February 18th marked one month of Raw feeding. We started out making remarkable strides and improvements. It seems over the past, say 2 weeks, we are back tracking a bit.
Let me give the abbreviated background:
I originally began my dog on a raw diet because of his allergies. I never knew what he was actually allergic to but over the years have done NUMEROUS food changes, pills, sprays, creams, you name it...
My dog's main problem area is, and always has been, his butt & tail area. He just chews himself to death. The area is red and irratated and even has what looks like a few pimples. My dog is 99.5 % and inside dog and has never had a flea problem. He is on the vitamin E and the fish oil. His main diet is chicken...
I am wondering - Could it have been the chicken all along ? Perhaps he is allergic to the chicken.. I tried to take pictures of his tail area to post, but they jsut arn't turning out good.

If he is allergic to chicken, is turkey a good alternitive ?
I'm thinking if I take him off the chicken all together and feed turkey if I would be able to determine if that's what it is. I also believe that rabbit is an alternative but finding rabbit around here has been a challenge. I found it online but by the time you add shipping, I wouldn't be able to afford to feed him.

Has anyone else had this problem ? I am a true believer in raw feeding and hope that I can find a good alternative.

Exactly what is he eating (everything, paricularly proteins)? And do you mean that he went two weeks without itching and then started again?

What does the itchy area look like? When you say "pimples," do you mean actual pustules?

can you befriend a deer hunter?
maybe quail, or even beef.

i would look around for the rabbit. I went to my local farmers market-and there was a stand there where i can get all the rabbit i want, whole or ground for a dollar a lb.

I have a GSD allergic to chicken. It is apparantly not uncommon. I verified that by way of an elmination diet (Used Z/D food until symptoms disppeared - reintroduced chicken and "bam" within a few days he was full blown.

I have never liked they way my dogs responded to turkey - just did not seem right, same with pork......don't know why.

The pimples and pustules I am well aware of -

He is eating mainly chicken backs, I have included some of the following from time to time. Turkey necks, chicken livers, mackeral, salmon, beef, (fed the beef & salmon together and he had horrible runs) pork necks, turkey, chicken quarters.

Since I am just beginning, his main diet has been the chicken backs and lately quarters. I have not experimented with vegtables. I have given him apple & banana, a little yogurt here and there.

When I say over the past 2 weeks, I mean it has gotten substantially worse. In the beginning the itching/biting got better. It ever started to clear a bit and then over time, I noticed he went back to chewing his behind again until lately it's just all the time.

The the little pimples, I notice if I pull his tail straight up in the air there are 2 tiny red bumps or pimple. I don't notice any puss though. And of course the area is very red & irratated. He licks the are constantly where his back hip and tail area are ALWAYS wet....

 Quote: nancy jocoy

I have a GSD allergic to chicken. It is apparantly not uncommon. I verified that by way of an elmination diet (Used Z/D food until symptoms disppeared - reintroduced chicken and "bam" within a few days he was full blown.

I have never liked they way my dogs responded to turkey - just did not seem right, same with pork......don't know why.

The pimples and pustules I am well aware of -

Was it primarily one area that was a real problem for him ??? My dogs' area has alway been the butt/tail area..

 Quote: Mallory Kwiatkowski

can you befriend a deer hunter?
maybe quail, or even beef.

i would look around for the rabbit. I went to my local farmers market-and there was a stand there where i can get all the rabbit i want, whole or ground for a dollar a lb.

We do have a deer butcher around here, I think they are only open a certain season though... I'll have to check.

As Nancy knows, beef and chicken are common allergens (to dogs with food allergies, I mean; true food allergies are not common in dogs the way environmental/inhalant allergies are) because they are so ubiquitous in commercial foods. (Allergies develop over repeated exposure.)

The butt area is a big clue, too.

Again, though, the first post sounds like the switch to raw (presumably with chicken?) resulted in a couple of weeks of improvement, and then reversion.

This sounds like maybe something was introduced after a couple of weeks.... another culprit.

 Quote: Shannon Ebron

The the little pimples, I notice if I pull his tail straight up in the air there are 2 tiny red bumps or pimple. I don't notice any puss though.

To clarify, are the 2 red bumps in the anus area? Are they on either side of his anus?

 Quote: Shannon Ebron

He is eating mainly chicken backs, I have included some of the following from time to time. Turkey necks, chicken livers, mackeral, salmon, beef, (fed the beef & salmon together and he had horrible runs) pork necks, turkey, chicken quarters. .... When I say over the past 2 weeks, I mean it has gotten substantially worse. In the beginning the itching/biting got better. It ever started to clear a bit and then over time, I noticed he went back to chewing his behind again until lately it's just all the time. ....

If it got better and started to clear up while he was eating chicken, I'd probably be looking at what else was introduced around the time he got worse.