When to quit trying a new protein?

[SadPandas]

I am very pleased to report that Orson is absolutley LOVING his new raw diet!! After he had been sick he really wouldn't eat much and sometimes didn't eat at all. I was trying all sorts of food! Uggg! But his order from socal barf came in and i ground up 40 pounds of turkey necks!!!:eek: and hearts and liver and mixed that together with his ground turkey and put everything in little tupperware for each day!! so much work but it is worth it and I like making him his own raw mix and being able to control everything that goes into it.

He was doing excellent on this mixture and his poos that were always a problem became very firm and perfect within 2-3 days of starting this!! He just seemed so much happier and I will write later about all of the great changes I have noticed, but now I have a question...

We waited a little over three weeks on the turkey to make sure everything was ok and it turns out to be great. So I wanted to see if he would handle chicken next. I gave him his regular raw meal and added a small amount of chicken to his meals. It has only been about 2 days on the chicken and I don't notice him acting like he is allergic , like scratching or licking feet or any of the signs he showed on his old food.... BUT he seems sad:( !!! He just lays around on his belly so much more than usual and this started after I gave him the chicken so I am wondering if it is related??? His poos have been normal except for the first one after the introduction of the chicken which I just assumed his body was getting used to.

He is not listless and bad like he has been when he has been super-nauseated and dehydrated and had to go to the vet. He is just really down it seems. He responds to things but he's not the same.

I am wondering if anyone knows if this could be a symptom of things not working out with the chicken. I know it has been very hot but I have been keeping him cool with the airconditioning and walking only after it cools off a lot. I just want to know if I should give it more time because I am not sure if 2 days of chicken is enough to rule it out of his diet completley. He isn't showing other signs of allergies.:o

[gmacleod]

I would be more inclined to put my money on the cause being primarily the heat than the food.

But it's a simple enough matter to test whether it's chicken-related. Just stop feeding the chicken for a while. Go back to the turkey-only for a week. Then introduce a different meat (eg. beef, lamb, pork or fish). See how he does with that one (this is really just for not wasting time in introducing new meats into the diet whilst simultaneously giving any other potential causes - the heat, for example - time to dissipate or him to adjust). Then test chicken again.

If the lethargy/depression lifts miraculously with the removal of chicken from his diet - then it's a hint (not proof) that it's the cause. And if it returns when chicken is reintroduced after a reasonable absence - well, that's a much stronger hint.

Unless the dog experiences a reaction to a particular food item that is both strong and undoubtably caused by the food, I think it's always worth giving that item a second test at a later date. Thing is, he could be feeling just a bit under the weather for a variety of reasons, heat being at the top of the list, that aren't actually related to the food. Rather than striking a food off the menu at an early stage, it's really worth experimenting a little to be sure. The wider range of foods a dog is able to consume regularly, the better.

[SadPandas]

UGGGG!! :( After I made this post last night, I noticed a bunch of bumps on Orson's cheeks!! I have never seen him have this before and I had already fed him his dinner with the chicken in it. I gave him a little children's benadryl and this morning I gave him only his turkey, no chicken. This could be his signs of allergy towards the chicken, huh? He doesn't seem as down today but I have not been with him all day either so it is hard to say for sure. The liver and heart that he eats is from chickens. Can they just be allergic to the meat/fat and not the offal?

I don't think he had this type of reaction when I gave him cooked chicken and rice before when the vet would prescribe that for tummy upset.:confused:
Uggg I don't know what it is and I don't want to make him my little guinea pig but I guess we have to for a while to figure out what they can tolerate. I am confused now.:o

[gmacleod]

If he's allergic to chicken, then he'll be allergic to the offal also, and in cooked form.

That said, allergies are rarely something that occur instantly. They are an abnormal reaction of the immune system that usually happens after constant and prolonged exposure. The surest way to develop and allergy to chicken would be to feed it every single day for an extended period. That is why variety in the diet is so important (well, one of the reasons).

I'm afraid you have to make him a guinea pig. That is the only way you can know what suits him and what is a problem.

Best thing to do right now is stop feeding the chicken. Go back to turkey for a few days, then start a different meat. Give chicken another go at a later date.

Incidentally, it is quite possible that there is an entirely different cause for the hives. But that's why you need to experiment, so you can find out whether it's related to food.