Is Purina Pro plan a good dog food a dog with allergies?

My minature schnazuer has skin allergies, so I switched his dog food from Iams to Purina Pro Plan. It says that it protects the skin, but I dont know if it protects from skin allergies. If you have used this product could you please tell me how well it worked or how it didn't work for your dig.

Is Purina Pro plan a good dog food a dog with allergies?
No. The Purina brand is loaded with fillers (such as corn) and chemicals. It's just as bad as IAMS.





Here are some better brands to try (just be sure to switch slowly):


Canidae


Solid Gold


Nutro


Natural Choice


Evo


Innova


Blue Buffalo


Taste of the Wild





STAY AWAY FROM:


Pedigree


Purina


IAMS


Eukanuba


Ol' Roy


Kibbles 'n' Bits


Beneful


Anything you can buy in Wal-Mart
Reply:NO! Purina = crap. I mean ALL Purina.
Reply:Definitely not. It has a lot of fillers such as corn which most dogs are allergic too. California naturals is an excellent brand of food that is high in protein with a simple formula.
Reply:I agree with others, Purina Pro plan is nothing but a marketting scam.


Try human grade lamb and rice.


Gd. luck.
Reply:No. It has too much grain. Go to a pet supply store and ask them to recommend a quality food.





-MM
Reply:California Naturals is an excellent food for a dog with allergies. Only has 6 ingredients and comes in a lamb formula. MUCH better that pro plan
Reply:The brand has absolutely NOTHING to do with whether or not your dog is allergic to it. Ignore any answers that suggest this.





Your dog is allergic to one or more ingredients in the food. Any dog can be allergic to ANY ingredient. This includes organic ingredients, meat ingredients, and grain ingredients, and none are more likely than another, they are all very common.





Look at the ingredient list of the food your dog is currently eating, and write down the first five that are listed. Then go down to your favorite pet store, and choose a food with a completely DIFFERENT set of top five, and make sure none of the lesser ingredients are in the top five of the current food. Continue doing this, and keep track of the ingredients of the foods that cause your dog to continue itching. (By the way, it can take up to 12 weeks for the effects of a previous allergic symptom to go away, even after the allergen is eliminated, so try each food for a couple months at least before you decide that it isn't the right food.)





If you find that your dog is allergic to many different ingredients, try a prescription limited ingredient diet from your vet, there are many to choose from with a variety of ingredient combinations. The thing that makes them 'limited ingredient' is that the protein and carbs come from one source each - such as venison and potato, rather than a regular dog food that usually contains numerous sources of ingredients.





When you find the food that works, you can supplement with Omega-3 fatty acids to help relieve some of the dryness and return the coat to a nice sheen.





If you find yourself absolutely at your wit's end, there is still an option! In fact, some owners opt for this 'last resort' first, to save themselves the time and money of experimenting with different foods - talk to your vet about an allergy panel for your dog! A local laboratory can take a sample of your dog's blood and analyze it, and in about 2-3 weeks, you will have before you a complete list of what your dog is allergic to, and to what degree. You can choose to analyze for food ingredients, local plants, molds and mildews, or all of the above. With this information, you can very quickly and efficiently relieve your dog of his allergies by buying exactly the right food, and supplementing with fatty acids and antihistamines if indicated.





Good luck!
Reply:No it is not because that food has corn in it and corn is just a filler.


You need to find a food that has no corn, soy, wheat, beef and for some dogs, eggs. Those ingredients are known allergy triggers in dogs.


Ask your vet what are known allergy triggers in dog foods. You can have an allergy test done but they are expensive so what some vets will recommend is to feed the dog a bland diet and gradually add foods, one at a time back into the diet to see if the food causes a reaction or they suggest feeding a prescription diet which is free of those known triggers and the meat source will be something that is usually unfamiliar to the dog such as venison or duck. I found the prescription dog food to be very expensive and it did not have the best ingredients. Also, I want to add that some dogs have inhalant allergies that are sometimes confused with food allergies. If it is inhalant allergies, that can be controlled with meds and antihistamines. It is something you should discuss with your vet.


Here are a few suggestions that should work for dogs with allergies: Solid Gold, Wellness, Canidae (very good food and cost only a little more than proplan), Timberwolf Organics, Innova Evo (this can be too rich for some dogs), California Natural and Artemis Fresh Mix, there are several more but these are really good. These are 100% human grade dog food with NO corn, wheat, soy, grain fractions, fillers or by products – and naturally preserved.
Reply:Alot of allergies are also caused by the meat source as well as grains. Alot of dogs are allergic to beef and chicken. This is from being fed the same meat source for so long. Beef and chicken are very popular. Look for a kibble that has the meat source of Lamb, Venison, or Fish. Also it should have no grains. Timberwolf is excellent for different meat sources and has some no grain formulas.





I always recommend feeding raw, which I've done for years, and starting with just the basics...meat. If there is still a reaction change the meat..no reaction than add a vegetable...take away vegetable or add organ meat depending on if there's a reaction or not. It's an easy way of seeing what specific thing is causing the reaction. I worked a pet health food store and many peoples animals are having the same problem. If you decide to do the raw root do your research.





Good luck
Reply:It really depends WHAT your dog is allergic to. Many dogs are allergic to corn, and Pro Plan has corn in it, so feeding pro plan will not help you.





I know a woman who has a ridgeback who is allergic to all grains and grain fed animals. She feeds her dog a fish and potato formula. I would try something like that.





(I have fed my lab pro plan for the past two years. She has done well on it. I am about to switch her to a better food with all human grade ingredients because I figure that will be even better. But she has done well on it an I haven't had any problem with pro plan. However, I don't think it's the right choice if your dog has allergies.)
Reply:The best food for any dog, but especially one with allergies, is the one with the least number of inappropriate ingredients. Many dogs have compromised immune systems because their bodies are so busy overwhelmed by the poor quality ingredients and incorrect types of food.





Many people choose to feed their diets based on a more natural raw diet - this means raw meat, edibles bones and offal NOT grains, vegetables or dairy. Dogs are carnivores and their digestive system (from teeth to bowel) simply cannot properly digest carbohydrates and fibre. This is one reason why many dogs today have diabetes, kidney issues and periodontal disease.





I hope the links are helpful and feel free to contact me for more information.





** There is a HUGE difference between an intolerance and an allergy. A dog with a compromised immune system will react to different things than a healthy one. Most dogs will not have any problems with RAW beef or chicken, it is only the cooked proteins that may cause problems. It is the other ingredients such as grains and vegetables that are more likely to cause intolerances anyway.
Reply:My dog also has severe food and skin allergies. There are only about 3 dog foods that I have found that don't make him break out in itchy rashes, give him gas, the runs or constipation. They are a little pricer than the usual commercial brands sold at Walmart, grocery stores, Petco/Petsmart, over even the vet:





Wellness - usually lamb (green bag)


Canidae


Natural Balace (stopped buying this brand during the pet food scare because they sold the bad pet food as hog feed instead of destroying it.





I find these at the non-commercial pet stores. Also watch out for which treats you give your dog. For the food and treats read the ingredients; the first listed is the main ingredient, 2nd is the 2nd main, etc. Lamb, ostrich, fish, duck, are excellent choices for meat.
Reply:No Purina is awful for dogs... any brands like that and others that have corn etc. are the worst for your dogs. My dogs have been through so many foods and they all amde them sick and gassy..Then I found Taste of The Wild brand dog food.. it is the Best I have ever found.....