Allergies

I have found that in the last few years, more and more dog owners have come in with a list of symptoms all very similar. Their dogs have itchy skin, and sometimes they scratch or lick the area until it is raw. Often they tell me the vet has given them a topical cream, and that it worked, but as soon as they stopped applying the treatment – the symptoms returned. Why do I believe that happens? Because the itchiness is caused by allergies, which are internal. Applying cream only to find the symptoms return tell me that it isn’t caused by an external source – but by something internal, such as your dog having an allergy. A cream is like a band-aid over the problem, it will help it temporarily, but it isn’t addressing the root cause of the problem. As soon as a customer says that their dog is itchy and constantly scratching his/her fur off in one area, I ask a few other questions:

Does your dog have itchy or irritated eyes? Do his ears smell? Is the fur between his paws red, does he lick his paw obsessively?

Often if one or more of the answers to these questions is yes – I would then ask what food their dog is currently eating. If the dog food contains grain/gluten, or any type of wheat (rice, barley, corn, etc.) I would first suggest removing it from the dog’s food. I don’t know what causes the intolerances to grain in dogs, but most often it is the culprit of food allergies. I think about it this way; if my dog was in the wild, would he eat rice or bread? Most likely not, so why throw it in the dog food bag? I consider it to be a filler. Most dogs have relief from their symptoms when these fillers (grain and gluten) are removed from their diet. If there are still symptoms present, I would suggest staying away from chicken (the most common protein allergen for dogs), or choosing a formula considered L.I.D. (Limited Ingredient Diet) that contains one single protein, and one easily digestible starch. I would then begin a process of elimination. If that doesn’t appeal to you as a dog owner, you can easily visit a vet and pay for an allergy test. I consider that to be a waste of money, only because I have found by simply switching the diet to grain-free, the problem is often solved.

Food’s that I believe to be the best for dogs with allergies:

Natural Balance (L.I.D. formulas)
Petcurean (grain free and L.I.D. formulas)
Performatrin (grain free and L.I.D. formulas)
Taste of the Wild
Nature’s Variety
Several Raw Food Diets

There are a huge amount of other brand’s that offer grain-free and limited ingredient formulas, and it is a trend that has definitely seen a growth in the past few years. I feel my dog has benefit immensely from a grain-free diet, and many health problems which were present in the past have been solved by altering his diet.

Again, this is my personal opinion. I haven't conducted any studies, or done any extensive research - I have just done what works, and for my dog and several others, that was going grain-free.