What Are the Best Bulldog Hypoallergic Diets?
Hi. Dr. Kraemer
I have a 5-month-old blue French bulldog. He has been itching since i got him, he licks his laws, scratches his legs, and rubs his eyes and ears. He is up to date with flea treatment and has had a skin scrape and has no mites or skin conditions.
He has not broken any skin or got any sores as of yet.
Bulldog and French Bulldogs Hypoallergic Diets by DR GOOGLE:
My vet has told me to put him on a hypoallergic diet, but some sites on Google say this is pointless.
Best French Bulldogs Hypoallergic HOW LONG:
I feed him Purina pro plan salmon for sensitive skin and stomach, he wasn’t eating it dry so i was adding taste toppers, beef and chicken, and fish flavor to make him eat his food.
The itching got worse so i stopped doing this and just started adding fruit or veghto his kibble. Should i do the hypoallergic diet, if so which one is the best one?
once the trial is done what food do i go back to?
thanks
Dr. Roy Kraemer Staff answered 3 years ago
Answer for Best Bulldog and French Bulldogs Hypoallergic Diets
Hi, and welcome to the vet4bulldog Q&A.
From your notes, it does seem as though “bulldog allergy” is the cause of the itch, but keep in mind that there are other reasons for excessive itching, such as sarcoptic mange.
Best Bulldog Hypoallergenic Diets / DR. GOOGLE WARNING:
To all our bulldog community, I cannot emphasize enough: be cautious and skeptical when relying on Dr. Google for diagnosis, treatment, and any general medical advice.
THE BEST BULLDOG HYPOALLERGENIC DIET TIP:
My article on food allergies and diets should help those of you who want in-depth information on that subject.
Bulldog Food Allergy Test:
The proper way to test for food allergies is to conduct an elimination trial with a hypoallergenic diet, preferably a prescription one.
The trial period should be for 8-12 weeks for dermatitis and two weeks for food allergy gastroenteritis.
HYPOALLERGENIC DIET CHALLENGE:
To confirm the outcome, you should conduct a challenge at the end of the trial period with your regular perceived “allergenic diet”.
If the challenge provoked itching that was controlled while on the trail, a food allergy is likely the diagnosis.
Answer for Bulldog Hypoallergic Diets: RX Options:
For trial purposes, you should use a prescription RX diet, There are a few options including
- NOVEL (Like Rabbit and Rice)
- HYDROLYZED (like HA)
- AMINO ACID (like EL)
The Proplan prescription veterinary diet has a new diet called Elemental. It is an amino acid-based diet formulated for dogs with food sensitivities.
The main difference between EL and HA Vegetarian is that EL is an amino acid with only 134 daltons, whereas HA Vegetarian is a hydrolyzed diet with about 12,000 daltons.
In contrast to HA Vegetarian, EL is also approved for a growing bulldog and French bulldog puppies
Bulldog Hypoallergic Diets FOOD TRIAL:
The food trial mentioned in your Q is counterproductive; a proper trial demands that you stay on the hypoallergenic diet chosen and that diet alone.
The allergy is to the protein source; by adding chicken and beef for flavor, your trial is deemed worthless.
Hypoallergic Diets: TIPS & WARNINGS:
Bulldog Hypoallergenic Diet MIXED ALLERGY TIP:
Keep in mind that a trial with only partial success or lack of it does not mean that you should rule out food allergies; it only makes it less likely.
The food trial “failure” could mean that your bully might have allergies to another allergen that is not food. An example could be a mixed allergy to food as well as an atopic environmental one, which could explain the borderline improvement that you mentioned.
Bulldog Hypoallergenic Diet Trial Failure Tip:
Even if your puppy’s itch is solely due to a food allergy, the trial could fail. Thus, on some occasions, you might need to try a second, different hypoallergenic diet, which will require you to start the two-month trial once again.
Bulldog Food Allergy TRAIL FAILURE WARNING:
Do not add anything oral during the trial, including chewable flea and heartworm preventatives (use topicals or injectables instead).
A lack of improvement or only partial improvement does not entirely rules out food allergy.
Food Allergy in Bulldogs TABLE SCRAP WARNING:
The trial could also fail if, during the trial, your bully picks up table food that fell on the floor or receives a treat from the neighbor.
Bulldog Allergy ITCH CONTROL RX:
If the itch intensifies, you might need to add prescription itch control Rx, such as short-term
Bulldog Allergy BULLY THERAPEUTICS
MULTIMODEL APPROACH / TOPICALS & SUPPLEMENTS:
Regardless of the underlying cause (food, atopic, or other) and the therapy of choice (steroid, cyclosporine, cytopoint, or apoquel), it would be best if you always combined topical therapeutics, short- and long-term.
For itch control ALWAYS include bully topical & supplements therapeutics
ALLERGY CONTROL BULLY THERAPEUTICS TOPICALS
Topicals include medicated shampoos & conditioners, like
- V4B Bully ItchLesss medicated shampoo
- V4B Bully ItchLess Cream Rinse Conditioner
- As well as medicated gels, wipes, rinse’s and sprays.
ALLERGY CONTROL BULLY THERAPEUTICS SUPPLEMENTS:
Supplement usually include fish oil, like:
DR. KRAEMER’S V4B LOW-COST BULLY BUNDLES:
We also offer economic allergy control bundles.
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