My German Shepherd has excessive itching. Please recommend a good quality food I could try.

[1GirlTwinBoys]

We're currently feeding him PetSmart holistic brand called Simply Nourish Salmon & Sweet Potato. I've tried this same brand with other ingredients, such as, chicken & rice, lamb & oatmeal, but he still itches like crazy. A couple of brands that I was thinking of trying are Canidae and Wellness. I'm just not sure what it is that he's sensitive to in the ingredients. Also, we had him for 1 month on Purina Red Flannel and the itching seem to be a lot better. That dog food has poor quality ingredients such as chicken by product, corn etc.... which doesn't really help me figure anything out. :confused1:

 

Any suggestions? :huh:

[songsparrow]

We switched to Orijen, which is a grain-free brand, and we have been very pleased with it. Our dog used to lick at his paws and bite his nails all the time, which we were told was due to allergies, and that has stopped.

 

We had also tried Blue Buffalo grain-free foods, but I wouldn't recommend that brand. We got a bag that had a strong fishy smell, and I think it had gone rancid; it made our dog sick.

[Pawz4me]

Have you considered that his itchiness might not be food related, that it could be some type of inhalant allergy or a flea bite allergy? Those are statistically much more common than food allergies. And, unfortunately, much harder to control.

[Beth in OH]

Does your dog have dandruff along with the itchiness? I have to supplement our good quality dog food with fish oil capsules to keep my dog's itchiness to a minimum. We are headed into the environmental allergy season, though......

[Jann in TX]

We have German Shepherds--one who is sensitive to grain.

 

We feed either Taste of the Wild (Pacific Stream-- salmon) or 4Health (brand made for and sold by Tractor Supply)-- 4Health is quite a bit cheaper and they both love it. Our female needs minimal ingredients or she will itch/lick and have tummy problems.

 

In the past a few of our German Shepherds have had the itchies due to topical flea/heartworm treatments (they do better on the tablet ones).

 

You can also experiment with a raw diet-- even for short term it can help you determine/isolate any food allergies and your dog will LOVE you for it. (I feed both of ours raw beef bones and my male gets raw chicken thighs a few times a week).

[AlmiraGulch]

We switched to Orijen, which is a grain-free brand, and we have been very pleased with it. Our dog used to lick at his paws and bite his nails all the time, which we were told was due to allergies, and that has stopped.

 

We had also tried Blue Buffalo grain-free foods, but I wouldn't recommend that brand. We got a bag that had a strong fishy smell, and I think it had gone rancid; it made our dog sick.

 

Interesting! We used to use Orijen (grain free) and switched to Petcurean and then to Blue Buffalo Primal, probably the same one you were using. Ours is a bully breed and extremely prone to allergies and skin hot spots. He has done incredibly well with the Blue Buffalo and his extraordinarily offensive gas has improved as well since switching from Orijen and Petcurean. That said, he did well with the other two as well. They're just considerably more expensive than the Blue Buffalo.

 

I'd definitely try eliminating the grain. I also use Omega QD Fish Oil Powder on his food. It's not cheap but it's great for his coat and skin and has made a noticeable difference. He has no hot spots at all anymore, no scratching, no chewing.

[RoughCollie]

I don't know anything about allergies specific to the GSD, but I know some general information because my breed can be allergic to a lot things. Dogs can also develop allergies to things they weren't allergic to in the past. This is why I don't feed my dog wheat -- too many Wheaten Terriers have or develop allergies to it.

 

Look here, and choose a 5-star food, one that is grain, wheat, soy, and corn free: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

 

It is not unusual for some dog breeds (and dogs) to be allergic to chicken and/or beef. I know someone from an online forum whose dog eats only kangaroo meat because he is allergic to everything else, but I think that must be very rare.

 

He may not be itching because of the food, though. Could it be something he lies on or is washed with? A friend of mine has a dog who started itching when she changed laundry detergent and washed his bedding.

 

It could also be from something a family member is feeding him -- not dog food. Or from treats. You can buy treats that have limited ingredients, and the ones from Zuke's are also good, but I read the ingredients first because I'm not real trusting of companies that manufacture foods for dogs. The package of limited ingredient food will say LID on it (limited ingredient diet).

 

Also, depending on your weather, itching can be caused from something in the outdoor environment, including plants and fleas.

 

http://pets.webmd.co...-food-allergies

 

This site was linked at the German Shepherd Dog Club of America's website (http://gsdca.org/ger...nks-of-interest )

 

http://www.dog-healt...kinallergy.html

 

If you have questions specific to the GSD, you can post a question at either of these forums and find plenty of GSD-knowledgeable people who love talking about their dogs: http://www.dogforums...forums.com/

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ .

[Swimtaxi234]

We have given our dogs Flint River Ranch dog food for the past 2.5 years and haven't had any skin problems. We buy the original kibble and alternate it with either the duck/oatmeal or the trout/sweet potato for a little variety.

 

I love that the food arrives just a few days after I place an order online and the price seems to compare well with other organic dog foods.

[MercyA]

My dog has both inhalant and food allergies. We've tried probably dozens of foods, and he does best on Wellness Venison and Sweet Potato canned food. For a big dog like yours, you'd probably want to try a dry version.

 

Good luck!

[Alenee]

We use Costco's Nature's Domain Salmon and Sweet Potato, grain-free, and supplement with fish oil capsules. Our GSD itches from just about any other food except cheese. With this combo, we finally have it under control.

[StephanieZ]

3 out of 4 itchy dogs . . . Have fleas.

 

Even if the owner swears it is impossible.

 

So, try comfortis or trifexis before trying more foods.

[Pawz4me]

3 out of 4 itchy dogs . . . Have fleas.

 

Even if the owner swears it is impossible.

 

So, try comfortis or trifexis before trying more foods.

 

The thing is, and why so many people deny the possibility of flea bite allergy (which is incredibly common, much more so than food allergies) -- It only takes one bite from one flea to cause a dog to be in itchy misery for days or even weeks. I think most people mistakenly believe they have to actually see fleas for there to be a problem. And that's not true at all.

[Ellie]

Innova or Evo (manufactured by the same company). Human-quality ingredients, no fillers.

[Ellie]

Interesting! We used to use Orijen (grain free) and switched to Petcurean and then to Blue Buffalo Primal, probably the same one you were using. Ours is a bully breed and extremely prone to allergies and skin hot spots. He has done incredibly well with the Blue Buffalo and his extraordinarily offensive gas has improved as well since switching from Orijen and Petcurean. That said, he did well with the other two as well. They're just considerably more expensive than the Blue Buffalo.

 

I'd definitely try eliminating the grain. I also use Omega QD Fish Oil Powder on his food. It's not cheap but it's great for his coat and skin and has made a noticeable difference. He has no hot spots at all anymore, no scratching, no chewing.

 

We rescued a French bulldog. :-) His foster mother fed him Blue Buffalo, but I always feed Innova or Evo, so that's what he ate here. Within a few months, I could tell a marked difference in his coat--much smoother, sleeker, softer.

 

In fact, I have noticed this with every dog or cat that comes into our home (cats get Innova/Evo, too). Within a few months their coats are noticeably improved.

[TravelingChris]

My poodle had an allergy to one grass type. It was what grew in our Florida island home. He didn't have any problems with the grass in VA or in AL. But whatever we had in FL, he did have an allergy to and it caused itching.

[Lady Florida.]

We feed our dog Nutro Natural Choice, which we get from Petco. It is corn, wheat, and soy free. We tried everything, including sprays, shampoos, and prednisone. Living in Florida we know all about fleas and flea allergies. We have regular exterminator service plus we give the dog oral flea preventative. Our vet finally told us to try grain free food, and it has made all the difference.

 

Our only problem is we have to constantly take up the cat food because we have no high location for it. I refuse to spend extra money on grain free cat food so the dog can steal it without getting an allergic reaction.

[AlmiraGulch]

 

We rescued a French bulldog. :-) His foster mother fed him Blue Buffalo, but I always feed Innova or Evo, so that's what he ate here. Within a few months, I could tell a marked difference in his coat--much smoother, sleeker, softer.

 

In fact, I have noticed this with every dog or cat that comes into our home (cats get Innova/Evo, too). Within a few months their coats are noticeably improved.

 

 

This is good information. It would be great to not have to use the Omega QD anymore, just because it's a bit expensive. If I ever feel the need to switch his food again I'll probably try one of the ones you mentioned. I've actually fed them both (I had samples from pet fairs) and he did fine, but settled where I settled.

[plansrme]

Dog food snobs can sneer, but my dog's itchiness was cured by adding a tablespoon or so of canola oil to her food every night. I just keep it in a squirt bottle next to her food container. I have had the same result with two different dogs. I also had one itchy from an allergy to leaf mold. Raking helped that one. :blush:

 

Terri

[Flowing Brook]

My sister has two shepherds Havoc and London they both eat Bil jac. Their coats look very shiny. She gets comments all the time about how well taken care of they are. London used to have bad allergy problems. They seem to have gone away since she started using bil jac. One other thing she noticed is they don't shed as much.

[RemsMom]

I feed my dog Taste of the Wild and he still had very dry skin and was always scratching until we added oil to his diet. I get Alaskan salmon oil softgels at Costco and put two on top of his food each meal. It only took a couple of weeks before we noticed a huge difference. No more dandruff and he isn't waking me up at night anymore with all his scratching.