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My Doberman has itchy skin. What food and remedies can help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Doberman Pinscher | Male | unneutered | 4 years old | 115 lbs

I have a pure doberman pinscher and he has sensitive skin. When he gets itchy he bites until he is raw and bleeding. What is a good food for this condition?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 10th, 2017

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You can try switching Helios to a diet made for sensitive skin. Hills Science Diet makes a good one. Just switching to a grain free dog food will not cut it. If the Sensitive Skin Diet does not help, then I like one of the salmon based limited ingredient diets. Next, make sure you are using a good flea product on a very regular basis. Frontline Gold, Bravecto, Comfortis, or Nexgard I feel are the best out there. Start Helios on a fish oil capsule, human or dog quality. I would give him about between 1000-1200 mg twice a day. You can bathe him in a very mild oatmeal shampoo, using cool water. You can bathe him twice a week if it helps. If none of these seem to help, talk to your vet about the two newest & greatest allergy medications available to dogs now - Apoquel & Cytopoint.. I hope Helios finds some good relief soon. Take care.

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    Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    If Helios was previously diagnosed with food allergies, then the veterinarian should have a list of certain ingredients to avoid in the food. You would have to know that information first and then search for the correct food in the pet store. If he was not diagnosed (by a veterinarian) with food allergies, then I would not worry about switching the food at this time, because food allergies that cause itchy skin is quite rare. Food allergies are due to certain proteins and they are usually animal proteins (beef, pork, dairy, etc.). To find the actual protein Helios is allergic to, you must have done an elimination trial. If there was not an elimination trial done, then you would be only guessing at the source of the allergies. One way I often bypass the elimination trial is by recommending a hydrolysed protein diet such as Hill's i/d. In these diets, the proteins are broken down, so there is minimal chance of them causing an allergy. This would have to be prescribed by a veterinarian though. Itchy skin is often due to the following things: 1) Allergies - this can happen suddenly and is usually due to an environmental (i.e pollen) cause. 2) External parasites - fleas, lice and mites can all cause intense itching. It's good to check him for fleas and get treatment if needed. 3) Over-bathing, or using the wrong product for bathing - Bathing too often can cause the skin to get dry and irritated. Dogs should normally be bathed no more than once a month with a shampoo that is labeled for dogs. If you bathe more than that, or use a shampoo or soap that is meant for people, then you could be damaging the normal protective barrier of the skin. One thing you can do for itchy skin, is give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo. You can get these shampoos at the pet store. I hope this helps you to identify the problem. If not, then it would be worth taking him to the vet. We can usually discover the cause quickly and provide the most effective treatment.

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