Sensitive skin formula dog food for tiny adult maltese?

my vet recommended a sensitive skin science diet food for my little 4 1/2 lb. maltese because he chews on his paws constantly. she seems to think he has some sort of allergy. she gave him a steroid shot ($60) four days ago, and he's back at it again. science diet does not make "small bites" in the sens. skin formula. does anyone know of a brand that does?

Sensitive skin formula dog food for tiny adult maltese?
Your vet is scamming you. Paw chewing is a food allergy, not sensitive skin. And Science Diet is one of the worst allergy-causing diets they make. Skip the steroid shots and the crappy SD food, find yourself Innova EVO brand dog food. It is a high quality all natural dog food made without grains, corn, soy, dairy, or any of the other allergy-causing substances found in most foods (including Science Diet). They make a small bites formula too. The vet wants you to use SD because he can sell it to you, not because it works. You have to remember that while a vet IS a trained doctor, they are also a BUSINESS, and they want to make money just as much as helping animals.
Reply:Hill's Prescription Diet has 2 successful allergy foods. Z/D Ultra Allergen Free and D/D also for allergies. Both are small enough for a maltese to chew if he's being fussy about the size of his food! Another great thing Hill's recently came out with is Hypoallergenic dog treats that are compatible with both the z/d and d/d.
Reply:I'm w/ Alyssa on this one... Vet's are not nutritionists. Here's my response to a similar question:





I wouldn't recommend it. Why? All commercial dog food (especially in kibble form), even Hill's / Science Diet is loaded w/ preservatives, mystery meat by-products from 4D sources (dead, dying, diseased %26amp; disabled) and other questionable ingredients. My philosophy- if its not good enough for me, its NOT good enough to feed to my dogs.





If I were you, I'd spend a week researching a home-cooked natural diet %26amp; supplements. I was going to suggest a home-made version of Hill's Science Diet sensitive skin, but after reading the ingredients list- YIKES! Talk about fillers, preservatives and other junk! I feed my dogs organic turkey (which is low allergy meat), organic mixed veggies and wild-grain rice (rice can be an allergy). I supplement this w/ human-grade omega 3, bone meal and a multi-vitamin. I sometimes throw in low-fat cottage cheese and yogurt into the mix for variety. The chis dig the yogurt. :-)





Another reason I'm against commercial dog food like Hill's %26amp; Iams... these companies pay for or provide vets with their books and materials while said vets are in school. The also fund the research on pet nutrition (no way that research is skewed is it?). Some vets even make a commission from selling Science Diet. I consider all these a big conflict of interest IMHO.





Some helpful links:


+ http://www.b-naturals.com/Aug2005.php


+ http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Spring04...


+ http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...





Commercial dog food is relatively new in a historical sense. Do it the old fashion, wholesome way- cook it yourself. This way you know exactly what your puppy is eating. :-) ~Slacker