What grain free dog kibble should I choose to help my itching dog's coat?

N

Nhi

New member
Here is what someone told me about how to treat my dog's itching problem.

"Itching can be cause by an overgrowth of bacteria and yeast. And if she has hot spots, those are a bacterial skin infection. The best way to reduce bacteria and reduce itching is to reduce carbohydrates in the diet. Carbs are what bacteria and yeast feed on. Solid Gold does have a really good low carb formula called Barking at the Moon. The rest of the formulas are pretty high in carbs.

As for shampoos, oatmeal is a carbohydrate. So it can actually cause bacteria to grow and spread on the skin. Oatmeal is great for dry skin but not if there is any kind of infection. Its best to go with an antimicrobial shampoo. Earthbath makes a tea tree oil and aloe one that would be great. If you want something stronger look for a 4% chlorhexidine shampoo"

I found this very informative, so today I went and exchange my Earthbath shampoo with Oatmeal + Aloe for the Tea Tree + Aloe. It is working, last night she was itching a lot after bathing her with the Oatmeal shampoo, so I bathe her again today just to get rid of the shampoo from yesterday.. I do not bathe my dogs regularly because I know it's not good.

Anyways, I think one of my dogs has a lot of allergies. She's always itching and her skin is sometimes red. Most likely it's hot spots..

I'm not sure what I am doing wrong because I am feeding them Solid Gold - hund n flocken(sp).. I know it's not grain free but I thought grain isn't necessarily bad... However, the guy said it's high in carbs and that may be a reason one of my dog is itching? That is why, I am wondering about grain free products.. if it helps with allergies.. I tried contacting a vet to see if they can find out what my dog is allergic to but he hasn't contact me back yet so.. I'm waiting.

Anyways, back to which grain free dog kibble I should get? I want a product that has high protein but low carbs.

The following products I know of that are grain free, high protein, low carbs are,

Solid Gold Barking at the Moon
Blue Wilderness

Is there anything else that can help my dog's coat + itching?

I really wanted to switch to Orijen but I'm not sure if it's low carbs.. I've researched a lot about dog kibbles but never really understand which is better..

I really want the food to have high content of omega 3 so it can help my dog's coat.
That is why, I think I should go for a fish based formula..

ALSO, I do not understand the analysis on dog food. What numbers am I suppose to know if it's good or not?

EXAMPLE if i'm not making sense.

On the bag, there's a spot where it says Guarantee Analysis. It has stuff like

Protein 13%
Fiber 8%
Omega 6 3%
Omega 3 1%

These are just random numbers. Help??
Vets do not know anything about dog food. They recommend you food that are in their office which are usually always low quality food such as science diet.

There's always ways to treat your dog instead of taking it to a vet if the task is simple. However, I plan on taking her to a vet to find out what her allergies may be.. I already contacted my vet, he just haven't responded yet..

I'm simply asking about high quality grain free product. Thanks.
 
This is the problem I have with my GSD, she is allergic to grains and reducing the carbs will help as well. She gets bald spots, chews/licks her feet, ear infections, pustules. I recently switched her to Orijen dog food which is very high quality and grain free. I highly suggest it as I already see results.

Orijin is very high protein low carbs. You could get Orijen 6 fish which is high in omega 3s however I give my GSD fish oil on the side.
 
I would recommend Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon formula,from what you have stated above this food should work great for your dog,all 4 of my dogs unfortunately have both seasonal allergies and food allergies and this formula and brand have worked the best for us.

I will be back later to edit my answer as i remember coming across a site awhile back that tells you what you should look for as far as the percentages,I just have to go find the site,LOL,be back soon...............................

http://www.wikihow.com/Read-a-Pet-Food-Label

The next site Im about to post covers allot of info,http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/ucm047113.htm

And this is the last site;http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?page=labelinfo101

I hope this helps you and your dog,and I hope she gets better soon:)Good luck and happy dog food shopping.
 
just like all drs are not equal neither are all vets, however an omega 3 and 6 is good for dogs with allergies, and generally speaking it is more likely to have an environmental allergy if they have a food allergy, that is why testing is very important. I think Heska is the best on the market from my experience, and it has helped even develops a dog immunity system.
Changing food may help but you need to give it 12 weeks to see an improvement.
this is the only site I go to for information for dog food http://www.dogfoodproject.com/. It is written by a pet food nutritionist and it takes just as long to become a nutritionist as a dr.
Actually more dogs have a beef allergy than a corn, it is one myth surrounding food allergies with dogs.
From my understanding Orijen is one of the best foods on the market, and a fish and potoato diet has been proven to help dogs with allergies.
 
From what I have heard from the dog community, vets are very narrowly trained in dog nutrition and the training they do receive is from dog food companies with an agenda. They will try to shove the Science Diet down your throat (no pun intended) until the cows come home, meanwhile the stuff is absolutely terrible for your doggies.

I feed my dog Halo and he has some pretty bad skin problems. He has been thriving on it. I know quite a few people that feed their dogs Blue Buffalo and Natural Balance with good results, but I haven't read the ingredient labels myself.
 
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