My dog scratches a lot. Is he allergic to chicken in his food?

It's very possible there is a food allergy, such as chicken, if you notice a reaction after he eats it. A food trial with your vet may be a good idea so that you can gradually reintroduce ingredients under direct supervision and note which cause a response. Checking treats and people food is also a good idea as the ingredients in those can cause reactions even if the daily diet does not. Food trials can take 6-8 weeks to see results, so you may need to have Buddy on a limited diet for a while to see if anything helps. Another option would be to seek out an allergy specialist that could test Buddy, or try out alternative allergy treatments to the steroid shot to see if anything has positive results for him.

Poor guy. It sounds like Bruce has skin allergies. Allergic dermatitis can be caused by something in his food or the environment, or both. THe top food allergens are chicken, beef, turkey and lamb, so these protein sources should be avoided. Its best to go with novel proteins such as rabbit, duck, kangaroo, etc. Here is a website link that talks about skin allergies more in detail. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951973 I would then consider starting a food trial with him with prescription foods from your vet. However, since a food trial can take 2-3 months to show improvement its best to take him to your vet to start allergy medication (i.e. Apoquel, Cytopoint) to help calm his skin down immediately while we try to implement long term management treatments. My top hypoallergenic foods are Royal Canin Rabbit and Potato, Royal Canin ultamino and Hll's Z/D ultra. Best of luck with Bruce and his itchy skin and eyes! Take care.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lila. If she is turning red and itchy after a meal, an allergy or food hypersensitivity is possible. Typically the dog will also have skin lesions as well as vomiting and diarrhea if this is the case. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian to discuss her symptoms in greater detail. A prescription diet trial may be necessary. While chicken could be to blame, it could be any ingredient in her diet or another problem all together. I hope this information helps!

It is unusual for a food allergy to only affect one area and there may be an underlying trigger or painful focus in the area which should be excluded by your vet, compulsive behaviors can also develop but would improve with an e collar and changes in routine such as additional walks, activities and chew toys to distract him. Food sensitivities are best ruled out by a 6week food trial on a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic, symptoms would then recur if you rechallenge with the original foods

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.

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!

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Having said that, in terms of diets, exclusion diets are probably the best way to rule out certain allergens (what triggers the allergic reaction). Exclusion diets are made with one source of proteins (turkey, venison, salmon etc etc) and one of carbohydrates (usually potatoes or peas). These diets and ABSOLUTELY nothing else must be given for 4 weeks at least. I would recommend to discuss their use with your vet rather than try an home made diet (which is very difficult to be effective). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.