# Picky, scratchy, and itchy--it's my dog not the 7 dwarfs!



## torilovesgsds (Feb 24, 2012)

Hello and before I begin, the insight I've gained on this board is invaluable--so to the posters, readers, administrators, thank you!:hug:

I have a 10 months old boy--he's been with me for about four months. I am having so much difficulty finding a kibble for him and I need some additional insight. 

First, for various reasons, I am sold on kibble. I've done ample research and appreciate the benefits of raw, but it won't work for us. That said, I would like to supplement the drawbacks of dry food the best I can. I am feeding _Orijen now (6 fish formula)_. 

My dog, Fynn, is extremely picky. He'll be ravenous some days and others it's as if he can't stand the food. He will literally walk over to the food, sniff and turn away in boredom. 

Second, he itches (scratches) like a mad man. The vet has prescribed something a little stronger than benadryl--we are on our second hot spot! I'll save my frustration over preventing the hot spots for another thread. 
The vet explained that he's a bit too young to do the allergy testing, so I'm fine with waiting this out, but I need to find a food that he will eat. That will minimize the scratching. 
Here are the foods I've tried:

Nutrisource 
Canidae
Taste of Wild

They have all been the grain-free formula and I've tried to stay away from chicken as the protein source. 

The vet now suggests I try something like Royal Canin. I am not too impressed with the reviews but if others have had success, perhaps I should try? 

So...my question is should I switch again or try to supplement the Orijen with wet food or something to entice him? Also, what to do about the itching??? 
Thank you for any help or direction!


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## GrammaD (Jan 1, 2012)

1000mg of fish oil per 10lbs body weight and up to 1500mg vitamin C per day (you will need to build up to that to avoid loose stools and it is best divided over several small meals) and find a novel protein source L.I.D and stick with it for at least 3 months

check for fleas, seriously check for fleas, never assume, even one flea bite can set off a dog who is sensitive to flea bites

most often allergies are due to atopy (inhaled allergens in the environment) but eliminating food, fleas, and engaging in proper coat care will help you to know that

Heska testing Heska - ALLERCEPT® ? Allergy Testing and Treatment Program: canine, feline, and equine serum IgE testing and immunotherapy for cats and dogs.. was what I resorted to with my Golden after a 3 month elimination diet and it wasn't crazy expensive

if the hot spots are winning the battle ask about an antibiotic/anti-fungal. I think it is worth doing a skin scraping if a dog is doing itself damage. Depending upon that, you might want to try a short round of Vetalog. 

hth 

edited to add with the fish oil add 400iu of vitamin E


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I would go to a limited ingredient fish and potato food. AND I would call a Derm and get his opinion on whether he is to young for testing. Does the itchy seem to come and go with the seasons and different pollens?


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## kam214 (Mar 3, 2012)

I would go to a Limited Ingredient Diet to narrow down a possible food allergy. He may have environmental allergies as well. My girl hs been going through itchies and I am starting to think part of it is food and part is environmental :crazy:

I had her on Orijen LBP for a while...she was an itchy girl. Chewed at her paws a lot, waxy ear goo, no firm stools (I was not over feeding) etc. changed her to Orijen Regional Red and same story as the LBP, all the same itches/issues.

Now she is on Acana Grasslands (lamb based so better for allergy dogs). Her poop is finally perfect, her ears cleared up, but she still was a little more itchy than I'd like to see.

I did not have her on a flea preventative because she is always indoors and when we are outside, no real "flea" areas. HOWEVER, I wanted to rule out even just one flea bite because as one other poster said, if a dog has an allergy to flea bites, even one can send them into a frenzy.

After some more research, I decided to try her on Comfortis just to see if it made an improvement. She has improved markedly on the Comfortis even though I never saw one flea on her or in the house anywhere and I am meticulous about that stuff. So it's a weird coincidence or she may have had a flea bite/fleas that made her itchy.

I also started wiping down her paws, legs after we go for walks or play fetch in case she has a grass allergy. She still has been itching her paws a bit.

I bought salmon oil to start mixing in her Grasslands but once the Grasslands is gone, I am going to try her on Acana Lamb and Apple LID and the salmon oil.

Having a dog with itchies is such trial and error, good luck! Oh, and I would definitely NOT switch to Royal Canin. A lot of vets sell it so they try to promote it. I have discovered that almost all vets know next to nothing about dog nutrition unfortunately. As far as trying to entice him to eat, if he does not eat his food within 15 minutes take it away until his next meal. He will eat when he is hungry and he needs to learn that he eats on your schedule, not his. He will learn that if he turns his nose up at breakfast, he gets nothing until dinner. Do you feed twice a day?


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## kam214 (Mar 3, 2012)

ETA:
Concerning him turning his nose up at food sometimes...is it possible you are over feeding? When I first got Sasha, I fed her the amount recommended on the bag. Sometimes, she would not want her breakfast...totally not interested. Turns out, I was feeding too much for her particular needs. Once I cut back her food, she has never ever said no to a meal!


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