# possible food allergies?



## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

I need some opinions of people who've had dogs with food allergies and/or itchy dogs, and/or dogs with gas.

Jasper has always been very itchy. He's free of parasites so we know that's not the issue. He also has very smelly and frequent gas.

Could these possibly be food allergies?

We've been giving him a fish oil pill everyday for 10 days as per the vet's suggestion, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

He seems to enjoy his food (Fromm Gold Large Breed Puppy) and Piper is having no issues with it so I'm hesitant to switch foods without knowing for sure (or at least knowing it's highly likely) that his issues are food allergy related.


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## poodlecrazy#1 (Jul 2, 2013)

Food allergies are usually very uncommon. Usually it's more of an intolerance you see than a full allergy. If you are worried you could do a few things. ask your vet to put your dog on a RX allergy diet for three months, do your own home made elimination diet, or get allergy testing done. Dr. Dodds is the only allergy testing (other than inter dermal) I would recommend and is very simple only requiring saliva. I have also noticed that fish oil supplements (and many others) can cause gassiness.


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## Coldbrew (Jun 17, 2015)

thank poodlecrazy!

I had read that food allergies were uncommon but wasn't sure if Jasper's symptoms were "typical" of a food allergy or not. the gassiness started long before the supplements, but I will try cutting back on those and see if i notice any difference. 

I'm considering switching to a grain free to see if that helps any (i doubt it will, but am willing to try). I've also started feeding them raw chicken backs rather than their evening meal every other day and have noticed a decrease in gas (though not itching), so more raw food in their diet is another avenue we're considering.

thanks for the suggestions, i will keep them in mind as we proceed!


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## Khaleesiandthepoms (Feb 25, 2014)

I'd go with more raw food too, my dogs were gas bombs year ago on kibble but besides the very rare "toot" after chicken stew I give them once a month they never have gas. You'll see a lot less itching too.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

Another thing to check out is if you might have an yeast overgrowth, which also can cause dogs to be itchy. Read up on yeast free diets for dogs. Grain free is a start, but removing as much sugar (starches) as you can , also helps!


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## RangersMom (Aug 7, 2015)

My Spoo has terrible food allergies. He was so rashy and itchy that I switched him to a raw food diet using Grandma Lucy's Pre-mix food. This food is a grain-free base food, and you add the protein (chicken, turkey, beef, etc...) depending on what your dog likes or can tolerate. I kid you not - his skin cleared up completely in less than a week! He was good as new! He was tearing himself apart on the old food (ProPlan). 

Unfortunately I had to stop using Grandma Lucy's because of the price. I have 2 very large dogs and they go through a lot of food, so I could not afford to keep using Granma Lucy's. I do highly recommend it though. We used it for about 2 months and he really thrived on it. 

I have now switched to Earthborn Large Breed which is grain-free. It is chicken and pea based. So far so good, although it's only been a week. 

I suspect my dog's issues are with grains, and also the red-beet juice they put in some foods. 

I know it's frustrating, but you will find the right food through trial and error. Good luck!


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