Maverick's New Diet

Well, poor Maverick has been battling yeast infections for 10 years.

Maverick

I questioned his last vet as to whether it could be allergies. His reply was probably; however, he offered no suggestions as to how to handle these allergies, as he assumed them to be environmental.

As time has gone on, I have wondered if the allergies might be more than environmental allergies. I started thinking, shouldn't environmental allergies be seasonal? Which, then, would mean, Maverick's allergies should be seasonal. Problem is, Maverick's allergies seem to be year round.

I heard once dogs can have food allergies. I started checking into food allergies recently and what to do about them. It turns out, food allergies can cause a great deal of skin issues with dogs from chronic yeast infections in the ears to yeast infections between their toes, on their faces and on their belly and groin area. Dogs lick incessantly causing these areas to become red and raw.

Maverick has been on medication for his ears for years, as well as medication to rid him of yeast infections on his feet and belly/groin area.

I spoke to his most recent vet about food allergies. She agreed it is possible he could have them. I asked her what food she recommended. I also did some searches on the Internet for hypoallergenic dog food.

The dry foods I came up with that are suppose to be the best are...
(I have not checked all brands, but some of these also come in canned/wet food)

1. Blue Basics(R) by Blue Buffalo
2. Wellness Simple Solutions(R)
3. Taste of the Wild(R)

My vet recommended Taste of the Wild(R). Blue Basics(R) is available at both PetSmart & Petco. Wellness Simple Solutions(R) is available at Petco, but may soon be available at PetSmart, as PetSmart is beginning to carry the Wellness(R) line. You may be able to request it at your local PetSmart. Taste of the Wild(R) may be a little more difficult to find, unless you have a feed store or a Tractor Supply store. You can also search the Taste of the Wild(R) website for a location near you. Taste of the Wild(R) can also be purchased over the Internet if you cannot find it sold near you.

If you are looking into changing your dog's food to one of these foods, be sure to read the guaranteed analysis and ask your vet if it is OK for your dog, especially if your dog has any other medical conditions. Because one of Maverick's house buddies, Chico, is diabetic, I asked my vet about the protein content of Taste of the Wild, as two of the flavor varieties has protein over 30%. I was told, because none of my dogs are working dogs, I do not need to feed any of them a food with protein content over 30%.

I also read, in some cases, dogs can acquire food allergies by eating the same food for years with no change. In this case, they can become allergic to the meat in that food, as well as the additives for color, preservatives, gluten and grains such as wheat, corn, rice.


The above mentioned foods are meat, veggie & fruit based, with meat as the first ingredient. The Blue Basics(R) & the Wellness Simple Solutions(R) have very limited ingredients in them. They have items you will actually recognize as food.

My dogs have been eating Beneful(R) Healthy Weight their entire lives. This is a grain based food with chicken and some veggies.

It is said, you should note the first 5 ingredients of your pet's food to be sure you are feeding them good food.

If you need a low carb food, look for food low in grains and sugars. Sugars are anything ending in 'ose': glucose, fructose, etc. or the natural sugars: sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup, etc. These should not be in the top 5 ingredients. Sugar is a quick energy boost; so, foods advertising to be for energetic dogs just may be high in sugar content. Read the labels, both the ingredient & guaranteed analysis.

As of February 1, 2011

Maverick has been off of Beneful(R).
The foods I am using for Maverick right now are:

1. Blue Basics(R) dry dog food by Blue Buffalo
2. Taste of the Wild(R) dry dog food
3. Blue Buffalo Wilderness canned dog food
   (This is a low carb pate-style food that is mixed with chicken; beware if your dog is allergic to beef. Read the ingredients, as some include beef.)
4. Taste of the Wild(R) canned dog food
   (This is a chunky-style food that from what I can tell from the ingredients may also be a low card food; although, it is not advertised as such.)

I am alternating between Blue Basics & Taste of the Wild(R) Pacific Stream dry dog food for Maverick.

For Breakfast and lunch, Maverick gets one of these two dry foods dry.
For Supper, Maverick gets one of these two dry foods mixed with some water and a portion of canned food. I split the can between Maverick & his 4 other house mates according to their size. (For instance, he gets more than Chico, who is a lot smaller.)

I will try to chronicle his progression, if any, here.

At the moment, I can't tell if he has had any progression because he has been on medication to try to get the yeast infection on his belly/groin under control.

I have noticed, whatever the reason, food or medication, he is licking his feet less.

Please stay tuned for updates...