Possible allergy
 

So, I've had Gizmo on Avoderm for a little bit now. He's slowly but surely not liking it. I actually mix it with a salmon stew, and he gobbles up the stew but is starting to leave some of the kibble behind.

Also, I'm noticing that Gizmo is itchy, trying to scratch his paws, and itching his ears. Thinking it was his shampoo, I switched over to an all natural, oatmeal shampoo. But still he had the itchies.

I did some research and talked to a holistic vet, and talked to my friend who is a vet tech. She told me that it's common in Yorkies to have a chicken allergy. I did not know that. I also looked at Gizmo's food, and his kibble has chicken in it, while his stew has all salmon.

She told me to try to switch over his food to Taste of the Wild, the all fish version. So, I'm going to start making the switch slowly but surely and see if that helps his coat so he's not so itchy.

He has a vet appointment next Monday, so if this doesn't seem to work, I'll have the vet look at his skin. It isn't red, but it could just be dry skin, seasonal allergies, or the chicken allergy. Who knows. But hey, on the bright side, I think Taste of the Wild is a better quality food anyway.


What do you all think?

It's hard to say if the scratching issue is due to food or the environment. I'd lean more toward the environment but you could try switching foods. If the scratching is severe, a visit to a vet dermatigist is the step I would suggest you take.

It's not severe, meaning he's not creating like sores or anything. He just itches maybe mid play. I looked at his skin and it's a little flakey, but not inflamed or irritated.

We don't use anything, detergent wise, that's not hypoallergenic so I probably isn't his blankie.

hmm..

My Daisy who has environmental allergies plus a whole bunch of other problems is always dry and flaky at this time of the year. For her, it is likely the mold allergens in the air and pollens. She uses a medication called Atopica with good results. So many dogs have allergies like we do that are not always food related. I always thought mine was allergic to chicken too, and she wasnt, it was just pine, pollen, grass, mites, dirt, mold, basically all that mother nature gives us.

If he's itching just mildy, you could ask your vet about the use of Omega 3 pet supplements which are known to dampen the immune response in dogs with allergies and promote a healthier coat. We have ours on 1 capsule a day, and it really does help. We use Nordic Naturals brand.

And I thought I was the only only one suffering from allergies right now. Thank you so much! We're getting our old humidifier replaced tonight, one that also filters the air (I'm a severe allergy and asthma sufferer) so maybe that'll help too.
But I'm going to definitely talk to the vet about those supplements! Thanks so much!

The Nordic Naturals has a website where you can print the product info for your vet if you'd like. We use the Omega 3 Pet Capsules which was recommended by the veterinary nutritionist I use for Daisy and Barney. She has us give 1 capsule a day for a therapeutic dose instead of the 1/2 recommended on the package.

Also, a good conditioner might also help moisturize the skin some. I like Bio-Groom silk creme rinse.