Beet Pulp allergy

[SueG]

Hi

I've just started using this site to look for a suitable replacement food for our dog as she's had an allergy test and we're trying to remove a few specifics from her diet. One of the allergens is Beet Pulp. I've used the 'Foods' section to put in all my search criteria including to avoid sugar beet. One of the results returned was Forthglade Cold Pressed Grain Free Dry Dog, when I've looked at the specific ingredients for the food it includes Beet Pulp.

Am I doing my search wrong - is sugar beet on the 'avoid' list not going to remove beet pulp from the results?  I had assumed these were the same thing, am I wrong in my assumption?

Many thanks if anyone can help with some clarification.

[Dottie]

Hello SueG - welcome to the forum.  I have just tried this myself and you are correct - when sugar beet is ticked it does not exclude some foods that contain beet pulp.  This is something that is out of my remit so I will write to David, the site owner to clarify. Please would you keep a watch on your thread? It might be a day or two before he replies but he will get back to you.

A lot of dry foods contain beet pulp but not all of course. Are you particularly keen on feeding dry food?  Simple recipes with fewer additives are often better for dogs with intolerances/allergies. 

[David]

Hi SueG and many thanks for bringing that error to my attention. I think I have fixed it now but do let me know if you spot any other foods appearing in the search results that shouldn't be.

[SueG]

Thanks Dottie, that's helpful - I did wonder if I was just looking at two different foods.

We need to be careful with dry food as another allergy is to storage mites but she likes to leave a bit of kibble to graze on during the day which isn't ideal with wet food. My preference is to change to another dry food first and see if better ingredients help her.

[Dottie]

Hello again. As she is allergic to storage mites as well you might be better off avoiding dry food altogether or maybe choose grain free because they are said to be more common in foods containing cereal. If not, buy in small bags, keep well sealed and use up as quickly as possible. I have read that some people freeze dry food to kill the mites off but I presume the remains are still there.

If you want something for your dog to nibble there are alternatives such as dehydrated chicken strips or dried fish such as Hollings Sprats or Fish4Dogs dried fish. Skippers is another company that sells dried fish skins. You can dehydrate treats yourself in the oven but I think it is probably easier to use a dehydrator.

You might get better results with fresh food so it is something that is worth considering.

[lewie0205]

Hello SueG. My dog also has an allergy to storage mites (amongst other things!). Dottie is correct to say try to avoid kibble if you can but I understand it’s not always that easy. I tend to feed a mixture of wet or raw food (depending on freezer space) and my dogs skin & fur are in good condition when I do this. I do like kibble, especially when we are going away with him as it’s a lot less fuss. My kibble of choice is Akela. It comes in little bags, which when opened last about 10 days . I don’t think this has beet pulp in it. It’s not the cheapest dog food around and you have to order on line but I never has a problem with delivery. The only reason I stopped using it was he can only have one flavour due to his allergies and I wanted more variety in his diet. If you do keep with kibble, decant it into a plastic airtight tub rather than keep it in it’s bad when using it (unless you keep it in the freezer). Good luck...I am sure you will find a suitable dog food.

[SueG]

Thanks - if we continue with dry food we'll be choosing something in smaller bags so we can reduce the risk of mites.  Funnily enough the breeder supplies with Akela when we picked her up but I struggled to order it far enough in advance.