Scratching Beagle/springer..

kundian

New Member
I have a rescue 4yo springer/beagle.. who scratches and bites his the tops of his legs.. vet claims it might be a skin irritation caused by food.. i had him on Acana wild prairie which is grain free - but now have been given hills prescription diet d/d which he doesnt like so much. He has also been taken off the marrobone treats from pedigree chum. We have omega 3 added to the diet and still things are the same with him.. any ideas would be great.

Also any tips on how to get him to eat dry food, he eats once there are bits of ham or chicken hidden within the food, but otherwise he doesnt. Any neat tips would be great.

any beagle/springer owners out there.. i think he is that, is there a place i can send away to be sure?
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
I rescued a severely malnourished dog, and always put meat on his dog food to help him catch up, and i still do to this day. I have zero problem giving him some scraps of whatever protein we are eating---beef, chicken, eggs, fish, pork, whatever.

Hills dog food is one of the absolute WORST dog foods out there.
It is chockful of corn, is mostly corn, which is an allegren to some dogs, has zero nutrition (dogs do not digest corn) and is only a filler. Corn is the #1 ingredient in that dog food.
The next ingredient is CARDBOARD. yes, actual CARDBOARD, "cellulose"
followed by peanut shells!!! come on, that is the bulk of that dog food, and it's alll just crap.
The next ingredient is "chicken BYPRODUCTS", which is things like beaks and hooves and claws, not meat.

I'm not judging you, until i rescued a severely malnourished dog, i also knew NOTHING about dog nutrition, and just thought, geez, if my vet is selling it, or, if it costs a lot, it must be good dog food. WRONG. Wow, was i surprised.
(btw--------your dog's skin problem *might* be result of malnousihment, never having had enough nutrients to have healthy skin and fur). I'd add itty bitty half teaspoon of cannola oil to every other bowl, and on alternate days, i'd add busted open fish oil pill. Dogs need some fats to have nice fur.

Here are some threads on dog nutrition:


http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/i-love-to-talk-nutrition.3464/

http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/how-to-spot-great-dog-food.3308/

WATCH IN THOSE THREADS (above)FOR SOME LINKS I HAVE POSTED.

I use Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's soul dog food. There ARE better dog foods, the "grain free" kind, but, i can't afford them, and, all they have done is swap out oats & rice with POTATOES. Lots of potatoes. Nutritionally, potatoes and oats are very similar.
My dog can't do large amts of potatoes, he gets gas on the grain free (potato) kind.

Chicken Soup lists FOUR meats as top ingredients, and two are in meal form (meal is good, means it is already partially dehydrated). That is hard to find, only Origen lists more, but, i can't afford it.
Chicken Soup has no toxic poisonous preservatives, NO corn, NO soy, NO carboard, NO 'byproducts', NO "animal digest" <---that means poop, NO wheat, NO proven carcinogens (YES, THOSE ARE ALLOWED INTO DOG FOOD), NO brewer's rice <--that is like peanut shells, NO controversial ingredients.

and it DOES have plenty of meats, probiotics, antioxidants, omega 3s and 6s, flaxseeds, etc.

It's MADE IN AMERICA, never gets recalled,
and
it's only a dollar a pound. You have to order it online, OR, go to your local pet supply store to get a bag, but, your dog can go in there WITH you!!

If you decide to swap out your dog food,
do so slowly, only a few kibbles at a time, and donate rest of unused dog food to local dog pound.

I am extremely extremely leery of putting dogs on drugs, unless it is last resort. First, i'd try giving this dog an actually nutritious dog food, i'd definitely supplement it with real meat, the more the better, actually, and give the dog a chance to be actually well fed, prior to putting him on any drugs, if i could avoid drugs.

GOOD LUCK, CONGRADULATION ON NEW DOG, AND GOOD ON YOU FOR RESCUING A DOG!! YAY!!!
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
btw, the fact your dog is refusing to eat the kibble, without added meats, indicates he is a smart lil dog!!:) WOOHOO!! SCORE!! YOu got a smart dog!!!
 

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
and maybe bathe him in that oatmeal dog shampoo, might help a bit. It will take weeks to get him full of nutrients enough to improve his skin, but hang in there.
 

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Allergies suck. I have a dog that had some hairloss, was licking her feet, and had hives once in awhile... I put her on an elimination diet, tried raw, and was sooo frusterated that NOTHING WORKED!!! until winter hit, it was soo cold for 3 weeks that she didn't even get a collar put on to go outside, as there was no way in heck that she'd go anywhere (shorthaired Mini Dachshund) well I noticed the fur was growing back... her skin looked healthier...she quit licking her feet... the bloody dog is allergic to metal!!!!

all that work, and nearly 2 years before I figured that one simple thing out!

I also know a dog that's allergic to COTTON

I wouldn't let my dogs near Hills dog food. I have 2 other dogs with actual food allergies. I feed Natural Balance LID Fish and Sweet Potato. It's grain free, limited ingredient, and fish. Chicken and Beef are two of the most common allergies in dogs. consider switching to a single protein, and a unique protein (Duck, Venisen, Fish, Bison, etc.) Natural Balance carries a large variety of LID diets with unique proteins.

I used to feed Acana Pacifica. It's a fantastic food, but the older dogs dont need the really high protein and fat content. Natural Balance has a more natural protein level, and lower fat content... but I have to feed Mouse more as she lost a bit of weight after switching... she is 8 lbs and eats double what my 25lb dog eats! and she's scrawney!
 
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