Hello everyone!
Otis has been eating Fromm four star for a few months now, and he seemed to be doing well on it. He has tried the chicken, and pork formula and had improvements in his bowels (i.e. not as smelly or as often). I was told the foods were interchangeable, so for the past few weeks he has been eating the duck formula. Otis has always had very watery eyes and bad tear stains since he was a puppy (he's now 1 year old), but about two weeks ago I noticed his foot looked swollen. I brought him to the vet (he was getting his stitches out after being neutered) and the vet said that this swelling between the toes could be due to a food allergy and is common in some dog breeds. Otis was put on allergy medication for 10 days. The foot swelling went down, but he seems to be itching at his face more, and has been licking the inside of his front legs a lot (the watery eyes remained the same). He has licked his paws and legs for sometime now, but it seems to be getting worse.
Does this sound like a food allergy? If so could it be the duck formula or the whole food line? My vet says getting a blood test for allergies is controversial by some vets, and the best thing would be to put him on a hypoallergenic food for about 3 months and then slowly add ingredients to his food slowly (very time consuming, and he doesn't think that is necessary yet). I am a first time bully owner and I don't want Otis to feel uncomfortable or have his immune system compromised because I'm feeding him food that doesn't agree with him! Any suggestions are appreciated!! Thanks :D
Otis has been eating Fromm four star for a few months now, and he seemed to be doing well on it. He has tried the chicken, and pork formula and had improvements in his bowels (i.e. not as smelly or as often). I was told the foods were interchangeable, so for the past few weeks he has been eating the duck formula. Otis has always had very watery eyes and bad tear stains since he was a puppy (he's now 1 year old), but about two weeks ago I noticed his foot looked swollen. I brought him to the vet (he was getting his stitches out after being neutered) and the vet said that this swelling between the toes could be due to a food allergy and is common in some dog breeds. Otis was put on allergy medication for 10 days. The foot swelling went down, but he seems to be itching at his face more, and has been licking the inside of his front legs a lot (the watery eyes remained the same). He has licked his paws and legs for sometime now, but it seems to be getting worse.
Does this sound like a food allergy? If so could it be the duck formula or the whole food line? My vet says getting a blood test for allergies is controversial by some vets, and the best thing would be to put him on a hypoallergenic food for about 3 months and then slowly add ingredients to his food slowly (very time consuming, and he doesn't think that is necessary yet). I am a first time bully owner and I don't want Otis to feel uncomfortable or have his immune system compromised because I'm feeding him food that doesn't agree with him! Any suggestions are appreciated!! Thanks :D