Hello again,
I have not yet switched to raw but am planning to soon.

Our 15 month old GS has been itching alot, has reddish areas under her leg pits and some areas on belly and where her tail is attached. When i use a topical spray on the red areas it seems to help and go away but it comes back.

I am feeding wellness large breed puppy dry kibble mixed with cooked chicken breast or cooked hamburger mixed in the kibble.
i feed 3 times a day 1 cup kibble with about 1 cup cooked chicken or cooked hamburger.
The last time i weighed her she was about 75 lbs and lean but no ribs showing.

I wanted to know if anyone's dogs had skin irritations and scratching alot before switching to raw and were they cured after switching like it says in the books I read?
Any other suggestions would also be appreciated.
Thanks
Joe & Zoey

Is your dog also chewing her feet & tail area? These are classic allergy signs. The synptoms you discribe can be a sign of a dermitisis also. I am no health expert by any means. I feed raw, always have, but there have been many here that have switched to raw because of dogs with allergies. Many of the kibbles have grain in their formulas. Many dogs are alllergic to the different grains. Corn, wheat, soy are the worst offenders. I have no idea what grains are in your kibble, but I am sure that there is some kind in it. Many of the better kibbles have brown rice & some have oatmeal or barley. Dogs DON'T NEED grain in their diet. In fact dogs don't need any carbs. Before you switch your dog, read many of the threads & the info on this site about raw feeding. It needs to be done correctly or it can be worst than feeding the lowest grade kibble to your dog. Be sure that you are well informed as to the types of foods to have on hand & the suppliments that you need to feed before you start your dog, so that you can make a smooth transition for your dog onto raw. It takes a bit more forthought to feed raw than just opening a bag. So you need to be properly prepared. I know that many here have switched & have never looked back. I would never feed my dogs any other way.

Also, at 15 months old I would not still be feeding a puppy kibble of any kind. Large breed dogs on kibble, need to be switched to a regular kibble at 6 months of age in order to keep growth at a slower rate to keep skelletal stress to a minimum. Fast growth & larger weight on young bones can create many problems.

Connie is our allergy & health issue guru & I am sure that she will see your post & chime in here with here imput.

Wellness does contain grain (although it's a good kibble and is not grain-based). If the dog is sensitive to grain then yes, switching to a grain-free, raw diet will help. Seasonal and flea allergies will probably not be. However, raw food does have other benefits such as keeping teeth clean and coat shiny.

I agree with Anne. Why are you feeding a 15-month-old dog puppy food?

Where do you live, and when did this itching start?

The underarm itching sounds to me like it could be an inhaled environmental allergen--like ragweed, which in most parts of the country started around September 1 and will last until the first frost.

If the dog's symptoms disappear after the first frost in your area, you'll have your answer.

Could also be dust mites, mold, any manner of pollen... I think food allergies are too often thought of as a first possibility, when it's just as likely to be environmental. Even if it is a food sensitivity, I think a dog's much more likely to be sensitive to a grain or oddball ingredient in a kibble than to any meat protein source.


In the meantime, if she's really itchy, Benadryl is a relatively safe and effective way to stop itching, reduce inflammation and give her some relief so the skin can start to heal while you're figuring out next steps. 1 mg per pound of dog, twice daily is safe, although my dog gets relief on a third of that dosage.

 Quote: Joe Waddington

... where her tail is attached.

Also, because of this area (base of tail) being such a classic flea area, and seeing reddish spots, I would check for fleas first and diligently.

Do you know how?



PS
Flea sensitivity is far and away #1, followed by environmental/inhalant, and, as others have mentioned, distantly trailed by food allergies.

Edited by Connie Sutherland (09/29/2009 05:19 PM)
Edit reason: pa

We live in RSM Ca, So Cal.

Wellness recommends feeding there large breed puppy food until 18 to 24 months as did the vet? I was told that Wellness Large Breed Puppy food was designed for the slower growth?

I have been using benadryl and I will check again for fleas.
Thanks all

 Quote: joe waddington

. . . Our 15 month old GS has been itching alot . . . I wanted to know if anyone's dogs had skin irritations and scratching alot before switching to raw and were they cured after switching like it says in the books I read?

Hi, Joe, I'm about 45 mi. south of you, just below Pendelton.

Well, we all hope for "cured," but I think settling for "huge improvement" is more realistic. When I started raw feeding with my previous GSD almost 10 yrs ago, the switch to raw produced dramatic results and almost eliminated the scratching/chewing problem for a long time (year or so?) but it wasn't a permanent fix. So I used a lot of Hydroxyzine and occasion prednisone to control things. Back then I didn't know as much, so my focus was almost totally on diet. I've had Nettie, my current GSD, for about 4 yrs and she has similar allergy problems.

There are two main aspects to the problem. First, there's usually multiple factors causing an allergic reaction - pollen, dust, mites, spores, food (very rarely) and other "environmental/inhalant" factors. A derm vet's tests will identify exactly which and how many of these are problems. And then you can opt for the shots to desensitize the dog. Without test results, you try to eliminate as much of the environmental factors as reasonably possible by vacuuming, washing, filtering air, etc. - it's a crap shoot.

The second aspect is to work to improve the dog's immune system. Both my GSDs have been rescues, so I know nothing about how their breeding, raising, vaccinating or genetics may have negatively affected their immune systems, but they both had defective ones. The allergic response - scratching, biting, chewing - is usually due to an immune system that can't shut off it's response to a harmless threat in the environment. Personally, I think a raw diet is vital to optimum health for any dog. But what I've found in the last several years is that certain supplements will boost the immune system. With a lot of experimentation, I've had very good results supplementing with plain yogurt and kefir (probiotics), probiotic capsules and the Herbsmith's Clear Allergies powder and capsules that Ed has here. By fine tuning all that, I've finally eliminated 99% of the allergy problems.

Lastly, as mentioned in other posts above, but one of the first things to consider, is flea sensitivilty. Just to be sure, you might want to "test" you flea meds. I've used Frontline for years, but recently switched to Comfortis. I have never seen a flea on the dogs, but there have been times when there was "panic" biting and scratching. In fact, Nettie has had been doing that for the last day or so for no apparent reason. We take a lot of walks at a park area down near the beach and it's possible that fleas can jump on her, bite and take off. I've also read in other posts that the "30-day" flea treatments may not last a full 30 days. Although Nettie had a Comfortis tab about 3 wks ago, I gave her another one this morning. By tonight, there's about a 75% reduction in panic biting. This is the second time I've cleared up that problem by giving the flea med about a week early. Coincidence? I'll watch what happens over the next couple days.

BTW, Benydryl never did the least bit of good for me. But since it's OTC and cheap, I'd try it out. And my other standard advice is start keeping a detailed log of what you're feeding, supplementing, weather conditions, meds, basically everything you change. After a while, you may look back and see things that didn't seem to be important at the time. Also, some results you can see in minutes or a few hours - antimistamines, prednisone - while others, like the Clear Allergies supplement, took 3-4 weeks to be effective.

Good luck. . . and make that switch to raw!

Mike

Hi Mike, were almost neighbors and thanks for taking the time to give so much info I really appreciate it, thanks everyone.

I am currently using Frontline plus and haven't seen any fleas yet but I like the sounds of the pill, I may look into that.
But now that you mention the hit and run flea bite I have noticed Zoey at times quickly turn to bite at something like she may have been bitten by a flea?

Joe,
i agree with Connie.
Tucker had the same thing as you are talking about with your dog.
red spots, itching around the stomach, tail etc.
I was positive it wasn't flea's, i checked all over him with a flea comb and didn't see anything, no flea residue nothing.
Then lo & behold i found one, yes one teeny little flea (i know it sounds odd, but there was just that one). Got rid of him (the flea, not tucker)gave him a bath to be on the safe side. Washed his bedding in the hottest water my washer would put out and vacuumed like a fiend. And his itching was gone.
so definately check for the fleas again & again.
Flea hypersensitivity i think it's called.

I thought he had a food allergy too, or an inhalant allergy.

Nope.

and yes, if your dog is overly sensitive, it would take just one random drive-by flea bite to cause the re-action.
Tucker was on frontline, but it was later in the season (september) so I figured he was ok and didn't re-apply.
Wrong.

I haven't found any fleas yet but am now checking almost daily. I gave her a bath yesterday and did not see any fleas then either. I vacuumed like crazy, carpets, couches, and will be doing it daily now and I also washed her bedding.
I did reply the Frontline last night so I'll see how shes doing the next few days.
Thanks