# Foods for Food Allergies & UT Infections????



## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

I need to get Smarty off the NB Duck & Sweet Potato....now I find out that what may be helping the food allergies "the sweet potatoes” may be adding to the urinary tract infections and crystals. You just can’t win.

Someone some where mentioned a Wellness food that would be an alternative, but I can not find the thread. I spoke to the Wellness customer care and to be honest tthe girl did not have a clue.

If anyone has another alternative for a furbaby with food allergies and repeated UT infections please let me know.

Thank You


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time Sandi. I know how frustrating this can be. If you can find Wysong in your area they have an "Anergen" that is for dogs/cats with allergies. The Wellness allergy food is called "Simple Food Solutions." Here's a link to their website: http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_simple_food_solutions_index.html

And here's the one for Wysong: http://www.wysong.net/dry-dog-food.php

Good Luck!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi Sandi, if you are having significant problems with allergies I would contact Sabine at Better Dog Care .She is a specialist in dog foods and allergy problems. Trying to figure this stuff out is very difficult.She is great at this.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

Sandi, I am sorry I cannot answer your question, especially where there is an allergy and a UTI issue. I did have a feline with chronic UTI's and she was put on a low-protein prescription diet. I can only back up Dave in consulting with Sabine for her suggestions to deal with these 2 separate issues and/or your vet who may end up putting her on a kidney diet. I feel for you...it is not an ideal endeavor and not a pleasant journey. I hope you find good answers and suggestions here.


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## DanielBMe (Nov 25, 2007)

From what I've read about UTIs, many treatments are hit and miss. Crystals are difficult to dissolve, and once a dog gets a UTI, the likelihood of a recurrence is high.

Dogs who get UTIs need more water. You need to encourage Smarty to drink as much water as possible. Kibble, by nature, has a very low moisture content, and that can be a problem. If you can start feeding more canned food, that will help. Also, always give the opportunity to drink water, and give her as many bathroom breaks as possible. Distilled water is better, because it has the minerals that build up in a UTI removed.

You could take a look at the California Natural line of kibble. It's great for dogs with sensitivies. It contains one of the fewest ingredients of any kibble.

As an alternative you could also look into feeding Nature's Variety raw medallions. Much better than kibble as it contains more water in it.

I also read that B vitamins help in fighting urinary infection and maintain kidney health. See link below.

Here's an excellent article on UTI's. 
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/utis/


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

DanielBMe said:


> From what I've read about UTIs, many treatments are hit and miss. Crystals are difficult to dissolve, and once a dog gets a UTI, the likelihood of a recurrence is high.
> 
> Dogs who get UTIs need more water. You need to encourage Smarty to drink as much water as possible. Kibble, by nature, has a very low moisture content, and that can be a problem. If you can start feeding more canned food, that will help. Also, always give the opportunity to drink water, and give her as many bathroom breaks as possible. Distilled water is better, because it has the minerals that build up in a UTI removed.
> 
> ...


great analysis ,I couldn't agree more. Water is important and lacking in kibble. But to get a professional opinion would be best. Yep Sabine talked me into giving Molly a B-complex suppliment as well as switching to canned food.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

DanielBMe wrote Distilled water is better, because it has the minerals that build up in a UTI removed. 

It helped in my situation tremendously.


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## juliav (Nov 21, 2006)

You might also consider giving her a cranberry supplement. My standard female Brandy is prone to UTI, but giving her cranberry supplement keeps us out of the vets office. Here's the link to the product.

http://www.petfooddirect.com/store/product_detail.asp?pf_id=10955544&dept_id=175&brand_id=241&Page=


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Several sources have suggested I consult with Sabine with Better Dog Care. What did I miss? Who, where, what, when? I have no idea who this is.


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## rdanielle (Sep 2, 2008)

Do you know the pH level or what kind of crystals they are? Struvite (pH level too high) or Oxalate (pH level too low). Wysong makes two supplements for balancing pH levels. So you'll need to know the pH level. Mine have Oxalate bladder stones & I've been supplementing them with their Biotic pH + and have been bladder stone free for 6 months. We use pH strips to keep an eye on their levels and they've both been x-rayed. Between the food & this supplement we haven't had any reoccurences! Which is amazing because we were always having issues with crystals on the prescription food. I feed them Orijen's Adult formula which is grain free and are formulated to promote urinary health.

Another thing that I've learned is that you'll want to avoid anything with Vitamin C in supplement form if you are dealing with Oxalate bladder stones as it triggers them. Its better if the vitamins in their diet are derived from the food as they don't really process them the other way. Thats more of a issue in commercial food. See dogs don't really need it anyways as their bodies naturally produce it. However, it does play a role in dissolving Struvite crystals/stones. Magnesium for Oxalate.

You might look into coconut water as it helps stave off UTI's. 
http://www.dominica-weekly.com/healthy-living/coconut-water-the-real-water-of-life/

There was another link I'll have to try to find about coconut water about how it works to keep crystals from forming.

www.wysong.net
Use the code NEW20 for 20% off! I'm going to order the 5lb tub
Wysong also has foods for allergies.


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## JASHavanese (Apr 24, 2007)

SMARTY said:


> Several sources have suggested I consult with Sabine with Better Dog Care. What did I miss? Who, where, what, when? I have no idea who this is.


Me either. I'm lost why someone would pay to talk to a person when the information you need is either with your vet or easily found on the net or in here.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

rdanielle said:


> Do you know the pH level or what kind of crystals they are? Struvite (pH level too high) or Oxalate (pH level too low). Wysong makes two supplements for balancing pH levels. So you'll need to know the pH level. Mine have Oxalate bladder stones & I've been supplementing them with their Biotic pH + and have been bladder stone free for 6 months. We use pH strips to keep an eye on their levels and they've both been x-rayed. Between the food & this supplement we haven't had any reoccurences! Which is amazing because we were always having issues with crystals on the prescription food. I feed them Orijen's Adult formula which is grain free and are formulated to promote urinary health.
> 
> Another thing that I've learned is that you'll want to avoid anything with Vitamin C in supplement form if you are dealing with Oxalate bladder stones as it triggers them. Its better if the vitamins in their diet are derived from the food as they don't really process them the other way. Thats more of a issue in commercial food. See dogs don't really need it anyways as their bodies naturally produce it. However, it does play a role in dissolving Struvite crystals/stones. Magnesium for Oxalate.
> 
> ...


thank you, I will need to get the ph levels from the vet reports. I probably have a copy and will check today.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

JASHavanese said:


> Me either. I'm lost why someone would pay to talk to a person when the information you need is either with your vet or easily found on the net or in here.


thank goodness, I'm not the only one that does not know what they are talking about.


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Everyone, thank you for your help and suggestions. I'll check the souces you recommended and see what might help. It is such a bummer when what you think is right for one thing might be causing another.


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

I am not canine nutrition saavy so I did consult with Sabine because my vet's advice was Iams puppy food, then Iams prescription low-residue diet. It might come down to that the being the best food for him but if I can get him on a more high quality commericial food, that would be my preference for the long term. My motivation was lack of knowledge, to help me figure out what I could not understand myself. The more I read, the more confused I became. My vet doesn't seem to be a good source for tapping into good nutritional information...but that's all....I hope I didn't imply anything else...I'm sorry if I did.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Here's Dave's original thread about Sabine....
http://havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=7828&highlight=sabine


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I did a consult with Sabine too. It's inexpensive and I got some info that I plan to use but for some things I think - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

We stuck with the food the dogs were already on but I am adding the supplements she suggested. As a new pet owner I didn't have any idea what I was doing and just wanted to be sure my dogs were getting the best I could give them nutritionally. My vet seems to be very progressive but didn't really talk to me about food until I asked so we decided to do the consult. Very inexpensive for what you get in my opinion.


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

JASHavanese said:


> Me either. I'm lost why someone would pay to talk to a person when the information you need is either with your vet or easily found on the net or in here.


Hi Jan, the reason why I paid $25 for Sabine's consultation is because she knows a lot more than most vets when it comes to nutrition. Vets know the end result of poor nutrition. but are not knowledgeable about what foods and supplements are needed to prevent these problems. Sabine has specialized in studying dog foods as well as dog health in general . She does not simply get on the boat where one "top rated" food is good for every dog. She looks at the whole picture and gives you options based on your dog your situation ,your budget and your preferences. She has a wealth of knowledge and has refuted a number of things that are on other sites. Like I have said,before ,I thought I knew a bit about dog nutrition,because I have read a fair bit about it for the last year. But I have to admit that I didn't know squat. This is more complicated than the average person knows. I learned a lot from Sabine. There is a lot of bad information out there and bad foods as well. It is changing though , Sabine says more and more companies are improving their products. She keeps up with it , so if something better comes along she can inform you about it as well.


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