# Is this a food allergy? + if it is, what food to get?



## xEmilyx (Sep 8, 2012)

This is my new dog who has yet to have a name...My family is calling him Buster, although I wish it was something more original lol. We worked with a rescue to pull him from a shelter where he has been 9 months. He was about to be put down  Anyway, He's been scratching and biting himself like crazy since we got him home Tuesday night. Does this look like a food allergy? He is on Pedigree now (which I know probably isn't the greatest food). He doesn't seem to like it very much. If it looks like a food allergy, does anyone have any suggestions for what their dog likes and what will clear up his skin? He is a boxer mix (open to opinions, just a guess), almost 2 years old, and weighs about 45 lbs. Here is a picture of his underbelly:















The full picture of him was just for fun. If you have any name suggestions for him please include them!


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

first I would get him checked out by a vet, yes it sounds like food allergy but you'd want to rule out bugs, infections and such.
Pedigree is not really a good food at all, a higher quality food might help but I would wait until after the vet visit to switch just in case. 

This website shows ratings for all kinds of foods that you may or may not want to switch to, though if it is a food allergy then try grain free first because there are a decent number of animals allergic to grains.


edit: just looked up pedigree which is 1/5 stars


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## cmoorewv (May 27, 2012)

At first glance, it doesn't look like a food allergy to be, but it's possible. Has a vet seen him? Is the rash new or did he come home with it? Pedigree is not high on the list of quality foods, so you'll probably want to change it out. Lots of people (myself included) feed Taste of the Wild kibble-it's grain free and is more affordable than some grain free foods out there. And lots of people do a raw diet, as well. It can be good for dogs with allergies, but it's not feasible for a lot of people for various reasons. I recommend taking your dog in to the vet for a diagnosis on the rash. It really could be a lot of things. He is beautiful, by the way. I like that he has his ears and tail! Update us on his condition if you can.


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## Gally (Jan 11, 2012)

Doesn't look like a food allergy. Appears to my untrained eye to maybe be contact dermatitis or at least the rash looks similar. Only a vet will be able to tell you for certain and I suggest you get him to one asap.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

I have to agree with the above two members. It doesn't look like food allergies. It looks like a rash of some sort. Please consult your vet


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## BernerMax (Mar 15, 2013)

xEmilyx said:


> This is my new dog who has yet to have a name...My family is calling him Buster, although I wish it was something more original lol. We worked with a rescue to pull him from a shelter where he has been 9 months. He was about to be put down  Anyway, He's been scratching and biting himself like crazy since we got him home Tuesday night. Does this look like a food allergy? He is on Pedigree now (which I know probably isn't the greatest food). He doesn't seem to like it very much. If it looks like a food allergy, does anyone have any suggestions for what their dog likes and what will clear up his skin? He is a boxer mix (open to opinions, just a guess), almost 2 years old, and weighs about 45 lbs. Here is a picture of his underbelly:
> 
> View attachment 59161
> View attachment 59169
> ...


Yes that second photo of his tummy is the allergy rash my Boxer used to get-- its more like a secondary sequelae from his allergies-- we used to have to rinse him down with a clorihexiderm wash every now and then .. Boxer had both food and pollen allergies-- also was allergic to the wool in our rug (yes your new dog could be reacting to the carpet he is laying on)... we got him tested and it waaaay easier in the long run to manage his allergies that way (we eliminated the foods he was allergic to , kept him indoors when certain pollen counts were high,,,, and got rid of the wool rug...


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Could be a wide variety of things. See a vet. get a skin scraping. 

The actual rash looks just like the rash on my foster dog's belly from Demodetic Mange. Which is treatable, not contagious to humans or healthy dogs, and tends to heal well with good food, low stress (out of a shelter) and medicine. I am NOT however saying that is what your dog has, my point is that there are several causes for skin irritation.

Even if it is not an allergy, Pedigree is a very very low quality food and I would suggest reading up in the food forum for better options. If it is a budget issue, there are several good foods that are only a few dollars more than Pedigree (such as Fromm's Classic at about $1/lb)


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## xEmilyx (Sep 8, 2012)

Thank you so much for the replies. I did not see then until a few minutes ago, so today I went and got him one new food. The man at Petco recommended Natural Balance, so I got that. He won't eat it dry, so I am going to have to find some good wet food for him if it does turn out to be a food allergy. I am taking him to the vet next week to check out his heartworms, so I will ask of they can do some tests for allergies. He right next to me gnawing on his belly right now  about to give him some Benadryl I feel bad for the poor guy!


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

I dunno about Florida right now, but there is tons of pollen here in southern California. Could be a reaction to something environmental like that, with all the pollen and such on the ground a lot of dogs get rashy bellies in spring. Definitely something to have the vet check though.


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

Definitely see the vet. It may have started out as allergies but with all the scratching they can get infected. Our big, tough allergy boys can have such tender skin...


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I agree that it doesn't look like a food allergy but Pedigree is not a good food at all. I'm not fond of Natural Balance but if it works, use it, at least for now.


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## xEmilyx (Sep 8, 2012)

The new food didn't seem to have any effect, but maybe it's too early to tell. His skin is getting much much worse. Sores EVERYWHERE and bleeding in some places. Skin looks so irritated and he has started to bite his fur out. I am going to try and get him to some kind of vet tomorrow, but I'm not sure anything will be open. I just bathed him with soapless oatmeal shampoo which seems to have calmed his scratching a tiny bit. Going to give him a couple more Benedryl and then put him to bed


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## cmoorewv (May 27, 2012)

A change in food could take a long time to show any noticeable effects in his skin. If it's getting worse and weeping sores are developing, I doubt it was the food, but you never know. I agree with some of the others that it looks like contact dermatitis. It hard to know what he has come into contact with, being in the shelter. If you can't find a vet open on Sunday, don't worry too much about it-but call first thing on Monday and see if someone can see him. Most will work you in even if they are booked. It's a good thing, taking him out of the shelter. Hopefully his rash is something that can be easily treated.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

xEmilyx said:


> The new food didn't seem to have any effect, but maybe it's too early to tell. His skin is getting much much worse. Sores EVERYWHERE and bleeding in some places. Skin looks so irritated and he has started to bite his fur out. I am going to try and get him to some kind of vet tomorrow, but I'm not sure anything will be open. I just bathed him with soapless oatmeal shampoo which seems to have calmed his scratching a tiny bit. Going to give him a couple more Benedryl and then put him to bed


It generally takes at least a month to know if a food works for your dog.


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## xEmilyx (Sep 8, 2012)

Oh right, I remember hearing that somewhere. Do you think I should get him a cone? He is biting his pretty fur out and irritating the sores more.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

A cone would probably be a good idea. It is really hard for skin irritations to heal if they are constantly being gnawed and licked at.


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## xEmilyx (Sep 8, 2012)

He went to the vet today. They took a skin scrape and he does not have Demodectic (sp?) mange and she also doesn't think it is Scabies. She gave him a steroid shot which (unless it is Scabies) should relieve his itching. She also prescribed him some antibiotics.


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## cmoorewv (May 27, 2012)

If it is an allergy, the steroid shot should take care of it quickly. It may come back if you can't figure out the trigger though. antibiotics will help any secondary infection. Grass and flea allergies are pretty common this time of year. Hope he feels better soon. BTW-is he still Buster?


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## xEmilyx (Sep 8, 2012)

Yeah, he seems a little bit better right now. Still biting and scratching...but not as bad. And he is Floyd now! Wasn't my first choice, but my family will not stop calling him that so it stuck. Growing on me now, though


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