Had my bitch into vet as she has been scratching for such a long time. Said I need to put her on a low protein food. Fish based.

If indeed she has allergies to food would you breed this bitch? I have never come across this before. This is one in litter who kept. No other owners have come to me and said they have had trouble with food allergies.

Was thinking if I fed raw it is very unlikely that the allergy would surface as it has done feeding processed food. This way I would have never known and would have bred her. Now I am sitting on the fence wondering what to do.

Thoughts appreciated.

Why worry about it until you know for sure what her problem is?

Wait to decide until you get a definitive diagnosis.

NO!!

If I get it confirmed that it is indeed her food she will be spayed.

How do you place a dog with allergies?

I am trying to plan for the future. This is why I wonder what ifs.

I really don't know, other than being 100% honest with a prospective home. The only dog I've ever had with allergies was spayed and the line stopped with her - she still lives with me.

NO!

Never had a Lab with food allergies, but I did have a cat that was allergic to chicken. Finding cat food without chicken products or even chicken broth in it was nearly impossible. He had other allergies too that made his life borderline miserable at best. No - I would not risk bringing an animal into this world for a life like that.

True food allergies in dogs are very rare. Most allergies are environmental. Life with an allergic dog can be frustrating and expensive! Allergies are not cured; the best you can hope for is to control them enough to keep your dog comfortable.
That being said, before you make any decision, take her to a veterinary dermatologist. You have a much better chance of getting a definitive diagnosis and successful treatment.
And no, if she has allergies, don't breed her.

She is two. I also never had a dog with allergies. I have thought about it overnight and came to the decision no matter what kind of allergy she has she will be spayed. She has had ongoing pyodema on her chin. Licks her vula always.
It has been a long road of vet bills lately trying to find out what is going on. Could be anything.

The treatment right now is to finish her antibiotics to help heal the pydoma on her chin. She is being fed a diet if fish and potato. No other treats.

This bitch is so biddable and has beautiful conformation. She will stay with me and I am retiring as a breeder. Sometimes your share of heartbreak just overflows thy cup.

No, no plastic bowls. Never have in years. Going to get rid of all plastic toys just in case. Just going to keep eliminating things until we find the answer.

Yes, treats! I now only have to use her kibble.

I may have to look into feeding raw. It is getting easier now as I see from the reading I am doing.

Vet said the best he can think of for allergies is kangaroo and oat.

http://www.iams.com/dog-food/iams-veterinary-formula-skin-coat-response-ko-canine

$87.00 for 30 pounds

Don't want to beat a dead horse here, but please take her to a dermatologist if you haven't already. You can't effectively treat her if you don't know what she's allergic to. I speak from experience. The dermatologist is worth every penny, and in the end, actually saves $$$ that would be spent on stop-gap treatments by your regular vet.
I have an 8.5 year-old boy here that is basically allergic to the world. He is on allergy shots--2 different ones--and other meds as needed for flare-ups. He will never be allergy-free, but at least we can manage his allergies and keep him as comfortable as possible. And despite everything, he's a happy Labrador.

I usually don't post, but I have a female that produced one puppy with allergies, the one I kept. She devolved them around 2 years old. I decide to breed the mother one more time, used a stud from a completely different line and no allergies. But the female I kept from that litter went on to produce a litter and of course the one I kept devoloped allergies. None of the other puppies have allergies. I've now retired that line of dogs. I've placed one of the allergy dogs into a great home. I've tried all kinds of elimination diets, homemade diets, raw diets; the only one that has worked is the Iams Kangaroo and potatoes. As long as they are on the Kangaroo diet, I can get them off medication completely. So I know it's a food allergy to the meat.

Yes, same person using the salmon oil. I did quit using it. No change.

Her vulva looks fine. No redness crusty. Only thing to notice is bare patch missing fur at base of tail from excessive licking.

The other thing is her ears are red inflamed. They always been a little red. Not overly scratching.

I had a gorgeous young male, went best opp. in sweeps his first show, just gorgeous,passed all prelim clearances, sweet natured, at a bit over 1 yr he started having allergies, I tried to get a handle on them, and ultimately neutered him, and found him a pet home ( they were aware of his allergies ), very sad situation, but I didn't want to breed allergies into a line ( they are hereditary! ).
so sorry this happened to you, sometimes breeding can be heartbreaking.

What about Dr Jean Dodds food allergy (sensitivity) test--is it woirth the money?

Some of these descriptions, particularly the person who has coincidentally had two Labs from different lines with "allergies" makes me wonder why people don't think environmental. It could be dampness, straw, pine chips, creatures in the grass/ground.....any number of possibilities. I wish the person who is retiring from breeding and spaying her bitch because of "allergies" would quit the pity party and simply work on finding out what's causing the adverse reactions. There is an answer. You just haven't found it yet. You wouldn't have made it through the PRA crisis. Dog breeding is hard, very seldom successful and it is a life long quest to produce healthy, beautiful, mentally sound dogs. We do it because it is hard, challenging and occasionally very rewarding. You can't breed a perfect dog. You'll never breed a perfect dog. But if you don't try, you'll be sitting on the couch watching TV for the rest of your life.

This message may sound rather harsh and I apologize if this seems a bit too direct but all I'm trying to say is don't quit. It's a great hobby. We wash out more than we ever keep, in the end we are all practically self educated in the sport and are rewarded ten-fold for our efforts.

Most allergies are not food related but rather something in the environment. Some things can be controlled and other things like pollen can't. I got a pup back after a year when the owner fell ill and needed to place the dog. The dog came back to us with raw, bleeding lick sores, itchy skin, etc. The owner, who was pretty well off, had all sorts of testing done and nothing conclusive. After a few months, the dog's allergies just cleared up and 7 years later, he's never had another re-occurrence. So not sure what he was allergic to, but it appeared that there was something in his environment that was causing them.

........

Some of these descriptions, particularly the person who has coincidentally had two Labs from different lines with "allergies" makes me wonder why people don't think environmental. It could be dampness, straw, pine chips, creatures in the grass/ground.....any number of possibilities. I wish the person who is retiring from breeding and spaying her bitch because of "allergies" would quit the pity party and simply work on finding out what's causing the adverse reactions. There is an answer. You just haven't found it yet. You wouldn't have made it through the PRA crisis. Dog breeding is hard, very seldom successful and it is a life long quest to produce healthy, beautiful, mentally sound dogs. We do it because it is hard, challenging and occasionally very rewarding. You can't breed a perfect dog. You'll never breed a perfect dog. But if you don't try, you'll be sitting on the couch watching TV for the rest of your life.

This message may sound rather harsh and I apologize if this seems a bit too direct but all I'm trying to say is don't quit. It's a great hobby. We wash out more than we ever keep, in the end we are all practically self educated in the sport and are rewarded ten-fold for our efforts.

Breeding is hard enough without perpetuating problems. We always hope a breeding will produce something wonderful to breed on with. But is it worth the risk of dealing with a problem another generation or two down the road?

Dear ..... I am sure all of us at some time or another has sat back and thought of giving up this breeding hobby. I will never not have a Labrador. They are my world. I just need a break. Nothing wrong with that. If I want to have a "pity party" as you say it sounds that is ok also. This forum is a great place to have such a party because many have been in my shoes. Nice to know you at not alone sometimes.

What bothers me are those who sweep such issues under the rug and breed anyway ignoring the possibility of passing on.

I highly recommend Dr. jean Doods' Nutriscan testing. It has made a world of difference for my boy!

Donna, I am sorry for your situation. I have a strange phenomenon with one of my lines. I am far north. Every winter this line gets hot spots. If I keep florescent lights on at least 14 hours of the day, the hot spots go away. I have found giving melatonin through the winter months also keeps hot spots at bay. I've decided it must be the decrease in sunlight at this time of the year. I'm not one for tons of false light in the house, either, so I keep my mudroom lit as dogs hang out there. This has only been passed to one pet pup but I do have 2 females here with this. Pet pup's family just keep home well lit in the winter and have no issues.

Everyone's situation seems to be different. Long ago we produced a pup from another line with egg allergy. Pup is owned by a friend in my husband's office - so we have close contact. No egg, no allergies at all, so not a big deal.

Each of us have to make the decision to keep on breeding the line or not personally. I think if it's a clearly defined allergy where you could tell a pet owner "don't feed X to this line, these are your choices of food that works with their genetics", or "give Benadryl if you and dog have been out in rag weed", or" mom does poorly when smokers are in the house", etc. That is different than an undefined, persistent, non resolved allergy. I personally would hold off breeding until allergen is defined, but would not be in a hurry to spay/neuter.

If you join this FB group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineFertilityReproductionNeonateIssues/ , there is a discount deal on that Nutriscan test, if paid for by Jan 14th.

The Great Dane Lady's yeast protocol is surely worth considering too http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/systemic_yeast_mini_course.htm

Yes, I did both parts at the same time. I learned he is sensitive to turkey, potato, rice, barley, venison and I forget what else. He was on a turkey and potato food because I thought he was sensitive to beef. He was not. He is also NOT sensitive to chicken. Go figure!
I recommend the test. It is expensive but well worth th price for us!

Donna, i applaud you for coming forward. This hobby can be so frustrating and we need to acknowledge that allergies are an inherited problem in many - not all- situations. i'm so sick of breeders taking such a nonchalant attitude toward perpetuating genetic health issues in their lines. Theese issues are passed on to pet people and it's not fair. The Labrador is supposed to be a sound and healthy breed and when you look at other breeds we are so lucky to have such a big gene pool to draw from. We need to protect our gene pool. i for one am so sick of hearing about not throwing the baby out with the bath water. Sometimes thats ok but in general we need to be more vigilant, especially with the current public attitude toward purebred dogs.

One more thing Donna, i had a dog that took my vet several visits/scrapings to eventually find mites. Worth treating or at least investigating....

For your sake and your dog's sake, don't make any decisions about spaying or breeding while you are frustrated or sad about dealing with this. Give raw food a try. I have been feeding raw for nearly 20 years and I am very happy with the results. It's not a cure all but it does make a positive difference. If your dog has yeasty ears, it is very likely diet related. Cut the carbs - no grains at all. Also, instead of salmon oil, try sardine oil. I use Nature's Logic. Check out the healthy skin kit at nzymes.com - I have seen it work wonders. Raw food doesn't cover up problems - it provides superior nutrition that helps prevent or correct them.

I attended a seminar by Dr. Jean Dodds. Though I have never used her allergy test, I believe she is very knowledgeable. You might also run a thyroid test on your girl as that could be a contributing factor.

It is very clear that you love your girl very much! I wish you the best of luck!