Why can't companies provide the same products in Canada & the US!!!
 

Ugh... so many of you know that Harley has been having some pretty crappy allergy issues these last few months. Well his stomach is doing much better he's been on Hills d/d salmon and doing great, EXCEPT,

he's really itchy :( we just finished a course of steroids and antibiotics and the itching came back, so now we're thinking he's allergic to salmon :(

So I looked on the Hill's website and found d/d venison which I wanted to try, THEY DON"T SELL IT IN CANADA :mad:

I called 6 vets and finally one told me I must be looking at a US website, which I was.

I guess I'm stuck with the d/d duck formula. I'm going to call Hill's on Monday when they open and see if I can pay for a bag to be shipped to me from the US if my vet faxes a prescription. This just sucks.

Is there anything on the website, under shipping, about shipping to Canada?

That sucks! I know there was a few Acana formulas that I was so mad they weren't in the US, but apparently they are having 3 new ones come here soon. It never made sense to me!

Have you checked to see if Royal Canin Hypoallergenic is available in Canada? I know they have a potato & venison, potato & rabbit, and potato & duck formula. It's an RX food.

Look at this website to see if they ship it to Canada.

Pet Food Online | Dog & Cat Supplies & Products | PetFoodDirect.com

Not that I can see, cause they have their own Canadian site. I'm going to call on Monday and see if there is a way to get it.

But I've also been talking to some friends just now, and I'm going to book another appointment with a different vet. I'm tired of my vet pulling my strings and "thinking" what will work next.

She wants me to completely switch brands to the RC medical hypoallergenic duck formula, but to me it seems silly to switch him completely if the d/d isn't upsetting his stomach. (we tried 6 brands in the last 3-4 months many making him very sick) I think it'd be better to switch him to another d/d formula that way I know if it's the protein or the grain making him sick. If the itch goes away he can't have salmon, if it doesn't he can't have potato or something else that is common between the foods.

but who knows I didn't go to vet school, it just seems to me that it would be a more appropriate approach

Canadian site for RC only has duck. :(

or hydrolized chicken (which has already been tried and made him very sick)

I know pet food direct does ship to Canada.

Well I booked him an appointment for Tuesday with a new vet. They do both traditional and natural care for allergies, and specialize in food issues. I really hope they can figure out what all the problems are from

So, you're not going to order it?

I checked, I didn't see the prescription diets on there, only the regular ones.

I'm looking for the
"d/d Canine skin protection, potato and venison"

If I'm blind and it is on there let me know... lol

I'm still going to consult the vet and confirm that this is the right move, I'm tired of my vet, I don't like her and I don't trust her.

They have the prescription diets on there.

I'm going to locate it for you. What exactly is it called?

Thanks clearly I'm tired or blind :p

d/d® Canine Skin Support Potato & Venison Formula - Dry

Hill's Science Diet, Prescription Diet Pet Food Products | Hillspet

Bless your heart! That's why I wanted to find it for you. I hated to see you go without it if you could get it through them.

It says RX required.

It's the second and the third one is the canned if interested:

Hill's Science Diet Potato And Venison Formula | PetFoodDirect.com

Thanks :) trying to now figure out if they ship to canada and what it'll cost etc... also does RX mean they need a prescription? I'll have one as soon as I see this new vet on tuesday

Ok :) good news is they can ship to Canada, it'll be an outragous price ($90+ for an 8lb bag:eek:), but I think I have a friend who might be able to pick a bag up in the US for me to try... Her husband just started working in New York and she still lives here, so maybe they can either cheaply ship it or bring it back next time they cross the boarder.

Oh the things we are willing to do for our dogs. At least if this is my last option I'd rather pay for expensive food than have him stuck on drugs for the rest of his life. lol.

Yes, a prescription is required. I know they ship to Canada. I'll see if I can find that and how much.

Can you call them and that way they can answer your questions and take your info directly, if you decide to order. I know it will cost you for shipping, but you'll still need the rx before you can order.

1-877-PET-FOOD or 1-877-738-3663, Monday-Friday 8:00am-10:00pm, Saturday-Sunday 9:00am-5:30pm ET.

Oh, my! I had no idea it would cost so much. I'm so sorry!

No worries, in all honesty if it comes down to it, I'd rather pay that much for food, than have him on drugs for the rest of his life.
it's not like he eats a lot. lol

Plus in Nova Scotia we have a lot of truckers who ship fish to the US, I'm good friends with a few, I may be able to get them to pick a bag up if it comes down to it.

I'm pretty crafty with that stuff, plus my mom used to import horse food from the US, so I'm sure if I really want that food there is a way to get it.

Your help is very appreciated. :D

I'm sorry that you and your pet is going through this..Yoshi, my peke has allergies and I had tried all kinds and come to find out he was allergic to chicken and some grains..He has been eating Blue Buffalo whiting and sweet potato and is doing wonderful..I swear before he was the scratchiest dog around, he would also get hot spot..we went through so much and I also found the red dye #40 makes him scratch something terrible...Yoshi is a little over 6 years and he has been itch free for 8 months now, I found out what allergies he had on my own. I do know your frustration and I hope you find what works.

Yeah it really sucks. So far we know he can't have chicken, beef, oatmeal, and suspect now that salmon is bugging him too. I hope we eventually find something that works

I don't know the full story, but would natural balance venison and sweet potato work?

it's limited ingredient, and it looks like they sell that in canada
Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance L.I.D.™ Sweet Potato & Venison Formula For Dogs and Puppies

says the ingredients are: Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance® L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Sweet Potato & Venison Dry Dog Food is made with:

Fresh Sweet Potatoes Premium quality carbohydrate rich in potassium and a highly digestible energy source.

Fresh Venison Premium quality protein source not commonly used in pet foods.

Canola Oil Low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat. Excellent Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid profile.

Flaxseed: An excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids.

It's an eventual possibility, unfortunately he's been having troubles stomaching traditional quality kibbles, I've been limited to vet diets at this point. Last month he had some real troubles with his stool and he threw up a lot too, so I'm weary to try a regular kibble right off the bat. The poor little guy has been through a lot, so unless a vet tells me he's ready to go back to traditional kibbles I've decided for his sake to keep it to the vet diets.

Thanks though :)

Kendra check out hemopet website Dr Jean Dodds. She should have a 20 panel allergy test about ready now. You just need to do a cheek swab, and she can then test to see what of the 20 things your pup is allergic to. I would highly consider this. Also if my memory serves me correctly Hypothyroidism might be an issue. Have you done a full thyroid panel yet on Harley? It is not too expensive. Again Dr Jean Dodds website can guide you on this. I am going to repeat thyroid testing on all my pups(her test is more thorough adds another thyroid marker to test for), in the new year, and also order the new allergy panel testing.

You may have a problem at customs trying to bring the dog food across. They have strict rules concerning wild meat and I don't think they will allow it. I travel frequently to the US with Bella and I even had to get a perscription label put on the nutrical to get it across. I would check with your supplier first to make sure or call canadian customs and inquire.

Good news! I had a great appointment with the new vet. I'm completely switching to her and her methods.

First she said the itching may simply get fixed because my old vet didn't administer the drugs he was on the last two weeks properly - long explaination which I'll leave out. I guess the timing and combinations could possibly have been ineffective. So she told me in no way should we switch his food right now until we see if proper medication clears up the skin issues.

We put him on an antibiotic alone (he had steriods last time with the same antibiotic) and she is going to see how he responds to that in 2 weeks, I've got a new appointment with her after new years. She agreed with my philosophy that changing things without a plan is not a good idea.

She then laid out all the possible options for all of his troubles. She said in 2 weeks time we'll evaluate the skin and see if that helps. She also wants him to eat one more bag of the d/d salmon to determine if his stomach stays settled on it. That way if we have to switch because of an allergy she knows what ingredients his stomach can tolerate.

Unlike my previous vet, she is itemizing all his problems and attacking them one at a time she is considering how each will effect the other, whereas my old vet was saying, well lets see if this food fixes all his problems if not we'll switch again.