Mary: "My Jack Russell Has Allergies"

Dear Dr. Dan,  I have a five year old female Jack Russell.

At age two she started showing signs of having allergies that presented on her skin with constant scratching, rubbing herself on furniture, gnawing, etc. Over the course of the past three years I have tried my best to figure out how to get her allergies under control by finding the best treatment for her.  She has a local vet who took a sample of blood from her and sent it off to a lab that ran tests to find out the cause of her allergies. The test reported that she was allergic to poultry,white potato,barley, duck, and corn. At that time I switched her food to a high-end dog food that did not contain any of those ingredients.  Her allergies seemed to improve a little but she would still have "flare ups" during the spring and summer and the vet would recommend steroid shots to calm the allergic reaction down. After having them give her two shots during one summer I decided that I would try to find another course of treatment.  

I found a holistic vet in Charleston which is two hours away from where I live. I took her to see ____________ and she recommended that I feed her a homemade diet that she called the " crockpot" diet. That was a year ago and since then I feed a half cup morning and half cup evening of a combination of beef,pork,cod,swt potato,Swiss chard,lite kidney beans, garlic, turmeric, bone meal, dry mustard,olive oil, and water.  

She also suggested that we do another blood test on sugar to find out what the lab she uses would find regarding allergies. This time the lab results stated that my Jack Russell was highly allergic to dust mites and grain mites. No food allergies were detected from this second test.  I have had her on the crock pot diet for one year. I have a shampoo and topical spray that I can use when she starts to show signs of having a flare up. The shampoo and spray are from a company called _________ and the product is called ______________________. It helps but not entirely.  

I also have a prescription on hand when she starts showing flare ups that I crush up in her food. It is called Temaril-P. This helps too but not entirely.  After doing all of the above, my Jack Russell is still scratching, rubbing herself on furniture, gnawing her rearend and creating patches of hairless red skin.  

Is there anything else that I can do that I am not doing now?

Mary P.

Hi Mary,

I would suggest the Innova brand of food (it is what I use) along with our  Aller Check (for pets version) and our Omega Coat Check Pet product.

The issue isn't about "what is allergic to"… got to get rid of junk. Not put more back in and support the immune system.

Thanks for asking!

Promotes and maintains healthy skin and coat – Great source of Omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids!

FEEDING DIRECTIONS: Mix or spray onto feed at the rate of one teaspoon (3 squirts) per 20 lbs of body weight twice daily. For toy breeds or cats, give 1/3 teaspoon (1 squirt) twice daily. Alternatively, consult your veterinarian for recommended dosage for your pet.
Three squirts equals 1 teaspoon.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS:
Total Fatty Acids/Crude Fat 98% min.
Unsaponifiable matter (natural gums) 1% max.
Insoluble Impurities 1% max.
Moisture 0.5 % max.
Linoleic Acid (Omega 6) 51 % min.
Linolenic Acid (Omega 3) 8 % min.
Oleic Acid (Omega 9) 24 % min.
Lauric Acid 1 % min.

Contains valuable natural-gum solids that may settle to the bottom. Mix and agitate regularly so that these components remain a part of the daily feed ration.