little brother.
My parents adopted him as a puppy from the local animal shelter. He was a mutt. We are not sure what his breed was. I was barely three at the time. He lived until he was 15 and I was 18. He wasn't overly friendly to anybody but me. I could do anything to him an we did everything together. We had a connection of complete trust in which nobody really understood. When he crossed over the rainbow bridge, I lost my favorite brother. I have always had an uncanny connection with animals. Every time I see your avatar, I see Spot. I can tell that Flynn is just a special to you as Spot was to me. Boy this is sappy and now I'm an emotional mess!:rolleyes:

Hugs,
Kathy and Buddy:cool:

Trish,
I searched high and low to find a photo of Spot to show you. I posted it in my "check it out" photo album. Please read my previous post and you'll understand what the heck I am talking about. The photo is a picture of me holding Spot. It was taking more than 40 years ago!I think Flynn may be a reincarnation of Spot. ;). I am not kidding when I said that Flynn reminds me of my little brother. :) Bizarre huh?:rolleyes:

Hugs,
Kathy and Buddy:cool:

Wow they do look alike Barbara! Isn't that the cutest of you holding spot, your 'brother'.
hugs,
Sharlene and molly Muffin