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This blog post was originally published in 2014. It has been updated with new information. Throughout this blog post, I alternate the following words – sensitivity, intolerance, and allergy.
Before I switched my dogs to a raw food diet, I suspected that Rodrigo has a chicken allergy. No matter what kibble I fed (and most seemed to have chicken as the main protein), Rodrigo had a reaction. Itchy skin, chronic ear infections, digestive issues, and more. Later, I realized that it was the kibble, not necessarily the protein, because when I started feeding lamb, turkey, and salmon kibble – Rodrigo had the same reaction.
So, when I started feeding raw, I fed chicken and beef, two proteins that land high on the Sensitivity List for dogs. Rodrigo didn't have an issue with chicken anymore. That is until I transitioned to DIY raw feeding. That was when I learned about how sourcing can impact how my dogs react to a protein.
And I'm not referring to organic, grass-fed proteins. I'm saying that Rodrigo can eat proteins from some farms, but not others. I don't know exactly what's happening but I have theories.
In this post, I want to share the proteins that I've found that Rodrigo has been able to eat. But first…
Symptoms of a Food Sensitivity in Dogs
This list is based on our experience with Rodrigo and Scout, homework, and discussions with various veterinarians.
- Constant itching, scratching and/or licking of itchy paws
- Loud gurgling stomach noises
- Loose stool and diarrhea; multiple poops a day
- Room clearing gas
- Failure of anal glands to naturally express (this can lead to infection and impaction)
- Chronic ear infections
- Dry, flaky skin and rashes/hives
- Hair loss
- Nausea
- Lethargy
Our dogs only experienced a few of these symptoms, but all of them may have crept up eventually.
Diagnosing My Dog's Protein Sensitivities
I'm one of THOSE dog moms – I track everything with my dogs in spiral notebooks. So, I started making notes about Rodrigo's reaction to different proteins and shared them with our veterinarian. He diagnosed Rodrigo with protein sensitivities and gave me a quick intro.
- Because Rodrigo was allergic to beef, then beef tripe, bison, and possibly elk and venision might cause a reaction too. This didn't happen. Rodrigo can eat some grass-fed beef, beef tripe, bison, elk, and venison with zero issues.
- Because Rodrigo was allergic to chicken, then chicken eggs might pose a problem. Along with other bird proteins. This didn't happen either. Rodrigo can eat chicken eggs, quail, goose (which is more similar to red meat proteins), and duck. But he can't eat turkey or pheasant.
By the way, I used a sensitivity kit on Rodrigo and it also came back with chicken and chicken eggs.
Alternative Proteins to Beef and Chicken
The following are the proteins that I feed my dogs. This list is limited to the proteins available where I live and I'm sharing to give others ideas on what they can look for.
- Chicken Eggs (quail eggs if I can get them)
- Bison
- Duck
- Elk
- Emu
- Grass Fed Beef
- Green Beef Tripe
- Lamb
- Pork
- Quail
- Rabbit
- Venison
- Wild Goose
- Fish: sardines, mackerel, trout
I've also fed alpaca, alligator, and kangaroo once but they are very expensive where I live.
Gut Health Causes Food Sensitivities
I don't know if this is true. But I do think an unhealthy gut leads to a lot of health issues, and in Rodrigo's case, that included food sensitivities. As I'm updating this post, I was excited to see the list of proteins I can feed my dogs has gotten longer and I credit this to feeding fresh food and focusing on my dog's gut health. I did this by adding the following whole foods and supplements to their diet.
- kefir
- raw goat's milk
- vegetables
- fermented vegetables
- fermented fish stock
- FullBucket Digestive Supplement
Remember, healthy gut – healthy dog.
My dogs do GREAT on venison and elk and I’m glad that I reached out to other raw feeders with beef intolerant dogs (which I do share in this blog post) to get their advice on what to feed them or I would never have tried those proteins. I stopped going to the vet who told me that my dogs can’t eat bison, venison, elk, or green tripe and now have a veterinarian who has better knowledge of raw feeding. My boys can eat bison and they can have green tripe in moderation.
I’d like to clear one thing up. My dog is horrifically allergic to beef including losing her hair. But contrary to what is stated in this article, she has thru Ed in a venison diet. Absolutely no problem whatsoever. Unfortunately getting a venison dog food now is impossible unless they add other proteins she is allergic to. Just wanted to let you know though that beef and venison are not the same thing. Your dog will not be allergic to it just because they are allergic to beef. My dog is now 12 and the vet says she looks 7. Venison dog food.
Hey Rene. I just had to take my dog back off Rabbit because she started itching again. Allergy tests indicated rabbit is an allergic food for her. Sigh. (I have 4 frozen rabbits in my fridge taking up space now)
My experience over the last two years with my dog has shown me that itching means the food I am feeding her is an allergen. She is now on very low-fat pork, with occasional duck snack treats (since
Duck is a very greasy food).
I am obviously not a vet or doctor; I am only speaking from experience. BUT my recommendation would be to STOP the chicken immediately. I have also found that my dog is allergic to Turkey and beef.
I have several friends who also have allergic dogs, and they seem to respond very well to pork.
If you are willing to try it, what I do is buy a large pork loin roast (not tenderloin – too expensive), cut off ALL the fat, and bake it in the oven. Then chop it up and add veggies and rice to it. (FYI my dog is also allergic
to peas, and she passes corn right through her so she isn’t digesting it. She seems to love brussel sprouts, carrots and green beans. She also likes Cauliflower, although I know it can give some dogs gas.
Alternatives to rice for her are sweet potatoes (both garnet and white). She now relishes her dinner every night. Occasionally I will treat her with some 97% fat free ham steak bits (Ralphs) for some alternative flavor.
Try the pork to stop the itching. THEN you can try turkey, beef, or lamb and see how your dogs do on it. Only do one at a time and stay with it for a few weeks (3+) to make sure they are ok.
Good luck
Hi. I put my dogs on chicken and rice year ago by my vet because one of my schauzers had pancreatitis. They’ve all been on Urinary SO. About a year ago I started mixing the SO with chicken fresh pet. Soon after my girl dog started getting a really bad rash that continued for a while. I took them all of the fresh pet.and put the on fresh cook chicken and peas and corn. Now they all are itching like crazy. My daughter said they might have a good allergy. I really don’t know what to feed them now. Including the SO. Confused so much and worried feeding my dogs can kill them. Thanks Rene
I should clarify: he only eats boiled chicken with a bit of kibble made of chicken and rice so far without issue. That’s all that has worked. But I am concerned he’ll be put off by it and would like to vary his diet. Breed is Manchester Toy Terrier Mutt
Hi,
Thanks for this. Been having the toughest time with several trips to the vet for PRECISELY the symptoms listed.
We narrowed it to “air dried” duck or chicken. Freeze dried chicken is fine. But our big problems are liver (beef or pork), pork of any sort, and any animal fat. Chicken fat included. It results in red HGI similar stool, anal gland swelling, itching and licking, and ear infections. Thanks so much for the confirmation on our suspicions. Any further recommended reading would be appreciated.
Try feeding raw fermented goat milk for allergies. Approximately 1/4 cup to 1!/2 a day. Really helps with allergies
Trying my dog on fish now. Beef and chicken has been out of his diet for years. Then turned to limited ingredient turkey, which worked ok along with more med baths and oatmeal conditioning. However, today I picked up a mixed fish dry food. No meats. Has anyone every tried this diet for dogs with sensitive beef and chicken allergies?
I’ve found it to be easier to make my own bone broth. I have a dog that has chicken and turkey allergies, but I can make him a bone broth with those proteins and he does fine. I think it’s because I’m cooking it and it’s mostly broth. I can’t guarantee that your dog will have the same experience; I can only share my own.
Hi Kimberly,
My 15 year old dachshund mix has chicken allergies, causing skin irritation and diarrhea. I would like to add bone broth to his diet, but can only find chicken and beef. Do you know if the chicken bone broth is likely to cause his chicken allergy to flare up? He has liver problems so I don’t want to expose him to anything that could put extra strain on his liver.
Take away chicken and beef for your dogs diet and gluten. Try zingture dog food. Labs are prone to good allergies!
Vital Essentials Raw doesn’t have vegetables. You can also do DIY raw that way you can control what your dog is eating.
Do you add a digestive supplement/probiotic to your dog’s diet? This helps to strengthen the gut biome which allows the immune system to do its job more efficiently. I give my dogs FullBucket: https://www.keepthetailwagging.com/fullbucket
I have a 2 year old bulldog who seems to be allergic to every kind of protein there is, which is making me wonder if it’s a fruit or veggie in the frozen raw food brands I’ve tried. I’ve tried a couple brands but can’t find any without the extra fruits and veggies included. Could this be the issue? Do dogs tend to have allergies to the supplements in the raw frozen food? Could you recommend a good raw food brand that only has the meat & bones so I can try seeing how she does, ruling out the supplements? I have tried the typical proteins and have had issues, so I was hoping to find a brand with some of the more exotic proteins.
To Cheryl and Jean, if they are still reading this site: My dog is allergic to beef and chicken as well. She is doing well on duck and rabbit, and we are adding lamb now. You might want to try duck without the potato – my vet warned me that potato can be a very allergic food. I am stewing duck for her (whole duck from the Chinese market near me), and it has been a godsend, as well as stewed rabbit. In my experience it can be the other ingredients that keep my dog itching, so for the clearest answer to her allergies I am going directly for the pure protein, and then mixing it with veggies, carbs and vitamins.
Hi Linda
I prefer not to use oatmeal shampoos because I’ve been told that the oatmeal feeds the yeast if that’s an issue with a dog. Instead, I go for something that is all natural – there are two that I recommend, 4Legger and Snooks. An alternative to an allergy test is to do an elimination diet. This will allow you to test each protein out on your dog to see which one is the problem. I have a dog with protein intolerances and they present right away so I haven’t had to do an elimination diet. I quickly know what works and doesn’t work for him.
One tip that I do have is to try and only feed one protein a week; this will help you identify if a protein is an issue or not. Also, try to feed food with limited ingredients – this way, you won’t have to guess which ingredient is causing the issue. A veterinarian should be able to help you with the details.
I have a rescue chihuahua who is about 9-10 years old. He loves everything, but after 2 years we finally can feed him freeze dried duck by Primal and his stool is Ok and no more diarrhea. However, he licks his back legs and I don’t know if it is just a nervous thing or an allergy to the outside or food. I have had lots of dogs and have never experienced this. He also stinks so I wash him every week with an oatmeal baking soda shampoo for dogs. We also have a mini daschund and have no problems at all.
The only thing we have not done is allergy testing and it is my understanding it is quite expensive. Any thoughts on this.
My dogs do great on venison!
Hello Kimberly I just came across your article and read the whole thing I was just wondering how did your dogs to use on venison?
Kimberly, is bison the same as beef if they have a beef intolerance?
Cheryl I hope your vet did bloodwork and cultured the area before prescribing a long-term of antibiotics for a puppy if not you need to change vets.
Hi Jean
This is a great question for your veterinarian. Because I’m not a proponent of kibble and I don’t have a veterinarian background, I’m not ethically able to advise you on this situation.
Kimberly
My 9-year-old schipperke/shepherd mix developed chicken intolerance, but she has been doing well on a limited -ingredient duck and potato kibble for about 9 months now. This weekend she’s been having the same diarrhea she had from the chicken. The other day my cat had vomited up her chicken dinner, and my dog ate it before I could stop her. Could that be what’s triggering this latest problem, or could she have suddenly developed an allergy to the duck/potato? Thoughts?
Thanks!
Certainly.
Thank you so much for your helpful response. May I print the recipe you included in one of your blog posts for the diy veggie supplement and bone broth?
Hi Cheryl…
Feeding spoiled meat is a risk if someone isn’t smart about meat handling. I thaw meat in the fridge, I don’t leave meat on the counter, and I only source raw from reputable farms and brands. Unfortunately, antibiotics do more harm than good, because I believe the itching comes from allergies, which come from chronic inflammation and an unhealthy gut. Antibiotics kill the good bacteria in the gut, making the environment even more unhealthy. The gut and immune system work together – so that’s why you’re not seeing improvement. By destroying the gut, the immune system can’t function properly, and the dog gets sick. I experienced this with Rodrigo.
I’d definitely recommend raw feeding, however, if it’s not something that you’re comfortable with, then I would recommend the following:
Add natural foods to your dog’s diet – I make a veggie mix for my dogs and bone broth
– https://www.keepthetailwagging.com/veggiemix
– https://www.keepthetailwagging.com/bonebroth
Add sardines and fish oil to your dog’s diet
– buy canned sardines in water (or olive oil) with low sodium; I buy them at WalMart or Costco
– I give my dogs Bonnie & Clyde fish oil, https://www.keepthetailwagging.com/bncpet
Add a digestive supplement to your dog’s diet to help heal her gut; I recommend FullBucket:
– https://keepthetailwagging.com/FullBucketProbioticPowder
My 8 month old lab is scratching and chewing her hind quarters. She has two spots where most of the hair is gone. The vet thinks it’s a food allergy. She was on a long, long course of antibiotics in the first several months of her life due to persistent puppy vaginitis. It is thought that this may have caused the allergy. She is on Natural Balance food elimination diet. She tried duck and potatoes for one month and now we are on venison and sweet potatoes for a month. Itching continues and she gets benedryl daily to try to control it. My vet really discourages raw diets because he worries about feeding spoiled meat to the dogs. Any thoughts?