Our dog is almost 9 months we noticed he had some bumps on his head because they look white, its not bald up there (yet) so we took him to the vet and i asked if he had mange mites or something of that sort and she said no she said he had some other kind of allergic reaction. i have been thinking about giving him canidae and i have read some reviews how it helps the skin and the eyes when dogs have problems. so i asked the vet if she would suggest changing his food (we give him science diet) she said that we were giving him good food and she wouldnt suggest canidae for they havent really done studies on the food. i have been reading about science diet and see that their main ingredient is corn and all this other stuff that doesnt seem so healthy. I want to feed my dog something that will provide more nutrients and is better for him. Anyones opinion? suggestions? should i just keep giving him science diet? she said to buy him science diet for sensitive skin. oh yeah they gave him
Skin problems with boxer, thinking about changing his food.?
if your Vet says you are giving him good food by feeding him Science Diet, i would change Vets immediately, very SERIOUSLY !!!....SD is garbage, especially if corn is the first ingredient, like Purina, LOTS OF CORN, despite major advertising, is junk also !!!....Canidae has been rated as a 5 star dry dog food, out of a possible 6 stars, as best !! canidae also has rated 112 points or an A+, out of a possible 100 points, on another dry dog food survey !!! this proves that your Vet is uninformed, and biased, because she sells Science Diet, and is therefore BIASED, BIG TIME !!!.......i am a retired CPA %26amp; CFP, and researched the HECK OUT OF DRY DOG FOODS, AFTER ALL THE RECALLS STARTED, and in my OPINION, CANIDAE DRY DOG FOOD, ALL LIFE STAGES, IS THE BEST DRY DOG FOOD AVAILABLE ANYWHERE, AND IT IS AFFORDABLE FOR ALL DOG OWNER'S !!!!......CANIDAE DRY DOG FOOD, ALL LIFE STAGES, is terrific because it is an ALL NATURAL, ALL HUMAN GRADE INGREDIENTS, NO BY-PRODUCTS OR CHEMICALS, NO CORN OR WHEAT OR FILLERS, NO SALT OR BEET PULP, ALL USA INGREDIENTS, and Canidae has lots of vitamins and enzymes that are good for dogs !!!!!.......go to Canidae.com for more information, and dog owner's testimonials, and a list of dealers near you, by Zip code !!.......MANY BREEDERS RECOMMEND CANIDAE, and many Yahoo answer people, HAVE USED CANIDAE, FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WITH MUCH SUCCESS AND SATISFACTION !!!!!.......Canidae has a money back guarantee, if you are unhappy, for ANY reason !!.....so try it, you will like it, what have you got to lose !!!......my 2 dogs, a JRTerrier mix, and a Great Pyrenees mix, have loved switching to Canidae !!.....my daughter in law, switched her 3 BIG dogs, a Golden Retriever, a Great Pyrenees, %26amp; an English Mastiff, all to Canidae, and they ALL love Canidae also !!!....MANY dog owners have said that Canidae has relieved their dogs of allergies %26amp; skin problems !! go to Canidae.com, and read the dog owner's testimonials !!!....if i can be of further help, with questions about Canidae, or the research i did, please email me !!...good luck to you, and your Boxer !!!...best wishes to y'all, from Fort Worth, Texas, USA !!!
Reply:science diets main ingredient is corn, the #1 food allergen in dogs.
vets get paid to push specific brands. sci-die is simply ut a terrible food and similar in terms of nutritional value to us eating a diet of mc donalds and cardboard.
canidea or timberwolf would be GREAT foods for a boxer, avoid anything with corn in and see if that mkaes a difference.
Reply:buy holistic dog food.
Reply:They have allergy shampoos and vitamins to help with the skin. Give him stuff with OMEGA 3 Fatty Acids. They help with the skin and coat. I wouldn't change the food. It really is one of the best out there. But if you do I would try Royal Canin it's also another good one. Also you might want to try allergy food too.
Reply:You need a new vet, your old one is really clueless about nutrition -hope she knows more about vetting.
Lots of money hungry vets sell Science Diet, which is why they recommend and defend it.
Read the ingredients for yourself, corn meal and ground meat meal (bones, beaks, feet, yuck)
terrible stuff, no better than supermarket or Walmart junk.
Try Canidae chicken and rice - it has done wonders for the skin and coat of 2 of my dogs, major improvement over when I too believed my old vet and fed science diet.
Reply:I have two boxers currently - one who I rescued from a family in NH she is deaf and they stated they didn't have time for her.
She is also white which made it easier for me to spot the 'hotspots' she had when we got her. As soon as I took her off the purina they sent her home with her stools tightened up and her fur grew in soft and shiny, she was so bad, it took about a month for complete restoration of her coat. But with in a day or two the constant itching and licking had slowed down.
We free feed Nutro Natural not sure if your pup is gettin better but a small bag of Nutro will only put you out 10 dollars and as long as it isn't an 'environmental' allergy you should notice a difference pretty quick.
By environmental I mean, changing your laundry soap, shampooing the carpets ect.
Reply:Soooo many people think Science Diet is healthy food. It's NOT! Don't ever base your opinions on dog food according to what other people say or what the "brand" advertises, like "#1 dog food recommended by Veterinarians." First of all, vets make their money by fixing what health problems the pets have. They're not nutritionists.
I've done TONS of research on dog foods and which is the most healthy. Here are my top picks...
1) Evo made by Natura
2) Innova made by Natura
3) Solid Gold
The important thing is to read the first few ingredients on the packaging. There SHOULD NOT be any corn or by-products. The first few ingredients should also contain high quality meat (like chicken, turkey, lamb, etc.) As you seem to already know, corn is just a filler. Actually, some of the fillers and grains they use in dog food could ne causing your dog's skin problems. He might be allergic to them. That's why I use holistic or natural dog foods. They contain no preservatives, fillers, or by-products.
A few other things to consider are the amount of protein and fat contained in the food. Adult dogs for example require a specific amount of protein and fat in their diet as do puppies. Not having enough protein or fat in their diet could disrupt their energy level and overall mental health.
Hope this helps and I hope your dog's health improves! =)
Reply:a little know fact about dogs is that plastic allergies are quite common, when my border collie mix was younger she had a terrible skin rash and the vet and i tried everything it took almost a year for the vet to suggest we removed her from all contact with plastic, we did and she hasn't had the rash for eight years.
Reply:I own a Doberman that has some skin conditions, I use a veryyy mild shampoo that is oatmeal based, found at almost any pet store or vets office. I also dont wear perfumes or use spray scents like lsyol or febreeze in my home. I switched him to a lamb and rice based diet, which I cook myself instead of buying. Its actually cheaper to cook yourself and much healthier. Its not necessary to switch him from science diet, try getting a lamb and rice flavor instead, I happen to suggest to a lot of clients to look around before switching completely, compare the ingredients, the top 10 are usually the most important, watch out for any type of additives. Also there has been large studies that alot of people dont know about but do NOT feed your dog any food that has onion or potato in it. It can make the animal very ill and sometimes some animals dont show anything for years. Its best to switch to a oatmeal based shampoo, and if the spots dont go away you might be looking at Alopecia in your boxer. This is a skin condition found in many breeds but it is usually inherited by bad breeding. I dont doubt your boxer is probably very beautiful but try not to stress to hard on the bumps. He is probably very sensitive and is having allergies to certain things in or out of the home. I hope this helps and if you would like more information please feel free to message me or email me at
jessicabiber@yahoo.com
Reply:well, i don't think i need to add my two cents on Canidae, (which i feed to my dog) Morris the Cat said it all. Nice work! go with the canidae, your dogs skin condition will clear up. that is the main reason i switched my dog, and her skin condition is gone. good luck.
Reply:Try to avoid foods with a lot of grains in them. Grains are the biggest cause of allergies in dogs. Go with something that has a lot of meat in it. Or better yet, raw feeding.
Eagle Pack is a holistic food and very good for dogs with allergies: http://www.eaglepack.com/
You may also want to consider adding N'Zymes to his diet: http://nzymes.com/
Reply:On choosing a good dog food:
Read the ingredients on the food you buy. Go with a high quality dog food. A grain should not be in the first couple ingredients ingredient (corn and such are mainly fillers, dogs don't digest it well). Avoid foods that have a lot of "by products" listed.
Here is an article about byproducts:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...
And an article on what ingredients to avoid:
http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...
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There is no single food that is "best". For example, some dogs thrive on grain-free foods, while grain-free is too rich for other dogs. What you want to find is the high-quality food that *your dog* does best on. (I recommend feeding dry food instead of wet. It's healthier for the gums and teeth.)
Some GOOD foods are :
* Merrick - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/
* Solid Gold - http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/
* Canidae - http://www.canidae.com/
* Timberwolf - http://timberwolforganics.com/
* Orijen - http://www.championpetfoods.com/orijen/o...
* Wellness - http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/
* Chicken Soup brand - http://www.chickensoupforthepetloverssou...
* Blue Buffalo - http://www.bluebuff.com/
* Innova - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.a...
* Innova EVO - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp
Or check this website for good foods: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_...
(I recommend only feeding foods rated 4, 5, or 6 stars. Anything 3 stars or less, I would stay away from.)
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Stay away from grocery stores brands. They are low-quality foods chalk full of fillers, preservatives, dyes, etc.. (Grocery store foods are those like Beneful, Old Roy, Alpo, Pedigree, Purina, etc.)
Beware "premium" foods. "Premium" does not mean good nutritionally, and is not a nutritionally high quality food. It has the same types of ingredients as grocery store foods, just a bit better quality of those not-so-good ingredients. (Premium foods are those like Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc..)
Another thing to be wary of: A lot of vets will recommend what they sell in their office. They get profit from the brands they keep on their shelves, that's why they push it. Truth is, vet schools don't focus a lot on nutrition. It's not saying that a vet is a bad vet because he recommends those foods, a lot of vets just are told "this is good food", so they pass the message along without proper nutrition knowledge. Also, some dog food brands (like Hills) support vet schools, so vets have heard of it from the time they start college, which makes them think it's good as well.
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Higher quality food may seem more expensive at first, but it evens out. The higher quality the food, the less fillers eaten (and therefore the less poop comes out the other end). Your dog eats more to try to get the nutrition it needs, and most of the food just passes right on through. Also, it will make your animals healthier, so you save money on vet bills in the long run.
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"Big box" petstores like Petco and Petsmart rarely have quality foods. (I do believe that PetCo sells "Solid Gold" and "Natural Balance" brands and Petsmart sells "Blue Buffallo", which are all quality foods, but most of the foods aren't.)
Also, grocery stores and Walmart aren't good places to buy food either.
Your best bets for getting quality dog food are:
- small, locally owned petstores
- dog boutiques
- farm supply stores
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When switching foods, do it gradually. I do this over about a two week timespan:
25% food A, 75% food B
50% food A, 50% food B
75% food A, 25% food B
100% food A
=== === ===
Most commonly, it's ingredients such as corn, wheat, dyes, etc. in low quality foods that cause the allergies. Typically, buying a high quality holistic dog food helps.
There are foods that have a fewer number of ingredients that will decrease the risk that your dog may be allergic to something in it, here's an example:
* California Natural - http://www.naturapet.com/brands/californ...
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