My Lab scratches & has bumps. Could his food cause skin allergies?

It does sound like from your description that Crayon (love her name!) may be allergic to something in the food causing her skin reaction. I'm wondering if you are talking about Blue Buffalo dog food. I personally do not like that food, it's not that good quality, and they have problems with quality control because they don't own the factories that make their food. I recommend trying Orijen or Acana. They are much better quality than Blue Buffalo, and they own their own factories to make their food so the quality control is much better.

I'm personally not a fan of Blue Buffalo. Their quality control is very poor because they don't own their own factories to make their food. They give the recipe to the factory who makes it for them. That means they aren't there to be sure the recipe is followed exactly. I would try Orijen or Acana. They own their own factories, so the quality control is very good.

Most pets do not have grain allergies. More commonly it's the protein source that causes allergies. For most dogs, grain free is not recommended. For general food, I recommend the brand Royal Canin. It is low residue and highly digestible and this results in great stool quality, minimal quantity and low odor. I also like Nutro and Purina Pro Plan. If you want to rule out a food allergy, the fastest way is a proper food trial using a hydrolyzed protein diet. I hope this helps.

Poor Adah! I'm sorry that she's been itchy. If I'm understanding your question correctly, it sounds like you are concerned that some of the itching may be due to a food allergy. You're right that food allergies are a somewhat common cause of itching and skin issues in young dogs like Adah, so this is very possible. The best way to determine if this is the problem is to do a food trial with a prescription hypoallergenic diet such as Hills z/d or Purina HA - many of these diets are approved for use in growing puppies, so your vet can help advise you on which one would be the best choice for Adah. Switching to another over-the-counter diet may or may not help, since it depends on what ingredient(s) she's allergic to - this is why it's much more effective to do a prescription diet trial, since these foods are specially formulated to avoid causing any allergic response. If she responds well to the diet trial, you can choose to either keep her on the prescription diet long-term, or slowly begin introducing other foods to see what she can tolerate, with the goal of eventually getting her back on an over-the-counter diet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Allergies have multiple causes, food sensitivities being one of them. Other causes include flea bites and environmental allergies (contact, inhaled, etc). In sensitive dogs, one flea bite can set off a reaction resulting in itching, chewing and licking. You can compare ingredient labels of the puppy and adult food to identify possible allergens. A food elimination trial would be necessary to confirm or rule out any sensitivities. Treat Annie now as indicated by your veterinarian. Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets and food elimination trials after she recovers.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Gus. Blue Buffalo is terrible, I'm not surprised he did not like it. I'd have him seen by a vet for this issue. The cause of his skin problem needs to be diagnosed so it can be treated correctly. Once the cause of the skin problems are diagnosed, the vet can discuss the appropriate diet for him. I hope this helps.