My dog with PLE improved on a hypoallergenic diet. Is it a miracle?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I think that this is still likely due to allergies. Sometimes dogs can be allergic to more than 1 thing at a time. It may be that she has allergies to something else in the food that she is eating or that she is also allergic to something else in the environment or fleas. 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. 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!

Yes a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic can be very helpful. In cases which respond well to treatment a near normal quality and life expectancy can exist. Some cases are less responsive and can struggle to maintain health and fitness despite immunosuppressive and chemotherapy medications but it would take 10-12 weeks before any assessment could be made on her progress

Hello. It sounds like this may be the fix Snowball needed to control her symptoms. As long as she does well on this food, do not try to change & be very careful with treats, scraps, etc. We do not truly know the reason why some dogs develop a food sensitivity, but as long as it is controlled, we consider this a successful fix. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this is due to skin allergies, all possible allergy types need to be considered. 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!

Hi, thanks for writing. Sounds like your dog has a protein-losing nephropathy, which we abbreviate PLE. Food alone doesn't do much, unfortunately, and we really have to treat the underlying cause. There are a huge list of things that can cause a PLE. Many breeds of dogs can pass this on genetically - Bernese mountain dogs, beagles, soft-coated wheaten terriers, cocker spaniels to name a few. All of these dogs have a specific kind of dysfunction in their kidney that causes the protein loss, and the only way you can tell which one it is is by doing a biopsy of the kidney. Infectious diseases can cause PLE's too - chronic bacterial infections, fungal disease, tick borne disease (like Lyme disease). Cancer can cause it, as well as drugs like steroids and other diseases like diabetes. What I'm trying to get at is that protein in the urine isn't a diagnosis - it's a sign of another disease. In order to treat it you have to figure out what's causing it. If you want to do a consult I'd be happy to talk more with you about this - it's a complicated problem.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The most common food protein allergen is chicken. I tell clients they can try 2 different over the counter novel protein diets for 2-3 months each before trying a prescription hydrolyzed diet. A novel protein diet means the protein or meat is one that the dog or cat has never eaten before. Only pick one at a time. Examples are Venison, duck, fish, rabbit with green pea, sweet potato, etc. The animals need to eat this diet exclusively, meaning no table scraps, treats or bones, rawhides, greenies or pig ears. The only treats you can give the pet are ones that contain the new protein. You need to give the diet 2-3 months before trying a different protein. There are prescription novel protein diets as well. Hydrolyzed diets are prescription only. The protein is broken down to a very small protein size that isn't recognized as as an allergen by the immune system. Examples are: Hill's z/d, Royal Canin HP and Purina HA. If you find the correct protein that your dog is allergic too then she should only give that diet. Some dogs have food allergies and environmental allergies or atopy. So sometimes food isn't always the perfect fix. But if it is then yes it can help prevent skin and ear infections as long as they don't get anything else to eat that they may be allergic too. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Poor Peanut! I'm assuming that he's been diagnosed with either PLE (protein-losing enteropathy) or lymphangiectasia - both of these disorders would cause the symptoms that you describe, and are unfortunately fairly common in Yorkies and Yorkie mixes. You are correct that many dogs with these problems can benefit from an additional immunosuppressant drug like azathioprine (Imuran) in combination with prednisone. Many vets are reluctant to do this without a definitive diagnosis via biopsy since there can be some dangerous side effects to these medications, but it's definitely something that you could discuss with your veterinarian. Vitamin B12 is also helpful in many cases, and I would definitely suggest starting this with Peanut since there are no risks or side effects with it. Many dogs also benefit from a prescription hypoallergenic diet like Hills z/d or Purina HA, so this is also something that you could discuss with your vet if you haven't already.