Why is my dog scratching and having bad poop on new dry food?

First you have to rule out other things as well like fleas and secondary infection which can both be itchy. If there are any lesions under the skin there may be a secondary infection (common with allergy). For food allergy it can take time for symptoms to resolve (8+ weeks for some dogs) and those pets who are very itchy may need medications to stop the itch (itching can lead to secondary skin infection as well). So if your pup is very itchy you may want to talk to your family vet about meds to help with itch while going back to the old food. And treat for fleas just in case (even if you do not see any). I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I would talk to your veterinarian about trying a prescription diet. There are hypoallergenic foods that you can get so their body doesn't recognize the proteins. Bear would have to be on it for a full 2 months to see if it is going to work. If it works then he has food allergies. If it doesn't work then he has environmental allergies. I would try this first prior to switching to something else. I would also recommend making sure he is on a flea and tick prevention that is a pill since they also can be used to treat mites. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Not necessarily. As long as he is doing well and does not seem in discomfort when defecating, it should be ok. I would make sure though that his water intake is appropriate as dry feces can sometimes be a sign of decreased water intake. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Roxi may have a food sensitivity issue. Raw diets are nor encouraged by most veterinarians because of the risk of bacterial contamination, & it is very difficult to provide a completely balanced diet this way. I have some clients whose pets have done horrible on raw diets. I would suggest switching Roxi to a limited, but complete diet. One of the best ones out there is Science Diets Salmon formula. This requires a script from your veterinarian, but it is well worth at least a 2-4 week trial to see if this clears up her problems. Take care.

Your dog should be on puppy food for at least the first year of his life. I worry that he's not getting the right balance of nutrient in the diet you're giving him now and that can lead to a number of health problems now and in the future. If you want to continue to make his food at home, ask your veterinarian for advice, find out if there is a veterinary nutritionist you can consult with for a recipe that will meet his nutritional needs or go to the website for the American College of Veterinary Nutritionists and consult with one there. http://www.acvn.org/

A skin sensitive diet such as royal canin skin support or a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic would be worthwhile, a 6-8 week trial would be recommended to assess the response from any new diet

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, switching to a dry diet can help. If no improvement after switching to a dry diet, you could consider adding a probiotic to her diet to see if that helps as sometimes that regulates the gastrointestinal system as sometimes there is an imbalance of the good gut bacteria. If no improvement, have her re-evaluated by your veterinarian to look for other reasons such as food allergies or sensitivity or intestinal malabsorption. Good luck!