Allergic to everything- how to start from beginning?

Hello everyone, asking question on behalf of my friend. Her staffy is on raw for about six months and there was not a day when he isn't scratching. They even put him on steroids cause it was really bad. They know for sure he can't have chicken and beef products. Now he's on rabbit and they've added salmon and he's scratching again. They are very close to give up and put him back on dry. Please advise, what they should do now how to go back to the beginning and what protein to start with? And if they decide to go back to dry what would be the best brand?

vets can do allergy tests, but i don't know how accurate they are.

what sort of raw diet are they following? Are they giving any additives such as oils etc?

They are feeding daf, they add coconut oil, tried salmon oil but he won't touch it. They've downside to rabbit only at the moment. He was fine for a while, but he's back to scratching.

This is a tough one to crack, is it cereals or meats!? In this case I think there isn't a solution as in dry v wet/raw more a case of eliminating the cause.

I would get an allergy test done at the vets.

Thank you,will pass the info. They really want to stay on raw, they can see benefits, apart from the allergies.

jola139 wrote:They are feeding daf, they add coconut oil, tried salmon oil but he won't touch it. They've downside to rabbit only at the moment. He was fine for a while, but he's back to scratching.

No, I mean is it a prey model raw diet or a barf diet?

If it's a 'complete' mince, then it's barf.

It's barf then

she might want to try the prey model, then. Some dogs just don't get on with the fruit & veg added to the mix.

there are raw feeding sites on the internet - especially fb that might be able to help.

There are also outside factors to look at..what colour is the dog? How often is it bathed, is it in contact with grass often or hay etc? is its bedding washed often?

Hi Lexi, so he's blue, they do wash him quite often, cause he got to the point where he got a yeast infections and smells he does have a contact with a grass and the bedding is washed regularly.

I would be guessing that the problem is not just feed related (if at all ?) but related to his environment as a whole.

Blues do have the reputation of being prone to skin issues. Regular washing is never a good idea but it should be based on the balance of treatment and letting nature balance out the rest. Continuously stripping the coat of it’s natural oils will make it more fragile to exterior elements.

Also look at washing powders used to wash bedding. Trying the (human) baby sensitive range can sometimes help, also try without softener.

Yes, blues are more prone to skin issues Colour Dilution Alopaecia for example. But it could also, as Nifty says, be due to outside causes such as washing detergent, air fresheners etc.

Tell them not to wash him unless it's part of a veterinary procedure. Also, try massaging some almond oil or coconut oil into the skin twice a day. Almond oil is less greasy & you can get the non scented oil from most health shops - it's widely used as a 'carrier' oil for essential oils.