Labrador Dog Eye Allergy Diet and Treatment

by Doreen
(Liverpool, New York)

My 3 yr old chocolate male lab has allergies and digestive issues. After about 1 1/2 yrs I got him squared away with simple salmon formula Wellness dry food and supplements. I give him 1000 mg of fish oil, joint supplement and digestive/immune supplements also.

He has had a couple of eye infections including pink eye at an early age. He does go to day care and we do hike a lot and we have a boat so in the waters too.

The medicine clears him up but he constantly has a white/light yellow discharge. I am trying to find a supplement for this but only find ones for cleaning eyes for dogs that stain around their eyes.

Is there a supplement you suggest or do you recommend I change his food? I don't give him any treats that contain wheat, soy, corn, etc.
I read an article recently that suggest you change food from time to time for dogs with allergies.

He doesn't do well with beef or chicken. He also has brown wax ear yeast a lot too. I'm thinking the ears and eyes are allergy related and don't know how to handle all this. There are NO holistic vets in my area.

Please advise and thank you.

Doreen and Gilligan


Vet Suggestion for Labrador Dog Eye Allergy Diet and Treatment


Hello Doreen,

It sounds as if your dog’s allergies are greatly improved but not completely resolved with the diet you are currently feeding. The research I’ve seen seems to indicate that rotating ingredients “may” help prevent allergies, but since it appears that your dog already has developed significant allergies, I’m not sure you’d see much value in switching to another over the counter food now. Pick the wrong ingredient profile, and you run the risk of making things much worse. If you wanted to see if his a dietary change stands much chance of success, try a hydrolyzed diet likePurina HA orHill’s z/d or a prescription, novel ingredient diet (e.g., duck and potato) for 8-12 weeks (and nothing else like treats, table scraps, flavored medications, etc).

If his symptoms improve during the food trial, then you know his food allergy is not fully controlled on his current diet and can then search for a better diet or continue feeding the diet you used during the food trial. If his symptoms don’t improve, a change in diet is probably not the answer.

Many dogs with food allergies also go on to develop environmental allergies to such triggers as different types of pollen, mold spores, mites, etc. There is a good chance that this might be true of your dog. Intradermal allergy testing is the best way to determine what environmental allergens your dog could be reacting to and develop an appropriate serum for desensitization therapy.

Symptomatic treatments for environmental allergies that you can try at home include weekly baths with a mild shampoo designed for allergies, using a topical products like Dermoscent orDuoxo Seborrhea Spot On to increase the barrier properties of the skin, and giving your dogs an antihistamine such asdiphenhydramine. Dogs tend to do better when receiving a combination of these therapies rather than just one alone.


Best of luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM