My dog has skin bumps and scabs. Is her new food causing allergies?

It is possible that Jetsen has an allergy to his food, but if you are going to switch to a grain free food, I recommend using Orijen or Acana instead of Blue Buffalo (BB). I personally do not like BB. Not only are there reports that it causes terrible gas in dogs, the quality control of their food is poor. They don't own their own factories, they pay a factory to make their food. As a consequence, the company has had to publicly admit that their food has not been made to the standards they claim. Orijen and Acana both own their own factories and have excellent quality control over their food. I would use either of those brands instead.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I agree that this is likely due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. The lump may actually be something like a cyst. 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!

That is a skin infection. Definitely can be due to allergies but there are many causes. Sunny should go to the veterinarian as she will most likely need antibiotics. Just a bit of caution about grain-free foods. They are now finding that dogs on grain-free can be at risk for developing dilated cardiomyopathy due to decrease absorption of taurine. I would recommend gradually transitioning Sunny back to her old diet. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thank you for using PetCoach. Mojo's bumps could be due to an allergic reaction or allergies to fleas, the environment allergens or food. I would make sure that Mojo is on proper flea medication. If he has environmental allergies, you can consider trying some Benadryl for now. There are other medications that can help mitigate environmental allergies. I would visit your veterinarian to find out what may be best for Mojo. Food allergies are also definitely possible as well. Dogs can get food allergies even if they have been on the same food for a while. Typically they are allergic to the protein in the food. Before starting a food trial with a novel protein, I would talk to your veterinarian. Below is a link on more information for Benadryl: https://www.petcoach.co/article/diphenhydramine-benadryl-sup-r-sup/