[carole]

My dog is allergic to chicken kibble. I was encouraged from people on this forum to feed raw chicken as it is supposedly different from dried kibble chicken. I have been feeding him raw chicken for five days and the last few days he has been shaking his head, his floppy ears (he is a Weimaraner) are red inside and out, and he is itchy (though not excessively). Is this a sign of allergy or detoxification? I've read that dogs go through a detox on a raw diet and this is one of the signs. How long do I continue feeding chicken before determining he is indeed allergic to it? Thank you.

 

[RawFedDogs]

I have been feeding him raw chicken for five days and the last few days he has been shaking his head, his floppy ears (he is a Weimaraner) are red inside and out, and he is itchy (though not excessively). Is this a sign of allergy or detoxification?

Neither ... it's a sign of an ear infection, ear mites or a yeast infection. I would take him to a vet and let him determine which it is and treat it accordingly.

I've read that dogs go through a detox on a raw diet and this is one of the signs.

The detox story is a myth. It was made up by people looking for an explanation of digetive system adjusting to digesting new foods. It has grown to explain any physical ailment a dog happens to have soon after being switched to a raw diet whether related to digestion or not.

How long do I continue feeding chicken before determining he is indeed allergic to it? Thank you.

2 months. I have really never known a dog to be allergic to raw chicken. Your very welcome. :smile:

 

[EnglishBullTerriers]

My dog is allergic to chicken kibble. I was encouraged from people on this forum to feed raw chicken as it is supposedly different from dried kibble chicken. I have been feeding him raw chicken for five days and the last few days he has been shaking his head, his floppy ears (he is a Weimaraner) are red inside and out, and he is itchy (though not excessively). Is this a sign of allergy or detoxification? I've read that dogs go through a detox on a raw diet and this is one of the signs. How long do I continue feeding chicken before determining he is indeed allergic to it? Thank you.

Just keep going. Give your dogs a few more weeks and if it doesn't stop, you should be at the point to go ahead and switch to something else. You can probably start him on some turkey in the next week or so and see if it changes then, but DEFinently give the dogs more time. 5 days isn't long enough to base any information off of and it certenly isn't long enough to blame the chicken... not to say it isn't either!
Keep going and keep in thouch and we will try to help you out as much as possible until you get past this!

 

[carole]

Doesn't it seem very coincidental that he gets an ear infection shortly after starting eating chicken? When he ate chicken kibble he had constant ear infections, the vet actually had me giving him prophylactic doses of antibiotic, which I was able to stop once I stopped feeding him chicken kibble. The redness also comes and goes, it is worse at times then seems to be less intense. Since you feel the detox is a bunch of bs I'm leading toward he is allergic to chicken. Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[EnglishBullTerriers]

Doesn't it seem very coincidental that he gets an ear infection shortly after starting eating chicken? When he ate chicken kibble he had constant ear infections, the vet actually had me giving him prophylactic doses of antibiotic, which I was able to stop once I stopped feeding him chicken kibble. The redness also comes and goes, it is worse at times then seems to be less intense. Since you feel the detox is a bunch of bs I'm leading toward he is allergic to chicken. Your thoughts are appreciated.

If you want to quit the chicken, then try the turkey. See if that helps for 2 weeks or more. I would still give the chicken another week and see how it goes till then. At that time you can try the turkey anyway and give the dog at least 2 weeks on that. Then if it doesn't change, take him in and get your meds (or some benadryl will do the same thing if it isn't very bad) and try switching to something else. If you feel that the raw isn't working for you, I don't know what else to say. Some people just don't give it long enough to get worked out on its own and they give up. Keep trying for a little longer and then change it if needed.

 

[carole]

Since the redness isn't constant I'me inclined to keep with the chicken for another few days to a week. Then I'll add turkey, etc. My dog has had severe diarrhea problems since March and went from 75 lbs. down to 61. He's been on high dosages of steroids for the past few weeks. Since feeding raw the diarrhea has stopped and he's put on a tad of weight. I've also stopped the steroid about 3 days after starting raw diet. I think I am feeding too much bone though as his poop is pretty hard and many times falls apart as it comes out, therefore I've tried feeding more meat, breast and quarters rather than necks and backs the last day or so. I am very nervous that I don't know what I am doing and am not giving him the proper nutrients, and giving too much calcium. I'm sure once I get through the beginning stages we'll be fine.

 

[RawFedDogs]

I think I am feeding too much bone though as his poop is pretty hard and many times falls apart as it comes out, therefore I've tried feeding more meat, breast and quarters rather than necks and backs the last day or so.

Don't worry about getting the diet perfect right now. He's had a much less than perfect diet his whole life. Another few weeks of less than perfection won't hurt him.

I am very nervous that I don't know what I am doing and am not giving him the proper nutrients, and giving too much calcium. I'm sure once I get through the beginning stages we'll be fine.

Don't be nervous. He will be ok. Too much calcium for a couple of months won't hurt him. Many people feed too much calcium all the time. Just relax and let him enjoy his new diet. You just have beginners jitters. We all had it in the beginning. It's pretty difficult to mess up this diet. Pretty soon you won't even give it a second thought.

 

[cdianam]

I started the raw diet about a month ago but I introduced too many protein sources too soon and I think I messed up because all 3 of my dogs started scratching and one of them got dermatitis. So a week ago I cut back everything and stuck with only chiken. My question is how long do I feed chiken before introducing a new protein source? Normally I read that after two weeks I can try something else but considering I messed up the first time I was wondering if I should give it a little more time before I do that, say a month? Would that be wrong?

 

[RawFedDogs]

No, that would be fine. You could also try introducing other stuff more slowly. Instead of a meal of new stuff, just a bite and gradually increase the amount of new stuff. Either way is fine.

 

[cdianam]

No, that would be fine. You could also try introducing other stuff more slowly. Instead of a meal of new stuff, just a bite and gradually increase the amount of new stuff. Either way is fine.

Thanks a lot, too bad I didn't find this forum earlier when I started with the raw diet but better later then never :smile: