[NAGDU] Dogfood and ear infections

[carcione at access.net]

He does have floppy ears.  My school says not to clean ears unless they need
it, and that has been experience for a long time.  Ear infections are
usually caused by allergies, so the trick is to find what the dog is
allergic to.  Common allergens are chicken, corn, wheat, and maybe soy.  I
cut all those out years ago, and it's been fine until now.  But those pesky
allergies can develop over time, so it's tricky. 
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Debbie Gabe via NAGDU
Sent: Saturday, February 3, 2024 12:38 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Debbie Gabe <debbiegabe at live.com>
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Dogfood and ear infections

Hi, I understand your concern about the ear infections. Does your dog have
floppy ears? I am new at this guide dog business, but I was told to clean my
dog's ears once a week to prevent ear infections. The guide dog school gave
us a solution to use with cotton balls.  I've only had my dog for 6 month
but so far, so good - no ear infections. She scratches her legs a lot. But
neightbors who have pet labs tell me that their dogs have a lot of allergies
and are always scratching. Maybe it's the grass or something. I live in
Hawaii where the grass never dies because of cold weather and snow.

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, February 2, 2024 2:55 PM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: carcione at access.net
Subject: [NAGDU] Dogfood and ear infections

Long ago when Krokus first came home with me, he got an ear infection.  I
cut out chicken, and he was fine until last August, when he got an ear
infection, and another in December.  I don't know what to cut out now.  We
cut out the extras he was getting, mainly dairy and peanutbutter, though the
vet and I doubt that's the cause.

He was eating lamb and "ancient grains" for a while.  Now he's eating fish
and ancient grains, while Igloo continues on the lamb.

Now it's time to buy the boys more food, and I don't know what to get.  I
want the boys to have the best, and that looks like what they're eating now.
Hard to tell though, since the ear infections only happen every 3 months or
so.

In the really old days, I just bought whatever and they ate it.  But now I
can see all the ingredients, and try to choose the best.  It's so
complicated!  And it's supposed to be good to switch foods occasionally, so
allergies don't develop.  Maybe I should choose second-best for a bit, then
go back to best?  Young me would have never thought feeding the dog could be
so confusing.

Tracy



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