Labrador Retriever Constantly Scratching Belly and Paws: Food Allergy?

Peter, you’ve got it in one. Although there are quite a lot of things out there that can cause itchy skin and allergies in dogs, the timing of Max’s scratching makes me VERY suspicious that food is the culprit. Chicken is probably the most common type of protein used in pet food, and it is also the most common source of food allergies in dogs. What is often misleading is that dogs can develop an allergy to a type of food they’ve been eating all their lives, so it’s not always as obvious as coinciding with a change in diet. Now, it is possible, however unlikely, that the change in food is a red herring, and Max is actually reacting to something else, so we don’t want to completely ignore other causes of itchy skin. Changes in the season, changes in laundry detergent, parasites, infection, or other environmental factors can all trigger an episode of itchy skin, so it’s best to take note of any other changes that could have set this off. For now, I would recommend getting Max back onto his usual food, and avoid anything containing chicken for the foreseeable future. Yes, it is possible that it’s the sweet potato, not the chicken that’s the culprit here, but this would be very unlikely. Be aware that lots of dog foods contain chicken in trace amounts, even if it’s not listed on the front of the pack, so make sure you check the ingredients list when choosing your food. Some dogs, once a food allergy has emerged, can show sensitivity to other ingredients too, so there is a small chance that Max may also be itchy on the old lamb diet. If that happens, I would advise moving him onto a novel protein diet, using a meat type that he hasn’t encountered before. I’ll include some more information about this at the bottom of my reply. If the itching doesn’t resolve, or if you’d like to discuss this a little further, you can always jump onto Pangovet.com to make an appointment with one of our vets. I hope that clears things up, and that Max’s skin will settle down soon. Dr Karyn https://www.dogster.com/dog-health-care/elimination-diet-for-dogs https://www.dogster.com/ask-the-vet/food-allergies-in-dogs https://www.dogster.com/dog-health-care/why-is-my-dog-itching-all-of-a-sudden