Basenji with food allergy (I think) - suggestions, comments?

I was wondering if any of you have any words of wisdom on dogs with food allergies. Chaos has been on Z/D Science Diet for two months and is significantly better, but not 100% better. Basically I see varying degrees of "almost normal" with an occasional beet red flare-up on his lower abdomen and I have give him his elizabethian collar for a few days. Since he is a basenji, who knows what he's eating when no one's looking. Its possible he's still snacking on things he's not supposed to eat. He also gets red after wrestling with his buddys. I've been giving him Benedryl and a vet prescribed antihistimine. I'm taking him to an allergy specialist - perhaps something else is going on. Any comments on allergy shots? Any advice comments, war stories are welcome!

Oh, poor puppy!!! I feel bad for him. Basenjis are one of my favorite dog breeds. I truly sympathize since I have food allergies myself. You're right about the fact that he might be eating something else when you're not looking. I would "baby proof" all cabinets and places that have food in them to keep him out. Basenjis are pretty smart so it might take some serious work to proof the house but it will be worth it. The next step you're taking toward the allergy specialist is probably the best thing. If he's getting a reaction just from wrestling with the other dogs his system might really be overwhelmed right now. My skin gets really sensitive when I've been "bad" and eat more of the stuff I know irritates me. Just about anything I touch can make my skin welt if it scratches me when my body's fighting a lot of allergens. So he might be really miserable. I feel for him. I've read also that food allergies can come from a lot of toxicity in the body -- that a "liver cleanse" can normalize our system and bring out immunity back up to a stronger state. I'm at the point of proceding to this step myself. It's interesting trying to solve this puzzle, such a vague sort of dilema. Food allergies, allergies in general are kind of a tough thing to pin down. Most of the time it takes a lot of trial and error to find out what's bad for us and what's not. I'm hoping that a "liver cleanse" will do it for me since it's only been in the last few years that I've had this problem. Never had it before. It gives me hope. I wish you the best with the little sweetie.

dont know

allergy shots only work on maybe 50% of the animals.even still may not work as well as you wish.

This issue has been around for a long time, & is diffacult to control much less stop it.

even antihistmines work for so long,even if you can find one that works well.

The fact that he gets red when playing with other dog tells me it's more than allergys are involved.
some type of underlining skin or maybe immune issue.

I would check those out with a vet,if you can go to a dermatolagest.

Try and locate a veterinary naturopath in your area. And if you can listen in to the Martha Norwalk "Animal Talk" show on the internet. www.marthanorwalk.com Her show is on from nine to noon Pacific Time every Sunday. Quite often she has a veterinary naturopath on who has great luck treating dogs and cats with werid metabolic problems. One of the things I've learned from listening to Martha for over ten years is that pet food, even the stuff you're feed your pup is not the greatest. Martha endorsed the Precise line, which is what I feed my cats. Precise is made from human grade ingredients, unlike lots of pet food which is made from "scrapings from the slaughter house floor" type ingredients.

You can even e-mail Martha and she'll give you lots of resources and maybe even connect you with a vet/naturopath. THere are a few such vets here in the Seattle area that will do telephone consults with you and your vet.

Do look her up. She's also a behviorist which should come in handy since you have a Basenji!!!!!

Good Luck!
My Cat's Human

Check your Science diet ingredients label.See corn and soy products listed?if so they are two of the top tier culprits in causing food allergies in dogs.Find a store or site where you can get Innova,Canadae or another premium dog food.They contain no corn or soy,and solve a large majority of food allergies problems.If that don't work you may have to get more specific as to the meat used.Next thing to try would be lamb based foods.Stay away from corn and soy,and it could very likely solve your problem.