[PureMutt]

She's been scratching more than often. And has developed those black dirt like spots on her belku. They're not flea poops. Did the check for the that.

 

[Gally]

Sorry, what's a belku? My only thoughts are fleas or mites.

 

[Amaryllis]

Belku is probably what his "smart"phone did to belly. The scratching could be a sign of allergy. What food do you have her on? Did you switch it recently? Has she been bathed recently?

 

[PureMutt]

Bathed yes. On orijen originally. Putting her on California natural salmon and peas.

 

[Zoey's Mommy]

Some dogs can have allergies associated with the protein source and corn products. They tend to develop allergies to the more common protein sources, so Salmon is a good direction to go in. There's also Venison, Duck (kinda greasy), and even Kangaroo!

As far as getting away from corn, some foods use rice.

Whatever you do, stay away from Nature's Recipe or anything made by Heinz. I don't like the way they handle their foods from the plant to the retailer.

Hills, Eukanuba, and Purina all have very good handling policies and great prescription diets.

 

[AKDogTrainer12]

I have to disagree with the Hills, Eukanuba and Purina. Look at the Ingredients, lot of fillers and corn.
Go with the Cal Natural. See how it does for her.

 

[AConklin03]

I also have to disagree with the hills, eukanuba and purina recommendations..their food contains many fillers, little actual meat, lots of common allergens, and is just not a well balanced diet.

My dog scratches when on corn. I don't believe orijen has that though..so maybe she just needs a different protein source. If the salmon doesn't do it you could try lamb and rice. If that still does not fix it maybe try a grain free brand.

 

[Sangaris]

Two good foods that are grain free are Natural Balance and Taste of the Wild. Chicken is a common allergen and both have chicken free formulas.

 

[KaywinnitLee]

I just started my dog on Nutrisca by Dogswell...the chicken formula, because I found out she is allergic to potatoes. So far so good...it's also very low on the glycemic index

 

[Zoey's Mommy]

I also have to disagree with the hills, eukanuba and purina recommendations..their food contains many fillers, little actual meat, lots of common allergens, and is just not a well balanced diet.

My dog scratches when on corn. I don't believe orijen has that though..so maybe she just needs a different protein source. If the salmon doesn't do it you could try lamb and rice. If that still does not fix it maybe try a grain free brand.

I said "handling." After years in the vet pharm industry, I have some anecdotal knowledge about how the food is handled, ie sanitary. Hills, Purina, and Eukanuba transport their food in their own trucks. They do not ship their product in trucks used to transport other items, that could have had something bug infested in it in the last shipment. So even if there is fillers, at least it's corn and not bugs.

 

[LilasMom]

Bugs are probably more nutritious than corn lol

Just teasing, but in all seriousness, corn is not the only problem with Purina, Eukanuba, and Hills.

 

[dustinshaw98]

She's been scratching more than often. And has developed those black dirt like spots on her belku. They're not flea poops. Did the check for the that.

Can you try using flea soaps or shampoo? Nothing that needs ingesting though.

 

[PureMutt]

I've heard good things on Orijen 6 fish for dogs with allergies. I'm going to try that. She's been on Raw for a bit now with no change. It's too bad. Chicken and beef are the least expensive protein sources. I cannot afford the novel raw sources like duck rabbit ostrich kangaroo etc. So I'll have to try a higher quality dry kibble to see if I can manage her allergies. This is a very frustrating task...

 

[Kathyy]

It can take a good long while for allergic symptoms to settle down if they are due to food, give your tries at least 6 weeks or so.

Most allergies are environmental unfortunately and diet changes are unlikely to help much. My vet gave me a list of antihistamines and doses I went through but none worked for Sassy. Keep the bedding clean and wash everything with unscented detergents, dust often and rinse her off often to remove any allergens.

Sassy had flea allergy, in the 16 years I had her I probably only saw a couple dozen fleas total as they bite and jump off. The vet usually could find flea poop but not always even that. If I kept her on flea drops the itching was better for years but I ended up putting her on a tiny dose of TemerilP to control the itching for her last year. I do wonder if the high fat content of raw would have helped keep her itchy dry skin at least less dry. I know when I am having allergic symptoms a shower and slathering skin with moisturizers really helps the itchies.