I would disagree with that sentiment. Alot of commercial dog food is based around maize, wheat and soy - all common allergens in dogs and the link with ear disease and irritation is well recognised.
- If they are irritated by somthing you'll see major symptops - constant scratching, rolling and dull patchy coat - in all my time I've found if a dog doesn't like a food item they'll leave it.
If one looks at human research, the number of conditions that improve with diet is said to be huge. I once went to hear one large study presented to GPs where large numbers of people were put on the Paleolithic diet and 40-42% of each group (of 100) improved significantly for eczema, asthma, ibs, epilepsy and another group of anything.
- Dogs are not like humans they eat want they want and need for nutrition & energy.......................the don't eat junk food & crap just because it's there.
Biologically appropriate raw food feeding makes a huge difference in my experience: the dogs are happier, calmer and more responsive as well as healthier. Not good though for veterinary business - I know of one 4 Vet practice that experienced a 5% fee income reduction but 50% client increase in one year just through promoting BARF and also following the now WSAVA guidelines on vaccines rather then re-vaccinating every year!
Those interested might look at
Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble
It provides a breakdown of the formulations of most of the common dog foods and you might be surprised what you read there.
I found this site after shooting next to a gun that made a fortune from spraying the gloop from rendered chicken carcases onto rice cakes and selling it as hypoallergenic chicken and rice dog food. You will be able to guess the rating his dog food gets there......
To declare chicken (or any meat) as a major ingredient in the UK one only has to show 4% inclusion rate in a dog food
- Research your dog vitals mate, same as you would your your own grub, get a good supplier and stick with them.................if your getting 15 kgs for less than £20 then there's a reason! - saying that there's no need to pay £80 or £90 quid a bag either! - unless you particularly like dog nuts.
And as regard ear cleaners - a local veterinary dermatologist recommends Cider Vinegar washes - a teaspoon to a pint of water, as required. In spaniels where the anatomy does not help, since I switched to this, I find it is far less irritant and more effective than commercial preparations I have tried, for general ear cleaning
