Scratching no more!
 

I am not going to say what BRAND of food they were eating bc it really has to do w/the ingredient(s) more than anything (I think?) & I am not making this post to push any 1 brand of food. Ok, w/that said...
Mine was eating food #1 w/no problems & recently, I thought I'd switch things up & bought food #2. They (all 4) started itching like cwazzie (face, ears, tummy) & licking their paws, made me stay up all night w/worry & they kept waking me up w/their scratching & licking! Mimi had some weird anal gland issue too. They were so miserable, I felt so bad for switching on them & it obviously wasn't working out so I got them food #1 again. Well guess what? They're not scratching anymore & we all got a good night's rest last night! How is that possible? Does it work in one day? I mean, I thought food allergies were 10%, but all 4 to react like this to a food is more than coincidence?
Well, I am sticking to that motto now: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' loll!

Food
 

Amazing experimental evidence! The proof is in the pudding so to speak.
This whole food/allergy subject is not always logical. Hope the pack continues to be well on the first food. I have found that even a new bag of the same food can cause problems.

I would sure appreciate the names of the foods. Of course we all know it won't work out the same for every dog, but it's a start. I have an itchy dog who'd appreciate an answer, or a PM. Thank you.

Thank you! Yes, I've heard that too (about new bag of same food causing problems) that's why I thought I'd switch it up.:rolleyes: loll
Hope this will help. Food #1 is venison & no potato...food #2 has salmon, duck (which mine had b4 w/out any problems, so I don't think it was the protein source), I think they had a problem with russet potatoes.

I've been avoiding potatoes in their food bc 2 have yeast problems & sugary foods fuel the yeast. Princess has yeasty itchy ears that gets brown gunk in them & Momo is a yeasty paw licker (they both had skin cytologies to confirm this). I thought 'russet' was ok, but I guess not. Turbo & Mimi never scratches or licks their paws, but they did w/ food #2, so I'm not sure what caused it for them, but could possibly be yeast too.

Might be the salmon. Some dogs don't do well with it.

I'm glad your gang are all itch free again. I agree, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." (I've been tempted recently to try another food from the same manufacturer that we use, but I think maybe I shouldn't mess with what works for my guys).

IDk if it was the salmon, bc sometimes they get grilled salmon (w/out any seasoning)...but it wouldn't be the same quality salmon that people eat & they only get it as a treat, so you might be right. It would make sense that they would have a reaction to an ingredient higher up on the ingredient list...
It might be ideal to get a sample if you can...now I have a huge bag of food #2 left, it will go to the local shelter.

Are you talking about CC?

I switched Peanut to CC venison and Pnut started itching like crazy! I put him back on CC duck and all is clear :D

I agree, could be the difference between fresh grilled salmon and what goes into dog food, or how it is processed.

By the way, I just re-read your post above and saw that you indicated they had eaten salmon before. Sorry my reading comprehension was operating on low. :p;):D

Maybe bc they're all related? (I think? Lol)

Also, salmon is fish and all fish is processed with ethoxyquin, more likely if it's listed as salmon meal. May not be on the label as fish meals are purchased by the manufacturers, and it's already added to the product before they get it.

very interesting!!

I know if my Bailey (a shih tzu) gets NEAR corn or corn meal he get sores as big as my hand ..he pulls out the hair and bites.

I add salmon oil to my guys food... it helps with the itchies:) I thought

A quick question....does licking of the paws mean food allergies?

Could also be environmental allergies, or it could be nothing. My boys will lick their paws a little after a bath or when they have walked through wet grass.

Paws
 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no in my experience. He can be on the same food and have periods of paw licking. Stress, boredom, or feeling bad can also lead to this. Just my thinking, others may probably disagree!
If it is continuous then it could very well be the food.
If it is due to non food related fungus then a dip of the washed paws in a mixture of vinegar and water then wash off seems to do the trick.

The reason I ask is Daisy licks her paws every night at bed time. She has actually licked them so bad I have to spray hydrocortisone spray on them to get her to stop. I told the vet and that is what she suggested. I never thought that it could be allergies.

Paws
 

Is it possible she perceives some stress at bedtime? Or has she just been outside to pick up some allergen on her paws? Lots of questions, few answers with these doggie behaviors!!

I know wouldn't it be great if they could talk;)

What I would give for that knowledge, it would make all our lives so much easier. We are always working in the dark and trying to guess what is going on with our fur babes.

Spoke too soon! Turbo threw up all over the place last night:(, we hardly got any sleep & I'll be doing loads of laundry today! He's intolerant of something in food #1, he never had problems w/it b4...I gave him food #2 today, hoping he'll be able to keep it down, or we're heading out to see the vet. He's intolerant of beef, pumpkin, maybe eggs & God knows what else! Do they throw up if the food switch wasn't done gradually? I thought it was ok bc he's had it b4...

Hmm I wonder what Peanut was allergic to? Mine all did so well on the CC duck too, they're eating venison now. I'm moistening their kibble & I couldn't stand the smell of the wet duck loll, venison doesn't smell funky wet. Turbo threw up last night tho.:(

Princess & Turbo is Mimi's son & daughter, so yes they're related...read that allergies is hereditary. I'm also thinking that they're prone to it bc Mimi was on antibiotics when she was nursing them...vet said it would be ok. She ate too many placentas (I had put aside a couple to throw away & she ate them all!) & I gave her too many different canned foods bc she wasn't eating b4 she gave birth & had tummy troubles bc of that. Combo of things made her have diarrhea & vet said she might've gotten a bacterial infection too, so I had no choice.:( They say it's good to give probiotics, but they all get soft poopies on it.:confused:

The company claims that they don't use ethoyxyquin on their salmon...so I don't know.
I learned this recently, that when they make a meal out of fish, all the omega 3 oils are extracted from the fish, so that's why they add omega 6 & 3 separately to the food. As an example, if a dog is allergic to chicken, they will not necessarily be allergic to the chicken fat. So, salmon oil is perfectly safe to give even if they're allergic to salmon...& it's good for them!

Licking can actually mean many different things, some lick for comfort, for some, it's like thumb sucking for dogs loll, also OCD. Momo also licks his paws b4 bedtime.
Now, if they lick & bite/gnaw @ their paws, that's allergies & it can come from a flea bite/saliva, environmental/ like grass, or food, but that's only 10%! I've noticed mine will literally chew on their paws & Momo licks his bottom paw pads...something is very itchy for them right now. We do go for daily walks & they go on the grass a lot. They're on sentinel & advantix (not @ the same time but I think I'm going back to frontline), so I'm pretty sure it's not fleas, but who knows, these pests jump on them when we're out & about!
This informative vid talks about 'sugary' foods being food for the yeast.
healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx

Oh no, poor Turbo! I'm sure it was a long night for all of you. Hope he is feeling better today. It could be the sudden food changes, even if it hasn't been a problem before.

Turbo
 

Poor Turbo, and you. He must have felt really bad last night. I hope he feels better today and accepts the food without incident and does not need a vet visit poor boy.
I have seen this occasional vomiting with two dogs over time and there seems to be no logical answer to the cause. I have made various excuses, end of bag, new bag, size of kibble, changing food too quickly etc etc, but there is no sense to it all! There are variables that I cannot pin down and I wonder if the dogs just have a tummy upset as we do sometimes. They will eat a food for ages and then suddenly it seems to upset them. The solution was to see the vet, get tests and put on canned prescription for a while. Then usually change the food. It is an endless task to keep doing this, for me anyway, and now I tend to give a light diet for a while and go back to the original food. Yes I am sure that allergies occur, but they do sometimes act in a strange way! Rant over!
Hope you and the vet end up with a logical solution and that your babies will find the right diets for them.

Thank you both, Turbo is ok! I think he was eating too fast & it made him throw up. I split their meals into 3 & he gobbles up his moistened kibble, he's the 1st to finish the food. I made some rice, chicken & green beans yesterday & he ate that well & no more vomiting. I added some moistened kibble w/the rice, chicken & green beans today & he's ok TGoodness...bc I was getting very worried! I will be very careful w/switching food next time, will do it over in a few days gradually...bc I have a VERY special sensitive guy here loll!

Turbo
 

Great news about Turbo. Some dogs sure are sensitive, but we often do not know to what LOL! Hope he becomes a more polite eater from now on and does not gobble his food.