Sweet Eddie is a Parson Russell Terrier who could be between 8 and 12 according to his Dad as he is a rescue. Typical of dogs with white fur and a very pink skin, Eddie suffers from numerous allergies and sensitivities in his digestion, skin and even eyes as he suffers from dry eye (Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca).
In his Dad's words - "Eddie has a sensitive tummy and has been on Purina Hypoallergenic for the past 7 months. He has had issues with red and sore feet, ears and more general skin since we adopted him nearly 4 years ago. Apoquel has been prescribed.
For over a year he now he has had KCS and is on Tacrolimus and Hyabak. Apoquel is still being used for general skin and redness round the eyes that is causing potentially dangerous scratching. He only eats Purina Hypoallergenic and now your Omega 3 Algae oil.
We would love to get him off the the Apoquel which has been on a daily dose for many months and even so there is still some flare-up around his eyes.
I have looked at your site and was thinking of putting in an order for Gentle Rosie wet food, veg dog dental sticks, and veg dog bedtime cookies. Good choices/hypoallergenic?
My (fingers crossed) plan for going forward is to see if the Purina Hypoallergenic can be replaced/supplemented with your hypoallergenic food (starting with Gentle Rosie) and your Omega 3 oil. Eddie had a nasty skin flare up yesterday and he is now on Zenrelia.
I would love to get him off the meds and onto your foods!" - Fraser
What is in Purina HA that Eddie has been on for 7 months?
Purina HA is the most commonly prescribed diet recommended by vets for dogs with sensitivities to animal proteins and wheat. They use hydrolysed soya in Purina HA instead of any animal proteins being broken down into tiny particles so that the body does not have an allergic response to the potentially allergenic soya.
There is no mention of using non-GMO soya so we would still have a pesticide risk with this soya as it would be the same as used to feed our feedlot animals (greater profits to be made for Nestle Purina from non-GMO cheaper soya)
In order for the Nestle Purina food to be palatable, please see the ingredient list below as pure sugar is added as a 5th ingredient. (Yes Nestle as originally a confectionery company knows that addiction and high sugar products sell!)
This added pure sugar would be detrimental long term on the dental and hormone health of Eddie. These foods are only to be used for up to 6 weeks but as shown, the vets treating Eddie have already had him on it for 7 months (and he probably would have continued had Fraser not found our Just Be Kind site!)
What about the use of fish oil to protect the skin barrier?
It is well known with us and in our dogs, that the use of Omega 3 oils greatly enhances the skin barrier and protects and fortifies the skin to better cope with allergies and sensitivities. Fish oil is used in Purina HA which we know will be the byproducts of the fishing industry to choose the ingredient with the maximum financial return; and this fish oil could contain a high level of heavy metals and possibly even microplastics (or if salmon oil is used, there is the risk of anti-lice, anti-parasitics and anti-fungals in salmon oil from the shocking salmon industry!)
How forward thinking Fraser was to have found our Just Be Kind site and already started Eddie on our pure Omega 3 Algae oil with NO heavy metal risk (see oil wars here)
It is the only Algae oil for dogs in the UK to contain the valuable addition of the antioxidant and bright pink Microalgae Astaxanthin - all SO beneficial to Eddie's skin barrier (and yes my husband has some too in his breakfast every morning as it is superior to any Algae oil for sale for people!)
Do we advise Eddie continues with Zenrelia and Apoquel?
Please read this article all about Apoquel as in my opinion as an ethical plant powered vet, it is such a concern that this drug is dispensed so frequently by vets as dogs given Apoquel need to be so closely monitored and dog owners need to be made aware of the very concerning side effects when using Apoquel.
I am not as familiar with Zenrelia as a vet, which is also made up of Ilunocitinib that modulates the immunity of dogs and comes with this warning in the NOAH clinical particulars where they state -
"Ilunocitinib modulates the immune system and may increase susceptibility to opportunistic infection and exacerbate neoplastic conditions. Dogs receiving the veterinary medicinal product should therefore be monitored for the development of infections and neoplasia."
What a concern for little Eddie who if he has the genes for cancer, could have them 'switched on' when prescribed both the Apoquel and Zenrelia by his vet as it is all that they know of! The last thing we want for any of our dogs is a diagnosis of cancer!!
What about a complete hypoallergenic plant-based diet?
Fraser asked in his email to Just Be Kind - "I have looked at your site and was thinking of putting in an order for Gentle Rosie wet food, veg dog dental sticks, and veg dog bedtime cookies. Good choices/hypoallergenic?"
Yes absolutely Fraser! Gentle Rosie is complete and full of gently cooked wholefood ingredients with NO soya and NO added sugar - just look at these natural delicious ingredients (and registered with the Vegan Society)-
Pure non-GMO Ingredients Gentle Rosie: 7% Sweet Potato, Carrots, 6% Faba Bean Protein, Parsnips, 4% Beetroot, Amaranth, Safflower Oil, Lupin, Courgette, Cranberries, Papaya, Rosehip, Minerals, Tomato Powder, Chicory, Sea Algae
Absolutely yes too to continuing with the Algae oil that we have, as well as adding in Bedtime Cookies and Vegdog Dental Chews - all non-GMO, grain and soya free pure ingredients (and most importantly ALL delicious!)
What else do we recommend for Eddie and his sensitive skin?
Eddie will be typical of other sensitive dogs with white fur and pink skin who react to pollen, house dust mites, grass, tree sap etc.
We sell veterinary formulated CLX wipes that can be cut into 4 and kept in a sealed container and used once daily to wipe over any areas of Eddie's coat where he licks and scratches to remove the contact allergens from his coat and ears.
It is also a good idea to spray all the areas that he sleeps in with Allergone non-chemical spray that is harmless and forms a film around the house dust mites to prevent allergic reactions to the chitin in the mite (itchy dogs with this allergy fed an insect-based diet will have the same reaction to the chitin found in insects!)
If Eddie did prefer to eat a dry food diet, we would advise our Solo Vegetal dry food as it has been formulated by veterinary dermatology company Nextmune for dogs with sensitivities to all allergens including storage mites that are found in ALL dry dog foods and also contain chitin that dogs can react to.
Solo Vegetal has been packaged in unique foil packaging as a deterrent to the storage mites AND it is fully hypoallergenic in its ingredients too (and delicious!)
Any other tips for Eddie?
Eddie's Dad Fraser did mention that Eddie also suffered from itchy ears on top of everything else. I do remember when working as a GP vet, having a client ring about her Bulldog with terribly itchy ears who was put onto Apoquel medication by another vet in the practice I was working in and she needed more tablets. I asked how she gave the tablets, and she replied that he loved his cheese and she gave them in cheese!
I am not sure how Fraser gives Eddie his tablets, but cheese is one of the top allergens made from highly processed milk that almost all dogs will react to as most adult dogs do not contain the enzyme to digest dairy.
It normally results in terribly itchy ears in dogs fed inflammatory cheese or allowed to lick out the fromage frais or yoghurt pots (or worse and I know some dogs do it...the Haagen Dazs empty tubs!)
Best solution? Buy plant-based cheeses to give any medication such as VioLife, Cathedral City, Philadelphia - all delicious to your dog and they won't even notice the difference!
Final email from Fraser:
"We are very lucky to have found you. I am feeling hopeful for the first time in quite a while about his skin. Thank you for what you are doing. Your advice is fantastic." - Fraser and Eddie 🐾
