Why is my puppy so itchy and losing hair after a food switch?

It is possible that Zuco has environmental allergies. As he is currently in discomfort, I would recommend taking him to a veterinarian, putting him on an oral prescription flea/tick preventative such as simpsrica, bravecton or nexgard to rule out flea bite allergies, inquire about a minimum of a 2 week trial of an allergy medication called Apoquel if indicated based on your vet's examination +/- a monthly allergy injection called cytopoint. Both medications have been life changing for many dogs with environmental allergies. If Apoquel +/- a topical prescription steroid/antibiotic/antifungal ointment such as dermavet does not alleviate the itching, a food trial with a prescription diet such as Royal Canin Ultamino for a minimum of 2 months may be indicated. Home remedies if you are not able to bring him to the vet immediately can include placing an e-collar to prevent biting/worsening of lesions, a moisturizing oatmeal shampoo such as Aveeno every day and a gradual transition to Purina Derm Defense diet. Additionally your regular vet may be willing to cite a dose for OTC Benadryl to give prior to your appointment if he/she already has an established relationship with your pet.

Hi, and thanks for your question. Although pic would help to determine the underlying cause, 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, 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). Hope this answer was helpful, but 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

I would try a prescription hypoallergenic diet. Your vet will be able to recommend the one they think will work best for her like science diet Z/D or purina HA. This will be your best shot to rule out any food allergies. I recommend to do a minimum of a 12 week food trial with NOTHING else except for the Z/D. Even her heartworm prevention, if you give it, needs to be hypoallergenic. Unfortunately, most of the oral ones have chicken or beef flavoring in them. For treats, you can take the canned version of whatever food you choose and put a small amount into an ice cube tray and freeze them. Then popped them out and put them in a bag in the freezer for treats. I would also consider putting her on both apoquel and cytopoint at the same time to help control itching. I would also talk to your vet about whether or not they think there is any yeast on her. Yeast can be very itching. There is a anti-fungal that can be given long term and be safe. It is called terbinafine. I had a dermatologist to give it once a day for 4 weeks then every Monday and Tuesday long term to keep the yeast under control in my really allergic patients. Your vet will be able to determine the best dose and whether or not she even needs this. Finally, if this doesn't help, I would strongly recommend to find a veterinary dermatologist in your area to see if they can do different types of treatment. Most dermatologists can do skin allergy testing and get her started on allergy injections if needed. I hope this helps!

If they took a skin sample to make sure it is not a form of the mange, then it may from an allergy. With facial itching you do worry about a food allergy. It may be worth changing the food to a single protein and single carb diet such as duck and potato or rabbit and potato and see if that helps. Environmental allergens can also contribute. They do make stronger medicine to help control allergies outside of an antihistamine, an example is Atopica or Apoquel. You may want to talk to your vet about adding these options

Try switching the diet to a food like Royal Canin or Nutro. Both of these foods contain additional supplements for coat health and many pets respond nicely to the diet after about a month. You can also supplement with an omega-3 fatty acid for dogs. Continue your current treatment as it will help as well. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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/

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.