allergy?

pippixox

pippixox

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hi
got my new dog about 4 weeks ago. 2 year old GSD x (1/4 rottie) he has since been castrated and also had to have him massive dew claws removed. we have also wormed and flea treated him....
he isn't all the time, but he is quite itchy, especially around his groin and his bottom and also like to scratch his ears. at first thought that's fine, all dogs do a bit, but this morning his groin area is actually looking red from scratching.
when he went to the vets they gave him a once over with no concerns, except they did say the skin that they had to disinfect for his castration was a little sore after so they put him on Nisamox (think that is the right name) for a week after op (2 weeks ago on thursday).
he was still scratching a bit after op while on the drug, not sure if much less really. but left his wounds pretty much alone so didn't have to wear cone too much!
sorry for waffle, just wanted to give all the details.
having read other posts I'm thinking he may have a food intolerance. he had a pigs ear at my friends last night and the red patch was this morning, so perhaps and additive in it? he is currently on 'wag' working dog food as that's what previous owners fed him. but they only had him for 6 weeks, before that he lived on a farm and trying to contact owner to see what they fed...

does any one have any recommendation on what to do diet wise? do i try excluding things or changing feed brands? there seem so many feed brands marketed as scientific and special but that cost a fortune and don't want to waste money to be honest. are there certain additives or ingredients it is more likely to be?
thanks for your help
 
Don't buy food from the vet. Definitely take him off Wagg, it is the lowest possible quality! Here's a traffic light system of dog food, red=bad, green=good. http://www.petforums.co.uk/dog-health-nutrition/255727-updated-dry-dog-food-index.html

Here's a breakdown of ingredients in Wagg, which also uses BHA/BHT as preservatives. These are potentially carcinogenic E numbers. http://www.whichdogfood.co.uk/dog-food-reviews/0014/wagg-complete

It's possible that the dog is allergic to cereal, wheat is a common allergen and is the main ingredient in Wagg. All supermarket foods tend to be of a similar format, although some are better than others.

Raw feeding may improve his skin (although there's no guarantee) but at least you see what you're giving.

One of mine has naturally very red skin and is very licky. I give him Evening Primrose oil-the human version-daily which has done wonders for him.

Try removing cereal from his diet, including biscuit treats etc and give him a fortnight of a grain free food. Remember to swap slowly, although Wagg is of a quality where I'd be going cold turkey.
 
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i will be going to the shops tomorrow! feel bad for feeding him such rubbish having now looked at ingredients :( and really hoping cutting out all the wheat in his current diet will solve the itching.

i presume if it is the wheat then going wheat free will helps quite quickly? how long would it take to get out of his system?

is it also possible there are additives in things like pigs ears he can't tolerate? (shame as he loved it!)
 
Hey, you didn't know, don't beat yourself up. You've bothered to ask so the only way is up!

If you get him a grain free food, you'll probably notice a difference quickly. I'd say try Pets at Home, maybe their own brand, Fishmongers (cheaper and contains more fish than Fish4dogs which is good quality) kibble which because of the oil should help his skin in a hurry. You can add salmon oil to move things along even faster, but don't go crazy shoving stuff at him! The Wainwrights trays (Pets at Home own brand) are cereal free but do have rice, although this isn't usually a big allergy issue.

My lot get pig ears, no issues apart from getting it stuck in their throats sometimes. I'd lay off rawhide if he gets it, just because the bleaching and chemicals used wont be helpful. Try to be as natural as possible. Chicken wings, raw, are a fab treat, but just try a new food if you're not sure about giving raw food.
 
Dog feeding has moved on from when we had working dogs. They had fresh tripe.

Milk can give dogs itchy skin, but I doubt you are feeding him milk.
 
As well as diets consider carpet and fabric treatments - some wash powders can cause rashes as can scotchguard & similar anti stain products for carpets.

Wheat & maize are the main allergenic cereals and these can hide under terms like Prarie meal. Rice rarely causes problems and oats or potato are usually ok.
 
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