Elimination Diet

Foster Mum's pooped so I'm boss for the day. All right, just for the next hour.



It's been almost a year and I'm still itching a bit. Some days are worse than others and usually it's not that bad. Still, Foster Mum wants to see the itching go away completely. Nobody's been able to really pinpoint exactly what it is I might be allergic to, though popular opinion has been some kind of inhalant. Right now, Foster Mum's experimenting with the theory that it might be dust mite, which she read is one of the most common allergens for dogs.

Even though she doesn't really think it's food-related, that's still a possibility. And it could always be a combination of food and inhalant. Foster Mum's been resisting the idea of putting me on an elimination diet. That's basically where she cuts out every food I've ever had and feeds me a brand new food and only that food for 8-12 weeks.

One of the reasons she's been resisting is that it's hard to find something I haven't had before. Foster Mum is a proponent of a varied diet so I've had chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, venison, not to mention a bunch of fruits, veggies, treats, and supplements.

Another reason she didn't like the idea is that some foods (like lamb) don't agree with me and give me loose stool or diarrhea. Not very pleasant to clean up. There's the risk that the new food won't agree with me either and Foster Mum doesn't want any surprises.

And lastly, it's just hard to feed nothing but the elimination diet. Imagine, no treats! I protest!

But after months and months of putting it off, Foster Mum has finally decided to bite the bullet. I've got a dermatologist appointment later this month and Foster Mum anticipates they're going to recommend the elimination diet first, so she might as well just deal with it now.

SO . . . .

After much research and planning, Foster Mum found a source for fresh duck, something I've never had before. Yes, that means you, Daffy and Donald. She drove an hour to pick it up and 1.5 hours back. And she decided to take us dogs along for a joyride. I think she might have regretted it. This is why.



I am actually hardly ever destructive. But while she was loading the trunk, I saw a dog outside, and that combined with the knowledge that all that yummy yummy food was for me, well, I couldn't contain my excitement. My mouth sometimes has a mind of its own. Sorry, Foster Mum. If anyone has any simple suggestions on how to repair that, she might be convinced to let me tag along on future joyrides.

But anyway, look at all the Pekin goodies.



And it's all mine.

Duck hearts and liver.


Duck wings.


Duck feet.


Duck carcass.


Duck necks.


Did I mention it's all mine?

Foster Mum doesn't trust us not to gulp down the necks and wings so she always grinds them. This time she used the big boy.



It's over 50 pounds. We call it the MFer.

After just a few minutes, voila.



All mine. Sorry, Phoebe, no duck for you! You and Boomer have to stick to that boring chicken. If you want Pekin duck, then you need to develop some of your own possible food allergies.