Tilly is a 3 year old Bernese Mountain Dog who is currently fed a raw diet. She currently has joint issues presenting as hip dysplasia in her right hip and has previously had problems with her right elbow. Bernese Mountain Dogs have an unusually high mortality due to musculoskeletal causes. Arthritis, hip dysplasia, and cruciate ligament rupture were reported as the cause of death in 6% of Bernese Mountain Dogs in the UK study. Owners of Bernese Mountain Dogs are nearly three times as likely as owners of other breeds to report musculoskeletal problems in their dogs; the most commonly reported being cruciate ligament rupture, arthritis (especially in shoulders and elbows), hip dysplasia, and osteochondritis.

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Tilly's owner was concerned that she may have an intolerance to chicken, and had removed this from her diet. I ran our basic hair strand test which looks at 300 items, a mix of food and environmental. The test returns the results of the allergens that have a sensitivity level of over 85%, that's the threshold at which you would expect to see some symptoms. 

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In terms of food, Tilly showed high levels of sensitivity to the following items: 

• Barley, Egg Yolk (100%)

• Lobster, Apple Juice, Poppy Seed (98%)

• Kefir, Jackfruit, Oranges (97%)

• Raspberries, Yeast (96%)

• Buckwheat, Ox Liver, Pineapple Juice, Raisins (95%)

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Tilly's diet did include some of these things, particularly egg yolk, so I advised her owner to remove this from her diet, and to ensure that she did not eat any of the remaining items in the future. 

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There were several other items that Tilly does eat that flagged as Amber (85%-94%).  

• Proteins including Crayfish, Sardines, White Fish (cod, haddock, hake, pollock), crab and sea trout. 

• Sugar - Brown and White 

• Beetroot, Banana, Mushrooms, Peanuts

• Milk Lactose 

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It transpires that Tilly does not have an intolerance to chicken, but rather the grain that the chicken is fed on. I have advised her owner to feed her a grain free diet, and to continue to exclude chicken. As Tilly eats a raw diet this should be quite easy to maintain. 

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Tilly also flagged a number of environmental allergens: 

• Willow and Chamomile (100%) 

• Chicken Feathers (98%)

• Several trees, including Larch, Walnut, Horse Chestnut and Cherry. 

• Dust (90%)

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The overall advice for Tilly was to add mackerel into her diet, or salmon oil if this isn't possible. Tilly's owner was also able to add in a further 5 flavours from her raw food supplier to vary her diet even more. I also advised that Tilly should avoid commercial treats as they are more likely to contain grain, sugar and dairy. Tilly should also avoid eggs, milk and kefir.  

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To help with Tilly' joint issues I also advised her owner to add bone broth into her diet. Bone broth is full of natural glucosamine and other joint supporting nutrients. 

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To download Tilly's results please click the PDF image below: