My dog has allergies & bad teeth. What food & products are best?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Unfortunately, Nikki's itching is more likely to be related to environmental allergies than food allergies. Environmental allergies are usually to things like grass, pollen, trees, etc - all the same stuff humans are allergic to. And these allergies can appear at any age. If benedryl helps, it is considered quite safe to use long term for most dogs (talk with your vet first). If you are trying to avoid medicaitons and side effects, talk with your vet about the cytopoint injection. It is not a medication or drug- it is actually just a protein that blocks the itch receptor and is considered very safe. It lasts 1-2 months in most dogs. If it works for Nikki, it also shows that her allergies are environmental in nature (that shot does not work well for food allergies). There are also many great sprays, mousses, and foot soaks that may help - talk to your vet about these options. Getting back to the food situation, if you have any concerns about the safety of the food, I definitely recommend switching. Though I will say I have several patients on Core Wellness doing fantastic as far as I can tell. For allergic dogs, I do like to avoid the common allergens which are chicken, pork, and beef (it's almost never grains). So sticking with fish or a more "novel" protein like lamb, kangaroo, or rabbit may help. hope this helps and best wishes to you and Nikki!

Nikki is adorable! Thanks for including pictures! Yes, PetSmile is expensive, but it is one of the only toothpastes to actually be approved by the Veterinary Oral Health Council. Here is a list of their approved products. http://www.vohc.org/VOHCAcceptedProductsTable_Dogs.pdf PetSmile is what I use with my dogs. (Last year they ran a 25% off sale before Christmas, so I stocked up!) Yes, it is fine to use Dawn on Nikki's feet daily, but I suspect any gentle cleaner would be fine as well. You may have to experiment to find the best shampoo for her. I have been very pleased with EarthBath products, so you might want to try their Oatmeal and Aloe shampoo for itch relief. https://earthbath.com/product/oatmeal-aloe-shampoo/ There are also prescription itch relief shampoo and conditioner products if needed that you can talk to your vet about. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Please keep in mind that she may be itchy because of allergies. Grain free food has nothing to do with being hypoallergenic helping with allergies and actually has not been really shown to have any benefit over food that contains grain. There have been reports that have linked grain free foods with heart disease. I would consider feeding her a canned or wet diet which may be easier to eat for her. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. You could add joint supplement such as Dasuquin or Cosequin to help with joint health. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I would put her on a Glucosamine AND Omega 3 fish oils. I like Dasquinn treats and for fish oils I prefer VRS Omega Benefits but it is a liquid. Otherwise try Nordic naturals. The Omega fish oils helps the joints and skin and the glucosamine is just for the joints. https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=34361 https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24785 https://www.vrshealth.com/feline-products/omegacat/ I hope this helps!

Hello. Honestly, I recommend either Nordic Naturals or Bayer Free Form Snip Tips. Both of these are highly recommended by veterinary dermatologists, too. You will need to call other veterinarians to see who carries Cytopoint. It is an excellent product & most of my clients love the convenience of only needing a simple injection once ever 6-8 weeks to control their pet's allergies. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor girl! Allergies are so frustrating but can be rewarding if you can find what works best for her. I would strongly talk to your vet about long term steroids and anti-fungals. Steroids long term are not ideal for her liver and kidneys but if it is the only thing that will keep her comfortable then it may be the only choice. If you don't want to do that, you can also try apoquel and cytopoint together. I have success with this combo as well and have been told by a dermatologist that it is safe to do together. From the picture, it looks like she is covered in yeast and needs some anti-fungal medicine as well. I personally like terbinafine and recently had a dermatologist tell me it is okay to use long term. I have 2-3 dogs currently on it long term and it has helped a lot. Talk to your vet about proper dosing for Kiley. I usually do it daily for 1-2 months then decrease the dose to every Monday and Tuesday long term. I would also be bathing her with a medicated shampoo like miconahex-triz 2-3 times per week. If you don't already, put her on some omega-3 fatty acids. Also, I know you mentioned some food changes but if you haven't tried a food trial with a PRESCRIPTION hypoallergenic food, I would also talk to your vet about this as well. Once you get the itching and yeast under control, you may be able to switch her to from the steroid to apoquel or cytopoint and they may work better. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Medications like prednisone and Apoquel can help with the itchiness. The underlying allergy still has to be identified and treated. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!