We also have changed one of ours with these problems to raw diet.
A supplier prepared complete mince with eggs fish and fruit. Hes never looked and been so well.

Thalice's exclusion diet:

The theory is that you feed a novel source of protein and a novel source of carbohydrates - this is quite difficult to do.

At the time we started my bitch was so ill she had stopped eating, so it also had to be something tasty. We were on the verge of having her PTS.

I started with pasta, tossed it in a little extra virgin olive oil. mashed in one pilchard and a few mixed veggies and started by hand feeding her high up (to improve her status) on the grooming table.

As for amounts, I would say it was 95 percent pasta. and the volume depends on the size and activity levels of your dogs. This diet helped clear up her skin, gave her a fabulously glossy coat, with a nice covering over her body in about 6/8 weeks.

You dont have to do pasta/pilchards. How about boiled rice and white fish plus veggies, but the fat content here is not very high - perhaps add Yumega or consider one of these exotic oils people put on their salads !

These foods will keep 2/3 days in the fridge so you dont have to spend all your time cooking !

This way you know exactly what you are putting in your dog.

I also think that raw feeding is a good idea, however my lifestyle at the moment doesnt allow for it, but well worth looking into.

Thalices Mum

Hello Vodkalass,
Not sure if we are permitted to put suppliers of raw food diets one here but we use one of the main suppliers. Would rther use a supplier who adds fruit, veg, egg etc and wondered if you would be kind enough to let me know who you use? We use a supplier with the initials P C and add our own fruit and veg etc. Thank you!

Give Orijen a try - did wonders for my itchy dog. I do feed raw as well but like the convenience of the kibble. People complain it's expensive but you feed a lot less compared with other kibbles.

I'd feed your dog boiled chicken and rice to see if it eases the symptoms.

If not i've found fish based foods good for itchy dogs

I would not bother with any of the foods you vet has recommended,not just because they all test on animals but because they are all full of crap.

I would go for a grain free diet,like orijen,acana,fish4dogs,arden grange sensitive,simpsons premium sensitive etc. For one because they are great foods but mainly because they are all grain free and grains are a major source of allergies,and skin problems.

I think it would be best to go with one that has a new protein source,if you havn't fed it before i would go with a fish flavour over chicken or lamb.
Foods which use only fish as a protein source include
-Acana pacifica
-fish4dogs
-Orijen 6 fish
-simpsons premium sensitive salmon

and there are more but it takes some looking
If you wanted something totally new,well it is to most dogs,you could try duck. Bob and lush do a duck flavour dry food,which is grain free too.

Wainwrights,wafcol,ziwipeak, and arden grange also do grain free varieties.

I have had a dog with severe adverse reactions to proteins - only meat based proteins not grains, he was fed raw and I switched to a kibble based but with the o/p I would say your dogs problems sound airborne especialy with the itchy eyes not food related

Thanks again for the responses.

I've decided to go with fish4dogs and if this doesn't work then to totally rule out a food allergy I will try an exclusion diet.

I'm building a greater interest in the raw food diet though - can anyone recommend a good book?

Whiteadder is just up the back of where we lived a couple of years ago - it's a lovely part of the country.

I would seriously get your vet to test an outdoor panel on your dog it realy does sound environmental not food related at all, food allergies do not affect the eyes, skin only and from the inside out

Moobli, just read this (ref steroids treatment) Jeager was given PREDNIDALE, and i have just posted on another thread (FOOD ALLERGY----) please be careful how much water he drinks. i am absolutely positve, that this had something to do with Jeagers torsion!! please be careful to control the drinking.