4 Yr Old German Sheppard Salmon & Pea Dry Food

by T
(Newark, Ohio)

Our 4 yr old German Sheppard is digging and itching A LOT everywhere. No sores, and not on the pads of his feet, just very dry skin under the fur.

We have him on Pure Balance Salmon and Pea formula.

I've tried different allergy medicines, changed out his bedding and am unable to identify the allergen.

Should I switch his food to a different brand or main ingredient?

I have tried over the counter allergy meds and prednisone, but nothing is stopping the itching.

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Feb 15, 2020
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About Your German Shepherd's Itching
by: Sandra

Hi T,

Thanks for getting in touch.

It would be impossible really, to identify the allergen without actually doing allergy testing and your dog's itching problem is not bad enough at this point, to warrant that kind of expense. Fortunately, you're still at the dry skin stage.

Although you've tried switching foods, using OTC allergy meds, and even the horrible steroid drug prednisone, none of those things are actually getting to the root of your dog's problem...which is immune system function.

So, in my opinion that's where your focus should be.

So, then you have to ask yourself this question..." Why would my dog's immune system be over reacting to something? "

Is it a protein in food, the environment or something else?

If you've switched food and changed protein sources, it's probably not that!

If you've changed bedding and made sure his environment is clean, it's probably not that!

So what else could be stimulating his immune response?

The first thing I would point too is...vaccines!

Vaccines are meant to stimulate your dog's immune system to respond to specific disease pathogens. But how do you know that over stimulation won't prompt an immune response to some other harmless thing??? You don't!

When was your dog last vaccinated? How long has your dog had the itching problem? Try to think about how the onset of the itching relates to when your dog was vaccinated over the course of his young 4 years?

What can you do about this?

Well, the obvious answer is ...don't do anymore vaccinating. Do titer testing instead. That will tell you if your dog is protected with antibodies against the disease pathogens. My guess is that your dog has more than enough antibodies for the rest of his life!

What else can you do to help?

Add some fresh food to your dog's diet...maybe an egg a couple of times a week, a tablespoon of coconut oil a few times a week, maybe a can of water packed sardines as a source of protein, minerals and omega 3 fatty acids, maybe a bit of finely chopped leafy green vegetables or herbs such as spinach or parsley, will add lots of vitamins, minerals and phyto nutrients that aren't included in your dog's deficient dry food.

These are simple and inexpensive things that everyone can do to boost the nutrient profile of dog food.

So, my point here is that rather than try to get rid of your dog's symptom ( itching ) with OTC meds and drugs, get to the root of the problem instead.

I'm betting on vaccines being the root source of your dog's health issues. Of course, your vet won't agree...but there it is!

I wish you and your lovely GSD all the best,

Sandra

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