RE: Home Cooked elimination diet for Border Collie

Question
Hi

I have a 2 year old BC who was a rescue dog and we have had for a year now.  We have spent the last year trying to get to the bottom of her food allergies. She chews her paws constantly and also scratches herself where ever she can reach.

We have had some allergy testing for environmental allergens - nothing found, she has had skin scrapes fotr mites, she is wormed and flea treated regularly.  She has had anti-histamines and antibiotics in case of secondary  bacterial infection due to the chewing and scratching.  We have tried James Well beloved, duck and rice, turket and rice and, Burns pork and potato, wainwrights salmon and potato, we have also tried beef and chicken with rice, she has recently tried Arden Grange white white and potato - to which the scratching started again in earnest.

We want to try a elimnation home cooked diet of rabbit and sweet potato as she has never had either.  She weighs 15kg and is active.  When we started trying different kibbles tp fix her problem - she weighed 19kg - she is now ribby and we have tried to add extra veg and potato to the kibble to get her to gain weight - she was on a little over the recommended amounts on advice of the advice line for the particular brand.

Really hope you can help - and help my lovely little girl.

Answer
I  totally support your decision to use a home made eliomination diet. Have you started? How is it going? If she is too thin, aim for about 1200 calories a day. Remember to give it at least 12 weeks. And then introduce foods slowly, test thoroughly (2 weeks each) before adding supplements.  If I can help more, let me know!

all the best, Catherine