# Food that helps with itching?



## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Right now I have her on Lamb and Rice Nutro. This seemed to help a bit but not enough. I started giving her fish oil and this helped but also gave her loose stools. What food has ingredients that are good for itching?

She's been checked by the vet....I've switched flea/tick etc.....tried a ton of stuff.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

If you think it's food related allergies then any food with limited ingredients such as: Wellness Solutions, Natural Balance duck and potato, fish and sweet potato. 

Stay away from anything with corn, wheat or soy. Nutro is not the best food out there. You might also want to stay away from any food with multiple protein sources until you've had the dog tested for specific allergies.

Sometimes winter with it's cold weather and dry heat inside can cause a dog to suffer dry itchy skin like people. 

If that's the case, try adding anything with Omegas to his food. My vet recommends 1 sardine a day. He says one little sardine is a very powerful thing. Fish oil capsules are also available if your dog will take them. Salmon oil is good as is flax seed oil.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

I agree with Renoman. Nutro has loads of low quality fillers - corn, wheat and their by-products are probably the number one allergen in dog food. 
Here is a great resource for finding high quality foods:

www.dogfoodanalysis.com click on "reviews".


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Thanks for the information. I'm not sure it isn't more confusing now.  I've got a call into my vet who will recommend something they carry which will be even more confusing.

Interesting on the site above....the number 1 pick is only carried in one store in the entire Atlanta area.

How about good for the dog, the itching, and readily available? Petsmart...etc.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Neal said:


> Thanks for the information. I'm not sure it isn't more confusing now.  I've got a call into my vet who will recommend something they carry which will be even more confusing.
> 
> Interesting on the site above....the number 1 pick is only carried in one store in the entire Atlanta area.
> 
> How about good for the dog, the itching, and readily available? Petsmart...etc.


I don't remember if it's Petco or Petsmart that carries Van Pattens Natural Balance. If you decide to try it - I'd go with the Fish and Sweet Potato first. Sometimes duck can be too rich for a dog's stomach.

One thing to keep in mind... even if a food is rated #1 - doesn't mean it's going to work for your dog.


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## Abbysdad (Dec 23, 2007)

Petsmart carries Blue Buffalo. It is the best they carry. Abby is on it and it is a good quality food.http://www.bluebuff.com/


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Petco carries Natural Balance. AND I believe they just started selling Solid Gold! 



> One thing to keep in mind... even if a food is rated #1 - doesn't mean it's going to work for your dog.


100% agree...it's all about finding out what works for your dog.


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## Amberjam (Jan 11, 2008)

Neal said:


> Interesting on the site above....the number 1 pick is only carried in one store in the entire Atlanta area.
> .



try calling some local pet stores before rulling out a food. i was reffered to a food for my picky dog and as far as store carriers for that food on the internet it said the closest store was 30 mi. away. However, when I went into my local discount pet store (not petco or petsmart) they had the brand there. They don't have a web site so they werent listed as a carrier. 

Just an FYI for you


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Amberjam said:


> try calling some local pet stores before rulling out a food. i was reffered to a food for my picky dog and as far as store carriers for that food on the internet it said the closest store was 30 mi. away. However, when I went into my local discount pet store (not petco or petsmart) they had the brand there. They don't have a web site so they werent listed as a carrier.
> 
> Just an FYI for you


You're right. 

You might need to do a little calling around. You might get lucky. Don't forget - you can always ask the stores near you if they can special order the food you decide on.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Whoever called me from the vets office (wasn't anyone I normally deal with) and couldn't speak English very well......said to try duck and potato or venison and potato. He said those would be better than fish and potato. The brand he said was something like "IBV" I couldn't understand. Anyway....Petco carries both of those in Natural Balance. 

Odd though....check this out.....

**** Van Patten's Natural Balance Potato & Duck Formula for Dogs 

30 lbs. - Potato & Duck $45.99

Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Venison Formula for Dogs

28 lbs. - Sweet Potato - Venison $44.99

Two more pounds for 1$ less in the duck and potato.   

How's duck and potato in this brand sound? Anything else I should look at before buying? Point taken earlier about the duck....just letting you know I didn't miss it. 

What say you?


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

I know Petfooddirect.com can deliver foods that you can order via the internet. Nature's Variety Instinct rabbit formula is grain free--I know my vet was going to switch Riley to a rabbit formula when he was exhibiting allergic symptoms, which he doesn't have anymore thank goodness---Good luck


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

You should go with what you are comfortable with and you won't know if it helps until you try.

I would get the smallest bag first to see how the dog reacts to the new formula. 

Don't know why they told you to stay away from fish - it's very hypoallergenic.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

They haven't looked at the duck and potato in over 2 years on the www.dogfoodanalysis.com site but said then it had the minimum amount of meat required.



Renoman said:


> You should go with what you are comfortable with and you won't know if it helps until you try.
> 
> I would get the smallest bag first to see how the dog reacts to the new formula.
> 
> Don't know why they told you to stay away from fish - it's very hypoallergenic.


He didn't say stay away but said the other two would be better for allergies. 

I'm not sure a really small bag will give enough time to tell. Will it?.....(thinking out loud).


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## echo8287 (Jul 5, 2007)

Neal, since you are near Atlanta, go by Pet Supplies + on Piedmont they have a lot of quality dog foods. Petco and Petsmart usually don't carry but a few of the better brands. I go by there when I visit my daughter in Atlanta sometimes.David


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Neal said:


> They haven't looked at the duck and potato in over 2 years on the www.dogfoodanalysis.com site but said then it had the minimum amount of meat required.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


A small bag won't give you enough time to see if it will work, but it should give you enough time to see if the dog can handle the formula. i.e., too rich, loose stool etc. Just a suggestion.


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## Max'sHuman (Oct 6, 2007)

I've fed NB Duck formula and the Fish formula. Max did well on both and liked both. My dog is a bit itchy too. I spoke to my vet about it and she said bear in mind, like people, dogs sometimes have itches. You should only really be concerned if they are really scratching a lot and so intensely that you can't distract them by calling their name. It also might be the heating system in your house in which case I recommend you get a humidifier (helps for you too!). Anyway, back to food. Max like both and did well on both, but I will say that the fish formula has been a little bit better. Max has a tendency to dry skin and a wiry coat and the fish formula has made his coat significantly softer and he itches a little bit less. So, I'm not sure what your vet was talking about, but I'd still consider the fish formula. And NB is good, affordable stuff.


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

My dog itched more when I tried a fish formula (quality food) than he did on venison, bison, lamb and rabbit formulas (I alternate)


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## the-tenth (Jun 29, 2007)

You may want to try places you normally wouldn't think about buying dog food from as well. A lot of farm feed supply places in my area carry the better brands of dog food. I never would have thought to check there if wal-mart or super petz didn't carry it before I joined the forums.


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## LMH (Jan 2, 2008)

My dog gets flaky and itchy especially in the summer. Something that i totally love is California Natural Skin and Coat Supp. It's omegas and other vitams and its an oil you pour over the food. He doesn't have dandruff anymore and when I dog sat for my sister, her dog has bad allergies and dry coat -he's on a quality dog food but I started adding the oil supp and his coast was softer and he was itching less. She said she noticed a big difference and now is using it also. It might help a little.


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## daschador (Dec 9, 2007)

Neal said:


> Thanks for the information. I'm not sure it isn't more confusing now.  I've got a call into my vet who will recommend something they carry which will be even more confusing.
> 
> Interesting on the site above....the number 1 pick is only carried in one store in the entire Atlanta area.
> 
> How about good for the dog, the itching, and readily available? Petsmart...etc.


 Actually, if you go to the feed stores, many will special order the foods for your, IF they don't carry them already. I live in near the Cherokee county side of Acworth (frequent Woodstock). It may be out of your way, but have you tried the Acworth Feed Store (on Lake Acworth Drive/ exit 278 on I75, or take 92 over to 75 and up one exit)? They carry a HUGE stock of dog foods..from Solid Gold to Chicken Soup to Wellness to Diamond to Nutro...practically all of the brands of top quality dog foods on the lists. If they don't have the flavor, they will order it for you. Canidae is something I believe they do not order because of distributor, but it's easy enough to find it here in Metro Atlanta. Though that may have changed for them now, not sure as I don't use Canidae.

You could check some of the farm and feed supply stores and see if they carry or can order dog foods. I know there's one in Ball Ground, but I'm not sure about their products of if they carry dog foods. Think there's one in Canton, too.

Also, you could try the Red Bandanna food stores. There's several locations, from Holcomb Bridge in Roswell (if you're closer to that side of Woodstock) to Providence Square plaza in Marietta..if you frequent near there. All over metro Atlanta. 
Just type in Red Bandanna pet food stores in a search..you'll get the website with all the locations.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

I decided on Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish.

Started weaning her over tonight.

I'll post results as I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Actually, I was wondering about this yesterday.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Well.....she threw her food up in her crate last night.

I took my daughter to her moms right after she ate and she went with us which she always does so I can't blame the car ride.

I put 1/4 of the serving she had last night as her new food. 

When I walked into the room this morning she didn't raise her head and I thought "uh oh"........(I can't see the bottom of the crate from across the room). 

Anyway....I guess I swtich to Venison or Duck.

Which one of those is least likely to cause stomach upset? 

I noticed on the packages last night that the larger ingredient in the duck is "duck meal" and then "duck." In both the fish and venision the "meal" comes after the real thing in proportion.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Ok.....so I called Natural Balance.

I'm still reeling from the resonse I got. lol.......

Sooooooooo.......I asked to speak to someone who knows the food. This girl comes on and I clarify that she knows whats up (she says). I tell her the story and then she says that I should try the food for 30 days before switching. I asked her which was best on the stomach and she said all of them were.

THIRTY DAYS!!!!!!!!

I asked if on day 29 my dog had thrown up each day consecutively if I should try day 30. She said she didn't feel like the dog would be adjusting well at that point. 

Can anyone really be this stupid?


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

I'm so sorry your dog had a bad reaction. I'm actually very surprised by it as well. It's a pretty mild food which is why it works so well for my guy with colitis. 

I feel horrible. 

Could there have been anything else going on that might have caused the vomiting?


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Renoman said:


> I'm so sorry your dog had a bad reaction. I'm actually very surprised by it as well. It's a pretty mild food which is why it works so well for my guy with colitis.
> 
> I feel horrible.
> 
> Could there have been anything else going on that might have caused the vomiting?


Well it isn't your fault. No need to feel bad. I guess it just didn't agree with her. If it was something else it was really odd timing. 

My vet said try the duck next. I'm going to give her till the weekend to get over this before I try that one though. She threw up again while I was at work.  She's currently vegging on the couch. I'm not sure why it would linger so long if it was the food but I don't know what else it could have been.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

Hope she's feeling better soon. You're right.. if it was the food it's lasting a while. 

Keep us posted.


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

I just introduced my dog to Nature's Variety Grain Free Instict duck meal formula--absolutely no reaction--loves it--I will now alternate that with the Instinct rabbit meal formula (also grain free)--if it is available in your town, I highly recommend it--my cats also eat a little--they love it

I am sorry you are having such difficulties and I hope your baby feels better soon


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

She still isn't eating or drinking. I had no idea a different food could make a dog this ill. She's feeling better this morning but still puny.

She slept with me for the first time last night. She had been afraid of the bed for some reason but my daughter and I had been working with her on that this past weekend. I hope she'll be better when I get in tonight.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

the problems you get with a lot of the low allergen foods is that they have meats like venisin, and they have duck, etc. those are rich and sometimes dogs have a hard time with those. i dont know if you want to do this... but maybe switch to a homemade meal... exclude your common allergens, keep on it for 2 months, once symptoms subside, slowly introduce one potential allergen at a time. as soon as the symptoms come back, thats probably your allergen. it takes some time to do though, sometimes i year or more. there are books that can help you with that too. 
other than that, not eating and drinking is bad. not eating isnt as bad as not drinking. especially if they are vomiting. they can get easily dehydrated very quickly. 30 days is really wayyyyy to long to go like that too. remember, those people arent vets. i would call my vet too just to rule out any other problems other than switching foods. it could have been just a coincidence that this all happened at the same time, and that he is maybe sick. just a thought though. good luck.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

I would phone your vet just to see what they say about the not eating or drinking. Then I might switch to a home-made batch of either boiled hamburger or chicken and rice for a few days, it's really bland so it will be easy on her system - unless of course she's allergic to rice.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Boiled hamburger? Now you're going to make me puke!

Nasty!


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Neal said:


> Boiled hamburger? Now you're going to make me puke!
> 
> Nasty!


Yeah, it's not that tasty looking. Don't blame ya.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

If she improves on the level that she did from last night until this morning I expect her to be back to normal by the time I get home today pretty much. If not then I will call the vet who will want to drop a couple of IV"s into her and do blood work/X-Rays and maybe an MRI. Just to be safe they'll likely do a colonoscopy and then remove her gall bladder. Then of course comes the follow up work that will need to be done after the blood work/X-rays and MRI results come back. 

I already have plenty of flea/tick/heartworm stuff so they will be hating that.


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Last night she threw up again and didn't drink or eat. I dipped my fingers in the water bowl and she had some water that way by licking my fingers. 

This morning she is doing well. She's been wanting to play and is eating/drinking as I post. I was really getting seriously worried there for a bit. I still cannot imagine how 1/4 cup of food could have done this. 1/4 cup of poison yes....but food? I'm very relieved. I thought we would be going to the vet this morning but she appears to be alright.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

just remember though, theres nothing it says it HAD to be caused by the food!


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

I know. That's a dilema in itself because my vet said she would rather she be eating the fish and that the fish would be best for her out of the three choices. Has anyone had a dog this sick from 1/4 cup of food before?


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

Update..........

I started her on Natural Balance Duck and Potato on Saturday morning. As of this morning we are up to 3/4 new food 1/4 old in the serving size.

She absolutely loves it. Goes and eats the entire bowl of food as soon as I put it down every time. She never did this with the Nutro Lamb and Rice. No sickness at all.

I'll update later on the itching after she's been on it a couple of weeks.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Very good news! Hope it keeps going well for you. Rotating foods every once in a while is a good way to help keep allergies at bay as well. Here is a good article on that. 

Changing Foods


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## Must Love Belle (Feb 16, 2008)

The itching can be helped by feeding a 100% human grade pet food that is a little higher in fat. I know that sounds simple, but trust me it will work.

The reason 100% human grade is important is because if it's not 100% human grade then there are ingredients that were deemed unfit for human consumption added to the food. These ingredients contain a multitude of toxins and those toxins go directly into the pet food. If you and I had to eat toxins twice a day our skin would likely itch too. Most "allergies" are not from any "ingredient" but rather the quality of that ingredient.

The higher fat is great for the skin and coat and will further help the itching (I woud suggest a food with fat levels around 19%)

Stay away from any food that has the words by-product, beet pulp, or and carbohydrate source that inclueds these words :bran, gluten meal, flour, or hull. If you follow these rules you'll be in good shape.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

> Most "allergies" are not from any "ingredient" but rather the quality of that ingredient.


Just curious, do you have any information to support this statement?

I have a dog with 'allergies' and I'd be interested in hearing your theories.


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

When my dog initially suffered from ear infections--(food switch cured that) my vet was going to put him on a rabbit formula---supposed to be a good protein for allergy sufferers.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

Hope all is going well with the Natural Balance! If not, another one to consider is California Natural (he was itching more with Blue Buffalo). We just switched Charlie to it over the weekend. It's only rated 4 on dogfoodanalysis.com because it only has one protein source, but it also says it is a good food for allergy-prone dogs. It's made with very few ingredients, specifically for dogs with allergies. So far he has done great on it, firmer poops and pooping less often as well.


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## Must Love Belle (Feb 16, 2008)

Hello Renoman,

If you check out this article it can give you more information than I could. I tried to copy and paste it for you, but I guess you can't do that on this forum. Anyway, it is very interesting and in practice, very effective.

Let me know what you think and I hope it helps! 
http:www.beowulfs.com/magazine/allergies.htm


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## Neal (Jan 20, 2008)

She is doing great on the Natural Balance Duck and Potato.

The itching seems to have increased. *puzzled look*

However, it's a generalized all over kind of itch and her spots that she's gnawed for the last 8 months are covered over now. I'll take the all over itch I guess as I don't have a "how much a dog should itch" gauge and since it isn't causing harm like the other had the potential for. Also when I notice a bit of it she's in the bed and it's dark so I don't really know if she's itching or grooming just that the bed is jerking around. At least something makes the bed jerk around.


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## lovemygreys (Jan 20, 2007)

This may sound crazy....We pretty much shut down our all-breed boarding and now only do greyhounds and a handful of other breeds that we've boarded forever and just couldn't bear not to see anymore! One of those is a black lab mix named Daisy who has had AWFUL allergies and itchiness. Her owner has had her to the vet so many times and she's pretty much been on everything - different food, benadryl, prednisone...I can't even recall everything he's tried. There are times when when she's so itchy, she's rubbed all the fur off her face, legs and back 

The last time she was here, she looked AMAZING (We keep her about once a month). Most of her hair has grown back and her coat is nice and shiny. Mostly I notice the look of relief on her face! While she was here, she didn't do her usual vigorous scratching and feet biting.

Her owner started giving her a bit of apple cider vinegar every day. That's it! I've never heard of using ACV for allergies, but in this case it seemed to work miracles.


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## Ginny01OT (Dec 3, 2006)

lovemygreys said:


> This may sound crazy....We pretty much shut down our all-breed boarding and now only do greyhounds and a handful of other breeds that we've boarded forever and just couldn't bear not to see anymore! One of those is a black lab mix named Daisy who has had AWFUL allergies and itchiness. Her owner has had her to the vet so many times and she's pretty much been on everything - different food, benadryl, prednisone...I can't even recall everything he's tried. There are times when when she's so itchy, she's rubbed all the fur off her face, legs and back
> 
> The last time she was here, she looked AMAZING (We keep her about once a month). Most of her hair has grown back and her coat is nice and shiny. Mostly I notice the look of relief on her face! While she was here, she didn't do her usual vigorous scratching and feet biting.
> 
> Her owner started giving her a bit of apple cider vinegar every day. That's it! I've never heard of using ACV for allergies, but in this case it seemed to work miracles.



NV's raw patties have ACV in them...


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## lynn'stwo (Aug 12, 2007)

I have a dog who itched constantly and licked his paws raw til we finally figured out by accident (tried Purina One out of desperation) that flaxseed was not in the food and the itching stopped.


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

I've read that about acv before. I know it's great to use when the dog has yeast infections. The acv changes their ph which inhibits the growth of the infection. 

It's supposed to be good for all over general health as well. Another forum member recommended using the unpasteurized, unfiltered acv. Spectrum Naturals was recommended and I found it at Whole Foods Market. 



Neal said:


> She is doing great on the Natural Balance Duck and Potato.
> 
> The itching seems to have increased. *puzzled look*
> 
> However, it's a generalized all over kind of itch and her spots that she's gnawed for the last 8 months are covered over now. I'll take the all over itch I guess as I don't have a "how much a dog should itch" gauge and since it isn't causing harm like the other had the potential for. Also when I notice a bit of it she's in the bed and it's dark so I don't really know if she's itching or grooming just that the bed is jerking around. At least something makes the bed jerk around.



Could the itching now be due to 'winter' dry skin itch? Don't know if it gets cold enough where you are to have your heat on.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Renoman said:


> Another forum member recommended using the unpasteurized, unfiltered acv. Spectrum Naturals was recommended and I found it at Whole Foods Market.


That's what I use!


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## Renoman (Mar 20, 2007)

BoxMeIn21 said:


> That's what I use!


I think it was you that recommended it to me..  Been using it ever since.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

Renoman said:


> I think it was you that recommended it to me..  Been using it ever since.


 Cool! 

Neal - Renoman made me think about the weather here (I live in Atlanta) and it has been kinda dry. You might try throwing in a can of sardines packed in water 1-2 times a week and see if it helps her itching.


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