ZRD *THANK YOU GUYS*

[2Huskyfun]

I started switching my pup’s food after reading you guys’s Post about ZRD. Yes, I got  paranoid. Hehhe

My male started to get scabby patches on his back legs, the girl started getting a patch on her nose, they both had scales on their pads, random diarrhea, and was catching every sickness under the sun. Was just thinking it was food allergies. Now I think it was a mixture of low zinc and food allergies.

Since I switched their food and started paying more attention to the ingredients and zinc amounts in their food and treats.... 

The hair has started growing back on my boys back leg, her nose no longer has any signs of scabbiniess, their stool has been solid 😁, and they act happier! Have not been sick for a month. (Which is a huge deal)

So, thank you to everyone for posting their knowledge and helping me and my pups. I would have just passed it off as just allergies. But after checking all the weird little things I was noticing against what you have posted about ZRD, made all the difference.

A big THANKS!

 

[wolfpup]

I'm glad we were able to help   -  it one of the main reasons for the forum.

[2Huskyfun]

I just got off the phone with the vet.

We have an appointment for the 20th.

The Vet I spoke to says the pups are too inconsistent to have a food allergy. It is most likely going to be environmental and to hold off on the ZRD because the way they do it is invasive. They would put them under and get a sample from under the skin (I think he used the term punch test) it made since when he explained it..... he said that they will do the environmental test and food allergy test just to be certain and if both come up negative or he sees clear signs of ZRD during their exam then he will do the ZRD. 

One thing he did state that I wanted to pass along. (We were talking about what I am feeding them and stuff)

There has been a study that has came out in the past 6 months stating Potatoes and Lentils have been linked to heart disease in dogs.

and I am to get them off their current food as soon as possible. It has both. 😖

Of course he doesn’t like raw feeding (haven’t found a vet yet that does LOL) But said if the pups did come back with food allergies a cooked diet (with the help of a nutritionalits from UC Davis) would be a good way to go.

Uggg I cannot wait to get the test done and figure out what is going on with the pups.

They eat, drink, play, and get into trouble fine but there are little things they do that make me 🤔.

Here is a pic of one of my boys back legs and paws. The back leg was bold and scabby and the  Calluses on the paws were on both the boy and girl really bad...

Since I have switched their food with a higher zinc, the hair has started growing back,  calluses have started going away and a wired brown spot on the top of their nose has started going away. Is that normal?

He was not happy with me taking these. LOL  He never had a black spot on his back leg before. it’s not pigment and it was bald and dry scabby skin.

Even their upper little pad.

 

 

[chelseafan]

Great that it’s clearing up [emoji3] the vets that I have come across don’t seem to know much about ZRD, it’s always best to check with a vet but ZRD causes misery for our furbabies, it’s a silent killer.


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[wolfpup]

Its a bit strange that when you changed to a higher zinc food the problems seem to be healing themselves.  With a raw diet it is easy to ensure they get enough zinc  -  its only if a dog has an inability to digest and use the ingested zinc that real problems occur  -  then its down to supplementation   -  however your guys appear to be clearing nicely just on food alone.

As Chealseafan says  -  vets know very little about the zinc requirements of huskies  (or zinc in general).   Just a thought  -  have you mentioned to the vet that since you put them on a high zinc diet most of the problems are healing?    If so he should be checking that first, but food allergy tests are a good idea   -  Marley is allergic to 9 different foods.   Its tough finding foods that have not eaten the things he is allergic to (before they became his dinner)  - but if I did not feed raw then it would be almost impossible  -  there is only one company in the UK that can guarantee three of their brand stock is suitable for him  -  venison, pheasant and fish  -  and I get the fish fresh off the docks anyway.

[2Huskyfun]

He really made me second guess myself when I told him that the boy and girl started clearing up after I switched their food and treats that contain high zinc.

-Then it must not be ZRD if it is healing up that well with just changing their food. 🤔

My question to guys is: If it is caught soon enough couldn’t it clear up with just switching up their food and treats with higher levels of   Digestible Zinc? (not the commercial added Zinc that is in most kibble)

-It’s not food allergies because they do not have  consistent diarrhea and the itching occurs in flare ups

But for the past two months I eliminated everything on the high allergy list and reintroduced each item one by one. That is why their bouts of itching and  diarrhea is random?

- he said that grain free food is just a hype, half the stuff on the list don’t cause allergies. It’s chicken, dairy, soy, and to stay away from regular potatoes and lentils.  Which is totally different then what another vet said. LOL

When I was transferred to the front office to make the appointment I made it with a different doctor. 😉

Granted it has been 20 years since I have worked as a vet tech and things change and there is new research and stuff.

But it is so frustrating to do all this research and trying all kinds of new stuff to be  phu phud. I really feel like I am spinning my wheels.

 I honestly feel they have food allergies and they were not getting enough zinc from commercial added zinc. It just fits with them always being sick all the time ( pneumonia,  kennel cough,  puppy herpes - which the boy still has-, itching,  diarrhea, vomiting, and scabs.

Am I just over reacting or should I keep pushing the issues?

 

[chelseafan]

I’d push, it’s for the good of your furbabies. Mine went to the vets for their 3 monthly fleeing and worming and they were weighed, the vet remarked on how good they looked, no issues with teeth, gums, weight, eyes and remarked on how shiny their fur was, she then asked me what am I feeding them, I thought to myself, here we go, so I said raw, her attitude changed straight away, she made me feel as tho I’m doing something wrong, but as I walked out, to my left the shelves are full of bags of kibble.
Last year a friend of mine was at the vets with her 1 year old husky, she was back and forth over a period of months with skin issues, poop issues, excessively tired, bald patches, and a few other things. The vets prescribed steroid creams, antibiotics etc with no effect, she started using Nutrazinc and within a month all of his issues had gone.


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[2Huskyfun]

1 hour ago, chelseafan said:

I’d push, it’s for the good of your furbabies. Mine went to the vets for their 3 monthly fleeing and worming and they were weighed, the vet remarked on how good they looked, no issues with teeth, gums, weight, eyes and remarked on how shiny their fur was, she then asked me what am I feeding them, I thought to myself, here we go, so I said raw, her attitude changed straight away, she made me feel as tho I’m doing something wrong, but as I walked out, to my left the shelves are full of bags of kibble.
Last year a friend of mine was at the vets with her 1 year old husky, she was back and forth over a period of months with skin issues, poop issues, excessively tired, bald patches, and a few other things. The vets prescribed steroid creams, antibiotics etc with no effect, she started using Nutrazinc and within a month all of his issues had gone.


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That makes me feel better.

Thank you so much. I’ll keep following my gut on this.

 

[wolfpup]

Marley is High Positive for soya and potatoes, positive for  wheat, oats, peas, sugar beet, corn, rice and carrot  -  how many of those foods are in a commercially fed kibble type diet?

The answer is:-    A LOT.    He hasn't been fed kibble since he was 12 weeks old.    The main advantage of feeding a raw diet is that you can SEE what is in his bowl  you dont have to hope that what is on the label is exactly what is inside the box  -  if the meat is "off" you can tell immediately  - if the oil in the kibble is rancid  -  you cannot  - and it starts to go rancid as soon as you open that large bag.   (emoji  - me getting off soapbox now - sorry)

Keep pushing  -  see a different vet  -    get a food allergy blood test done for your own peace of mind  -   or you might find yourself finding out how I did  -  by your babies vomitting blood, with a hundred bleeding ulcers, leaky gut, body attacking itself from the inside out, and going in anaphalactic shock because of food allergies.   Marley was/is raw fed  -  but he is a counter surfer - often grabbing hubby's cheese sandwich  (wheat), being fed 'healthy' treats  (carrot), an odd unhealthy treat  (chip - potato),  leftover chilli & rice  (his favourite)  -  I have no idea how he got soya, oats, sugar beet, or corn (they are not in the house) - but it really drove it home to me that what is fine for one dog (Lunar has thrived for 13 years) is not for another - and can have disastrous consequences.

Remember that vets are like human doctors  -  they get around one day on nutrition - out of 5-7 years of training.   Keep fighting for your furbabies  -  and if one vet wont listen to you  - find a vet who will.    Marley is on his third round of antibotics  (the strongest on the planet for a dog)  -  and whatever happens I am not going to allow any more  -  tomorrow I am contacting the insurance company to see if they will allow me to take him to a homeopathic vet  (nearest is around 70 miles away and I am not convinced he is the right one)   -  Marley cannot hope to heal with a leaky gut  -  far too many pathogens are getting through to his blood stream  (and causing the food allergies)  -  the antibiotics are making his leaky gut worse, and the villae in his intestines are nearly all dead and will take around 3 months to regrow.

I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone with my opinions - I normally try to keep them to myself  -  but it is because of how ill Marley is.    I have no way of knowing whether it is the salmonella that has caused the leaky gut and food allergies  -   or the food allergies that wore his immune system down so far as to allow the salmonella to get such a bad hold on him.   All I do know is how guilty I feel every minute of every day  that I actually fed him some things that very nearly killed him a month ago when he went into anaphalactic shock.   It was the next day when the vet decided to do the food allergy tests.   All I do know for sure is that if he was fed a normal kibble food he would have been dead a long time ago - my vet told me that.

[chelseafan]

Really hoping Marley gets a clean bill of health, poor baby. [emoji173]️
I’m of the same opinion when it comes to raw v kibble, I know it’s a personal choice how we feed our fur babies, my 2 get super excited every meal time, they literally jump up and down when they’re waiting.


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[2Huskyfun]

6 hours ago, wolfpup said:

Marley is High Positive for soya and potatoes, positive for  wheat, oats, peas, sugar beet, corn, rice and carrot  -  how many of those foods are in a commercially fed kibble type diet?

The answer is:-    A LOT.    He hasn't been fed kibble since he was 12 weeks old.    The main advantage of feeding a raw diet is that you can SEE what is in his bowl  you dont have to hope that what is on the label is exactly what is inside the box  -  if the meat is "off" you can tell immediately  - if the oil in the kibble is rancid  -  you cannot  - and it starts to go rancid as soon as you open that large bag.   (emoji  - me getting off soapbox now - sorry)

Keep pushing  -  see a different vet  -    get a food allergy blood test done for your own peace of mind  -   or you might find yourself finding out how I did  -  by your babies vomitting blood, with a hundred bleeding ulcers, leaky gut, body attacking itself from the inside out, and going in anaphalactic shock because of food allergies.   Marley was/is raw fed  -  but he is a counter surfer - often grabbing hubby's cheese sandwich  (wheat), being fed 'healthy' treats  (carrot), an odd unhealthy treat  (chip - potato),  leftover chilli & rice  (his favourite)  -  I have no idea how he got soya, oats, sugar beet, or corn (they are not in the house) - but it really drove it home to me that what is fine for one dog (Lunar has thrived for 13 years) is not for another - and can have disastrous consequences.

Remember that vets are like human doctors  -  they get around one day on nutrition - out of 5-7 years of training.   Keep fighting for your furbabies  -  and if one vet wont listen to you  - find a vet who will.    Marley is on his third round of antibotics  (the strongest on the planet for a dog)  -  and whatever happens I am not going to allow any more  -  tomorrow I am contacting the insurance company to see if they will allow me to take him to a homeopathic vet  (nearest is around 70 miles away and I am not convinced he is the right one)   -  Marley cannot hope to heal with a leaky gut  -  far too many pathogens are getting through to his blood stream  (and causing the food allergies)  -  the antibiotics are making his leaky gut worse, and the villae in his intestines are nearly all dead and will take around 3 months to regrow.

I am truly sorry if I have offended anyone with my opinions - I normally try to keep them to myself  -  but it is because of how ill Marley is.    I have no way of knowing whether it is the salmonella that has caused the leaky gut and food allergies  -   or the food allergies that wore his immune system down so far as to allow the salmonella to get such a bad hold on him.   All I do know is how guilty I feel every minute of every day  that I actually fed him some things that very nearly killed him a month ago when he went into anaphalactic shock.   It was the next day when the vet decided to do the food allergy tests.   All I do know for sure is that if he was fed a normal kibble food he would have been dead a long time ago - my vet told me that.

You haven’t offended me. I get it. I have been following your post about Marley and my heart goes out to you.

Actually if it wasn’t for your posts, I would have never taken their food allergies seriously. I was chalking it up to them being puppies and being of purebred. Treating each issue separately: always being sick had nothing to do with their diarrhea, diarrhea had nothing to do with food allergies, and vomiting was just a random fluke.

After reading yours and others, I started researching food allergies/ZRD or at least low zinc and realized all the things food allergies/ZRD can cause and all my pup’s symptoms were related.

Even my husband who is not a worrier and ways always stating “no they are fine, there is nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong with the food we are feeding them, they are just puppies” is now really pushing for them to get tested for allergies and ZRD and has even started researching raw food diets 😵. He wants us to take them to our old vet that I used for my big girl. 

I really hope that Marley pulls through this. It sounds like it will be a long road but now that you have the results of the test you at least have a starting point to help him.

 

4 hours ago, chelseafan said:

Really hoping Marley gets a clean bill of health, poor baby. ️
I’m of the same opinion when it comes to raw v kibble, I know it’s a personal choice how we feed our fur babies, my 2 get super excited every meal time, they literally jump up and down when they’re waiting.


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I am starting with treats. Got turkey and will be slicing it into strips, freezing it for 24 hrs to kill any parasites, then dehydrating them. Wasn’t able to find lamb so I am calling around today see where I can find good quality meat. (We have a few places that distribute meat to wolf rescues, they mostly provide deer and bear)

I want to keep to just Turkey and Lamb right now because I know the pups are good with those two meats. 

Going to wait until I get their allergy test results back before getting to fancy with everything. LOL

[wolfpup]

@2Huskyfun     Look at Dogs Naturally Magazine online  they have loads of articles on raw feeding for beginners   -  there are a couple of posts of mine on here that list around 30 of the best that I came across   -  could save your hubby a few hours researching.   Otherwise I can send them to you.

[2Huskyfun]

1 minute ago, wolfpup said:

@2Huskyfun     Look at Dogs Naturally Magazine online  they have loads of articles on raw feeding for beginners   -  there are a couple of posts of mine on here that list around 30 of the best that I came across   -  could save your hubby a few hours researching.   Otherwise I can send them to you.

Thanks. I’ll make him look it up. 

I went through most of the raw diet post on this forum, I’ll need to go back and screen shot those 30. 

Thank you.

[wolfpup]

You mentioned trying treats for your furbabies   -   just got this through from Dogs Naturally Magazine    -  mainly frozen treats  -  but all dog healthy   

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-dog-treat-recipes/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Content&utm_campaign=Content&utm_term=raw-dog-treat-recipes

Will be great in the summer when the boys are hot

[2Huskyfun]

LOL.

Those sound really good. I just bought a bunch of stuff  to make things like that so this is great.

I am going back and forth on wheather I should wait until after the allergy test. 

Getting it done on the 20th then hurry up and wait for a week. Uggg

[2Huskyfun]

2 hours ago, wolfpup said:

You mentioned trying treats for your furbabies   -   just got this through from Dogs Naturally Magazine    -  mainly frozen treats  -  but all dog healthy   

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/raw-dog-treat-recipes/?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=Content&utm_campaign=Content&utm_term=raw-dog-treat-recipes

Will be great in the summer when the boys are hot

OMG I am addicted to this magazine now. Hahhaa 

It has so much cool stuff.

[2Huskyfun]

So we were supposed to get testing done today....

That didn’t happen! The vet said they don’t do food allergy testing because it is so uncommon and not accurate at all.

They only test they were going to do was for environmental, which doesn’t test for the things that my pups come into contact with.... grass- I don’t allow them on grass or sidewalks yet because of all the deicers being used and people winterized their front yards.  Trees- not for all the trees in our area, like all of the foreign trees that are brought in and used for our neighborhoods.  Detergent - don’t test for. Other animals- don’t test for. etc......

But was willing to get us started on allergy shots and pills and write a prescription for Hills or Pro Plan veterinary dog food....

All I can say is Uggg!!!

Hubby was happy it saved us $500. LOL We ended up just getting a booster shot for daycare and the little girls nails trimmed. I turned down all the meds and the food. 

 

 

[chelseafan]

I’d find another vet, how can they prescribe pills if they don’t know what the allergies are, sounds like he didn’t want to put the effort in to eliminate the allergies.


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[2Huskyfun]

14 minutes ago, chelseafan said:

I’d find another vet, how can they prescribe pills if they don’t know what the allergies are, sounds like he didn’t want to put the effort in to eliminate the allergies.


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Right... I am not happy right now.

I am going to see if my old girls vet is still around or at least see who he suggests. He was so awesome with her being a hybrid mix and her diet needs.

[chelseafan]

I’ve been reading the dogs naturally magazines and there’s some great info regarding an holistic approach to treating doggie health issues, some of that crap the vets give our furbabies isn’t always the best option.


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[2Huskyfun]

I totally agree. I am definitely reading the magazine.

 I also had a friend that owns a holistic animal store recommend the  nutritionist that she works with. She also can order me the self home food and allergy test kit. YAY!

 I am not giving up on this.