brileythebully
New member
I need help figuring out if this is a coincidence, or if these skin issues are related.
I'll back track a bit. I got my bully when he was around 4 months old and I used to work at a small pet store specializing in pet nutrition (allergies, only grain free food, etc.) so I was very educated in this and thought finding the perfect food would be no problem, or so I thought. While working there I saw it all, everything that allergies cause, the effect, saw successes, saw both extreme and mild cases, etc. I was able to help all of those people with no problems, so I figured finding the right food would be a breeze! Well, I was wrong.. IT WAS NOT EASY AT ALL!!! When I got him he was on IAMS, which was a huge red flag for me. I tried finding a grain free puppy formula with no chicken because it is the most common protein source allergy. Failed attempt after failed attempt, pet store after pet store, I gave in on Blue Buffalo Longevity, the fish formula. It is not grain free, but doesn't have a lot of grain and planned on switching when he was a few months older. He did horrible, so I couldn't wait any longer. My parents dogs took extremely well to TOTW so I figured why not switch to something I've actually seen work, and I ignored the fact that it had some chicken. I switched to the newest TOTW, which I believe is the beef formula, and I wasn't very pleased with it but it was an improvement. I then switched to Merrick Duck and Potato because the ingredients were pretty limited and I know this is good for bully's sensitive digestion system. This was probably the worst of them all, I think the potato didn't agree with him. I felt bad that I kept switching his foods in such a short period of time so I decided to go back to the TOTW, this time the bison and venison formula, because he had already been on TOTW and it showed the best results. My plan was to switch to this until he was old enough to switch to an adult food (so many more options in adult food). A few weeks or month ago I decided he could finally be on an adult food and switched him to Wellness Core Ocean. I thought this would be the absolute best option, I researched many foods so I knew exactly what to go to when I could switch to adult. I picked it because it had good protein and fat, it was very limited ingredients, it was a fish based food for a healthy coat, it has good levels of glucosamine and chondroitin, and some other factors contributed as well. I really liked everything about this food, and thought it would be my best option. Made the switch, and FINALLY something was going good. Tear stains gone, his stool was the best its ever been, shedding reduced a bit, and he just seemed happier. I made this switch in the middle of visiting my family over Christmas break (was there for a month) and as soon as we got back home, things started to go downhill. During my visit I noticed his paw was really red, and I can't remember if I noticed this before or after this switch, but I figured it was because of the ground at the dog park (many dogs paws get very irritated because of the gravel/small rock like substances on the ground) and I thought it would go away in a couple weeks. He was loosing hair like nobody's business when we got back home, but I associated it with the stress of being at my parents and coming back home right as he got settled in. A few days ago I noticed some irritation in his facial wrinkles and knew he needed medicated wipes or antibiotics if it was a yeast problem or infection so off to the vet we went. The vet said it was skin fold dermatitis and gave us some medicated wipes, that seem to be clearing up his facial folds. Since then I've been watching his skin more than usual, and his chest and between his hind legs seem to be red, and he is itching frequently, and I actually caught him gnawing on his paw! I'm so confused, and don't know if these symptoms are food allergy related, or another symptom of the dermatitis. When we came home from the vet, I also started him on some flavored treat like supplements of omega 3 and 6, a salmon treat, and coconut oil in his food (been giving these items daily since the vet trip) so I could help the dermatitis and help prevent any future problems. I gave him a bath last night incase the skin irritations on his body were due to something we encountered on a trail walk, or at the dog park. I didn't notice anything better this morning.
I'm sorry this was so long, just wanted to get all the info out there.
To sum it all up, my question is are these skin issues related to a food allergy? A symptom of the dermatitis? A coincidence?
Thank you in advance for any advice, and to those who read this!
I'll back track a bit. I got my bully when he was around 4 months old and I used to work at a small pet store specializing in pet nutrition (allergies, only grain free food, etc.) so I was very educated in this and thought finding the perfect food would be no problem, or so I thought. While working there I saw it all, everything that allergies cause, the effect, saw successes, saw both extreme and mild cases, etc. I was able to help all of those people with no problems, so I figured finding the right food would be a breeze! Well, I was wrong.. IT WAS NOT EASY AT ALL!!! When I got him he was on IAMS, which was a huge red flag for me. I tried finding a grain free puppy formula with no chicken because it is the most common protein source allergy. Failed attempt after failed attempt, pet store after pet store, I gave in on Blue Buffalo Longevity, the fish formula. It is not grain free, but doesn't have a lot of grain and planned on switching when he was a few months older. He did horrible, so I couldn't wait any longer. My parents dogs took extremely well to TOTW so I figured why not switch to something I've actually seen work, and I ignored the fact that it had some chicken. I switched to the newest TOTW, which I believe is the beef formula, and I wasn't very pleased with it but it was an improvement. I then switched to Merrick Duck and Potato because the ingredients were pretty limited and I know this is good for bully's sensitive digestion system. This was probably the worst of them all, I think the potato didn't agree with him. I felt bad that I kept switching his foods in such a short period of time so I decided to go back to the TOTW, this time the bison and venison formula, because he had already been on TOTW and it showed the best results. My plan was to switch to this until he was old enough to switch to an adult food (so many more options in adult food). A few weeks or month ago I decided he could finally be on an adult food and switched him to Wellness Core Ocean. I thought this would be the absolute best option, I researched many foods so I knew exactly what to go to when I could switch to adult. I picked it because it had good protein and fat, it was very limited ingredients, it was a fish based food for a healthy coat, it has good levels of glucosamine and chondroitin, and some other factors contributed as well. I really liked everything about this food, and thought it would be my best option. Made the switch, and FINALLY something was going good. Tear stains gone, his stool was the best its ever been, shedding reduced a bit, and he just seemed happier. I made this switch in the middle of visiting my family over Christmas break (was there for a month) and as soon as we got back home, things started to go downhill. During my visit I noticed his paw was really red, and I can't remember if I noticed this before or after this switch, but I figured it was because of the ground at the dog park (many dogs paws get very irritated because of the gravel/small rock like substances on the ground) and I thought it would go away in a couple weeks. He was loosing hair like nobody's business when we got back home, but I associated it with the stress of being at my parents and coming back home right as he got settled in. A few days ago I noticed some irritation in his facial wrinkles and knew he needed medicated wipes or antibiotics if it was a yeast problem or infection so off to the vet we went. The vet said it was skin fold dermatitis and gave us some medicated wipes, that seem to be clearing up his facial folds. Since then I've been watching his skin more than usual, and his chest and between his hind legs seem to be red, and he is itching frequently, and I actually caught him gnawing on his paw! I'm so confused, and don't know if these symptoms are food allergy related, or another symptom of the dermatitis. When we came home from the vet, I also started him on some flavored treat like supplements of omega 3 and 6, a salmon treat, and coconut oil in his food (been giving these items daily since the vet trip) so I could help the dermatitis and help prevent any future problems. I gave him a bath last night incase the skin irritations on his body were due to something we encountered on a trail walk, or at the dog park. I didn't notice anything better this morning.
I'm sorry this was so long, just wanted to get all the info out there.
To sum it all up, my question is are these skin issues related to a food allergy? A symptom of the dermatitis? A coincidence?
Thank you in advance for any advice, and to those who read this!
