# At home pet allergy tests



## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

Hi everyone! 

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with at home pet allergy tests such as ImmuneIQ. I thought about purchasing one for Daisy as they have a deal on Groupon at the moment. I'm hoping maybe some of the more seasoned Havanese parents have any thoughts or experiences with it. Is it too good to be true?

Thank you so much!


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

I haven't done one for my dogs but I have thought about doing a nutriscan because my puppy kept having runny stools and I was worried it was a food allergy. The developer of Nutriscan (Jean Dodds) told me that most food allergies do not develop until a puppy is 6 months of age. I asked her because my veterinarian pretty much blew me off when I asked if I should get Javi allergy tested as he kept having runny stools. Her suggestion was to give him Iams instead of what I had been feeding him. Then she told me I shouldn't have him tested until he was 6 months and it was ridiculous that I was considering it. When I wrote Jean Dodds (who also has the vaccination protocol many people are following) she suggested I just add pumpkin or sweet potato to his diet to add more fiber. She helped me with that one email more than my vet did and I'm happy to say Javi's stools are firm now with just a little pumpkin in his diet daily. 

http://www.nutriscan.org/


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

civano said:


> I haven't done one for my dogs but I have thought about doing a nutriscan because my puppy kept having runny stools and I was worried it was a food allergy. The developer of Nutriscan (Jean Dodds) told me that most food allergies do not develop until a puppy is 6 months of age. I asked her because my veterinarian pretty much blew me off when I asked if I should get Javi allergy tested as he kept having runny stools. Her suggestion was to give him Iams instead of what I had been feeding him. Then she told me I shouldn't have him tested until he was 6 months and it was ridiculous that I was considering it. When I wrote Jean Dodds (who also has the vaccination protocol many people are following) she suggested I just add pumpkin or sweet potato to his diet to add more fiber. She helped me with that one email more than my vet did and I'm happy to say Javi's stools are firm now with just a little pumpkin in his diet daily.
> 
> http://www.nutriscan.org/


Wow! I can't believe your vet suggested Iams! :jaw: That's a terrible food!

It seems like a lot of vets aren't open to new ways of thinking and are just stuck in their ways. My vet is, "meh"...okay I guess. I chose her for Daisy because she is a little younger than most vets in the area and her practice is fairly new. She listens but tends to give me a look like I'm crazy when I tell her things I'm doing for Daisy like changing her water to distilled and using a little coconut oil to condition her fur around her face and keep it from getting in her eyes. When I tell her where I get the information from, such as forums and internet research, she seems put off by it. The truth of the matter is, we all have access to more information now and don't always have to turn to one vet for the end all and be all. I think it's hard for them to cope with that fact. I used to work in the health industry and even physicians are annoyed by all the research and so called "self diagnosing" that people do through the internet. 
Anyway, enough of my rant. LOL! Nutriscan looks like a great option. I definitely trust Dr. Jean Dodds. I've read a lot of information on her vaccine protocol and so far, it makes sense to me.


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

DaisyMommy said:


> Wow! I can't believe your vet suggested Iams! :jaw: That's a terrible food!
> 
> It seems like a lot of vets aren't open to new ways of thinking and are just stuck in their ways. My vet is, "meh"...okay I guess. I chose her for Daisy because she is a little younger than most vets in the area and her practice is fairly new. She listens but tends to give me a look like I'm crazy when I tell her things I'm doing for Daisy like changing her water to distilled and using a little coconut oil to condition her fur around her face and keep it from getting in her eyes. When I tell her where I get the information from, such as forums and internet research, she seems put off by it. The truth of the matter is, we all have access to more information now and don't always have to turn to one vet for the end all and be all. I think it's hard for them to cope with that fact. I used to work in the health industry and even physicians are annoyed by all the research and so called "self diagnosing" that people do through the internet.
> Anyway, enough of my rant. LOL! Nutriscan looks like a great option. I definitely trust Dr. Jean Dodds. I've read a lot of information on her vaccine protocol and so far, it makes sense to me.


I can't believe she suggested Iams either. She told me she doesn't like to poop and that it gives her dogs firm small poop. The minute I brought up food allergies or food intolerances, I could actually see her just brush me off. I really upset her when I refused the Lepto vaccination and I think she tried to tell me that Havanese were likely to get it if exposed to it or didn't handle the actual virus well or something. She seemed to try and use scare tactics to get me to give him the shot. So crazy since I've told her my older Papillon has had a reaction to the older Lepto vaccine. She doesn't bother me at all about not giving him one. It is in his record not to. I think she and most of the vets near me are tired of people subscribing to alternate vaccination schedule and/or trusting breeders suggestions over a veterinarian. I do think she is stuck in her ways. I'm torn about finding a new vet because she has been really good with my Atypical Addison's Papillon. And I had an even worse vet prior to him when my Papillon was in crisis before being diagnosed and almost died. She wasn't the one to diagnose him or save him but her office and another vet who works there have been good when my Papillon has had health issues since then. However at our last meeting, my vet just treated me like I was a crazy lady and I could tell she was irritated with me for even asking questions and wanting a discussion.

But back to your topic, do you suspect Daisy has a food allergy? What is going on?

I will say I was impressed with Jean Dodds when I emailed her some questions. She answered right away. I also asked her if she knew of any vets in my area that used her tests or that she knew followed or corresponded with her about vaccinations and food intolerances. Unfortunately, no vets in my area use her test if I should choose to do it when Javi is 6 months if we have issues with food. I was hoping to find a vet that actually went by her vaccination protocol. None seem to around here.


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

civano said:


> I can't believe she suggested Iams either. She told me she doesn't like to poop and that it gives her dogs firm small poop. The minute I brought up food allergies or food intolerances, I could actually see her just brush me off. I really upset her when I refused the Lepto vaccination and I think she tried to tell me that Havanese were likely to get it if exposed to it or didn't handle the actual virus well or something. She seemed to try and use scare tactics to get me to give him the shot. So crazy since I've told her my older Papillon has had a reaction to the older Lepto vaccine. She doesn't bother me at all about not giving him one. It is in his record not to. I think she and most of the vets near me are tired of people subscribing to alternate vaccination schedule and/or trusting breeders suggestions over a veterinarian. I do think she is stuck in her ways. I'm torn about finding a new vet because she has been really good with my Atypical Addison's Papillon. And I had an even worse vet prior to him when my Papillon was in crisis before being diagnosed and almost died. She wasn't the one to diagnose him or save him but her office and another vet who works there have been good when my Papillon has had health issues since then. However at our last meeting, my vet just treated me like I was a crazy lady and I could tell she was irritated with me for even asking questions and wanting a discussion.
> 
> But back to your topic, do you suspect Daisy has a food allergy? What is going on?
> 
> I will say I was impressed with Jean Dodds when I emailed her some questions. She answered right away. I also asked her if she knew of any vets in my area that used her tests or that she knew followed or corresponded with her about vaccinations and food intolerances. Unfortunately, no vets in my area use her test if I should choose to do it when Javi is 6 months if we have issues with food. I was hoping to find a vet that actually went by her vaccination protocol. None seem to around here.


Oh my goodness! At least you knew about Dr. Jean Dodds before you agreed to give Javi the Lepto vaccine. I didn't know about her or her vaccine protocal and was so guilty about agreeing to give it to Daisy for quite some time. I did all my research on everything else BUT vaccinations. She insisted that Daisy get a Lepto vaccine because our area has a lot of foxes and wildlife wandering around here so apparently she'll be more susceptible to it. The worst part is, she administered the Lepto at the same time as her rabies vaccine! My husband has seen a fox or two wandering in our condo's parking area in broad daylight so he thought we should do it just to be safe. Daisy had a terrible (imo) reaction to it. I think her little body couldn't handle all that at once. Just an hour after receiving it, she vomited and was lethargic for at least 72 hours. I was so worried. She insisted in giving her the lyme vaccine but I opted not to and I can tell she wasn't too enthused. I'm on the fence about staying with her but out of all the vets in my area, only her practice has consistently good reviews.  We may have to take her to a vet within Baltimore city limits if it comes down to it. We just moved to the county when we got her and her practice was the best rated within a 5 mile radius. *sigh*

Anyway, back to the allergies. Daisy has soft/loose stool at least once a day. I basically take her to potty at least 2-3 times a day and at least one time out of those is soft. When she was smaller, before her "area" has been groomed, I had to give her butt baths once a day from it. Anyway, our vet isn't concerned because it doesn't happen all the time. To me, it's enough to be concerned. Obviously something is not agreeing with her. I thought maybe it was her training treats and I've switched them around but it was still an issue. Btw, Daisy only likes to eat soft treats. She is such a diva! I've tried so many times to give her lower level treats and she just puts her nose in it and turns away. All in all, I just want to make sure I'm not giving her anything that doesn't agree with her body.


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

I was having a similar issue with Javi. He would get runny stool at least once or twice a day and his stools in general weren't firm. They've been worse when I give him treats for training. I ended up giving him some W/D prescription for upset tummy and his stools were always firm. I asked Dr. Doods about it and she said W/D has a lot of fiber and suggested I add fiber to his current dog food in the form of canned pumpkin or sweet potato. So I began to add a table spoon to each meal and it firmed it right up! Then I decreased it to a teaspoon at each meal and it still is firm. He does get pumpkin face though. ound: 

As for vets and vaccines, I wish we both had more choices. It is frustrating. I'm not an anti-vaccinating pet owner. I just don't want unnecessary ones and to avoid vaccination reactions. My Papillon's lepto vaccine reaction was similar. And if you touched him afterward, he'd scream and run away.  And he was also given a combo of vaccines with the lepto. He had never had a lepto vaccine prior to us moving to Michigan. And I now live in an area where I have seen all kinds of wildlife but he has never gotten Lepto. I'm going to chance it with Javi and hope he doesn't get it either. 

Good luck to you and Daisy and finding out what is causing the runny stools or that you get success with adding pumpkin or sweet potato to her diet if you choose too. I am thinking about making pumpkin ginger treats to help with car sickness as Javi gets that when I take him for a longer than 10 minute drive lately then maybe I won't need to add the pumpkin to his meals, I can give him a treat instead.


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

So cute! I can just imagine his little white beard with pumpkin stains on it! :biggrin1: 

I'm with you on that! I'm definitely not against vaccinations as well. I think they're so pivotal to us pet parents enjoying life with our little ones longer than ever. I also know vets need to make money but sometimes, I wonder if they're pushing optional vaccines to drive their business up. Maybe I'm just being paranoid at times. I really would like to give them the benefit of the doubt. But just like any other doctor, there's good ones and not so good ones. 

From your advice, I bought a can of organic pumpkin at Whole Foods today. I now have another dilemma other than allergies though. Unfortunately, Daisy has refused to touch any sort of food all day and I just left a message for the vet. I was hoping the pumpkin would entice her to eat. I've tried everything all day: chicken, scrambled egg, multiple types of her favorite treats, even little pieces of turkey hotdog and she just isn't having it. I'm starting to think this isn't the finicky Havanese in her anymore. I'm going to try and leave dry kibble out for her overnight and see if she nibbles on it until I get in touch with the vet in the morning. Wish me luck!


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## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

I don't think Havanese are naturally finicky eaters; instead, I think owners contribute to that kind of behavior. I recommend not giving Daisy so many options, nor leaving food out. If she's always been a voracious eater and is now selective than seeing the vet is a good decision. Good luck!


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

Javi isn't picky at all when it comes to food. He puts his face into the bowl before I even set it down. He also has scared me lately when he seemingly swallowed whole a Plato turkey with pumpkin dog treat. It is a an inch long rectangular shaped hard treat. I gave it to him and I never saw it drop out of his mouth. I am not sure he even crunched it. It is scary how he just gobbles things down so quickly. 

He is so different than my pickier than picky Papillon. Oreo takes his time with everything and sometimes will guard the treat but won't eat it. He also never takes a treat from a stranger. My 2 dogs couldn't be more different. 

I do hope Daisy is okay. Let us know how she is doing and what the vet thinks it might be.


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

MarinaGirl said:


> I don't think Havanese are naturally finicky eaters; instead, I think owners contribute to that kind of behavior. I recommend not giving Daisy so many options, nor leaving food out. If she's always been a voracious eater and is now selective than seeing the vet is a good decision. Good luck!


She's never been a voracious eater. Ever since we got her, it has been difficult to get her to eat. She doesn't get a lot of options. She doesn't get food left out either. She is on a scheduled feeding time, and if she refuses to eat after 20 mins. at that time, I do not put food down until her next scheduled meal. In this case, she hasn't eaten anything Way past 24 hrs so I had to try other things to make sure it is her appetite that is compromised.


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

civano said:


> Javi isn't picky at all when it comes to food. He puts his face into the bowl before I even set it down. He also has scared me lately when he seemingly swallowed whole a Plato turkey with pumpkin dog treat. It is a an inch long rectangular shaped hard treat. I gave it to him and I never saw it drop out of his mouth. I am not sure he even crunched it. It is scary how he just gobbles things down so quickly.
> 
> He is so different than my pickier than picky Papillon. Oreo takes his time with everything and sometimes will guard the treat but won't eat it. He also never takes a treat from a stranger. My 2 dogs couldn't be more different.
> 
> I do hope Daisy is okay. Let us know how she is doing and what the vet thinks it might be.


Daisy ate about a quarter of a cup around noon which is promising. She has also been eating her training treats during our training sessions. Unfortunately, there's a snow storm here in Bmore and the vet is closed. We are bringing her in tomorrow weather permittin just to make sure things are normal. I'm crossing my fingers that she eats her dinner. 
Thanks so much. Will keep you posted


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

How much are you expecting her to eat? Kodi was a BIG Havanese puppy, and rarely finished a 1/4 meal when he was young. About 16 weeks, he flatly refused his mid-day meals and we dropped them. That made him more interested in his supper, but he still didn't always finish it. It never stunted his growth. 

Unless she's SUPER tiny (under size/weight for age) going 24 hours without food won't hurt her.


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

krandall said:


> How much are you expecting her to eat? Kodi was a BIG Havanese puppy, and rarely finished a 1/4 meal when he was young. About 16 weeks, he flatly refused his mid-day meals and we dropped them. That made him more interested in his supper, but he still didn't always finish it. It never stunted his growth.
> 
> Unless she's SUPER tiny (under size/weight for age) going 24 hours without food won't hurt her.


That's interesting. Daisy started refusing her mid-day meals at around that age as well. At the time there were days where she was getting close to 3/4 cup a day, but like Kodi, she never finished all of it. The vet then suggested to start feeding her a half cup in the morning and half cup in the evening. She took to that very well until recently. Albeit, there were days where she would clean out her bowl and some days where she barely finishes it either but she always had some of it. Lately she's been skipping meals until most recently where she actually went almost 55 hours with no food. 

I'm guessing she is an average size Hav. She's almost 5 months and she weighed in at 7.8 lbs at her last vet visit.

Thanks for the reassurance!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

DaisyMommy said:


> That's interesting. Daisy started refusing her mid-day meals at around that age as well. At the time there were days where she was getting close to 3/4 cup a day, but like Kodi, she never finished all of it. The vet then suggested to start feeding her a half cup in the morning and half cup in the evening. She took to that very well until recently. Albeit, there were days where she would clean out her bowl and some days where she barely finishes it either but she always had some of it. Lately she's been skipping meals until most recently where she actually went almost 55 hours with no food.
> 
> I'm guessing she is an average size Hav. She's almost 5 months and she weighed in at 7.8 lbs at her last vet visit.
> 
> Thanks for the reassurance!


When Kodi ate just kibble, he NEVER ate more than 1/4c twice a day, even as an adult, and he's a bigger Hav at 16.5 lbs.


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

I just wanted to thank everyone for all your help and concern. It turns out Daisy had a very low grade fever. The vet said that it can likely be caused by teething .  She's doing better now. She's slowly gaining her appetite. She's also been loving playing with ice chips! She always runs to her Mommy and Daddy when she hears us open the freezer and sits patiently for one. It's the cutest thing!


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## civano (Sep 29, 2014)

I hope she continues to feel better! Thanks for the update! Javi has been losing teeth and getting some adult ones in too!


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## DaisyMommy (Feb 28, 2015)

Aww, I hope Javi doesn't feel as uncomfortable as Daisy does. I can't imagine what they must be going through during this stage. Thank you so much for your concern.


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