Food Allergies...

[harvey]

Dear bulldog family. Please help me. My younger 1 1/2 year old bulldog has been itchy and biting his paws for over a week now. I believe it is a food allergy, but I just don't know. Both bullies are on Wellness Limited Ingredient Turkey and Sweet Potato. However, while grain and soy free, they eat an assortment of treats, such as Paul Newman's Chicken treats and other natural treats with beef and lamb flavors.

I have a couple of questions. Should the treat I give my dog be the same protein as in his main kibble. In other words, if my dog's main protein is turkey, should his treat be turkey? And what other kinds of grain and wheat free dog food would you all recommend. I've tried Natural Balance once before on the older dog, but went to the limited ingredient one last year. Any help and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.
Patty

 

[2BullyMama]

Hi Patty.... Cut out the treats all together until you know what the allergy is.... Use your kibble for treats and see if there is any change. Allergies can begin to surface at around 18 - 24 months so it is possible he can be allergic to the food, but process of elimination is a good way to start.

 

[ddnene]

I switched Winston to Fromms... I've been happy w/the results, no more red paws, chin, or folds. Food is definitely a trial & error thing, each bully is different...

 

[Davidh]

I would stop the treats too until you find out if that is the problem. You should know in a week or two if the treats are the problem. We give ours (Fruitables) for treats. You can find them at certain pet food stores or Petflow.

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

Hi! I agree with the others..no treats..especially anything with chicken..it's often a problem for Bully's. I'm going to get [MENTION=2291]cowsmom[/MENTION] here..she can help with food questions. Is he on Benadryl or anything for Enviromental allergies?

 

[KMARINO]

As everyone has already said, I would cut out the treats too. You can give 1 Benadryl per 25 lbs. Vegas weighs 57 lbs. so he can have two twice a day. It does help with his licking and itching. For snacks he only gets fresh fruits and veggies. But I would wait and see a couple of weeks once you cut out all treats.

 

[cali baker]

Great advice already given, but just wanted to say that I can empathize with you. Finn who's over two years old now has been showing more signs of being allergic to something too--lots of licking paws, rubbing his face on the rugs. I've gone thru my share of kibble with the latest being Nature's Variety Instinct Limited Ingredient (Lamb is the protein here), and currently Fromm Pork and Pea's which is grain free. Currently i'm transitioning him to home cooked meals to see if that will help. Also giving him some coconut oil into the food and rubbing it on his coat.

 

[Dana F]

I have a question about this. If it was a food allergy wouldn't his whole body be itching? Not just his feet? Stinky licks his feet a lot after going outside in the early morning or late at night. I wash his paws off with baby wipes. It seems to help. He also likes to chew on his toe nails..even thou they are cut short.

 

[Jennifer Clark]

I stopped giving Sheldon store bought treats and make all his treats simply because I then KNOW what he is getting. I am going to buy a dehydrator too so I can make him pet friendly jerky treats. I also give him an assortment of fresh fruit and vegetables, mainly because that is what my kids eat for snacks and this way I don't have to worry when they share with Sheldon. Win/Win situations for me.:D

 

[bullmama]

I have a question about this. If it was a food allergy wouldn't his whole body be itching? Not just his feet? Stinky licks his feet a lot after going outside in the early morning or late at night. I wash his paws off with baby wipes. It seems to help. He also likes to chew on his toe nails..even thou they are cut short.

That's a great question actually! Because bulldogs can't reach a lot of itchy places, they will lick their paws to relieve the itch they cannot get to. For example, Jesse started digging into her paws for a few days. This is not something she normally does. Kept checking her paws but saw nothing there. Then about after 4 days she got an interdigital cyst! It was our very first one.

So I decided to give her a full inspection, and clean all her folds. Low and behold I found a red sore spot in her girlie bit fold. Since she can't reach her vulva she was licking her paws to relieve the itch. Put some medicine on her vulva and she stopped licking her paws.


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[cowsmom]

well a bully or any dog will as she said lick their paws when something bothers them and they can fix it themselves. you could try a different food and if nothing changes its not that. also this time of year fleas can be a problem. give you dog a once over and see if you find any irritated places such as nose rope, ears, booty, feet. i would cut out the treats first before i go changing foods and if no change and you cant find anything else wrong then you can try fromm pork n peas or natures variety instinct has several limited ingredients foods. lets do this one step at a time though and if you need food help im around

 

[harvey]

Thank you soooooooooooo much! I will cut out the treats.

 

[harvey]

Thank you soooo much.

 

[harvey]

Thank you-)))

 

[harvey]

He has a bad reaction to Benadryl. I really think this is a food allergy. I will keep you posted--thank you for responding.