Why is my 8-month puppy still scratching his chest after diet change?

Question

Please help me, I have an 8 month puppy, that has been scratching non stop, making the area really red and bruised. Mainly his chest is affected. They don't test for food allergy in my country unfortunately, so I had to do an elimination diet test. Which showed that chicken was the cause. But I removed chicken from his diet and still no improvement. At about 3 months old he had an ear infection, I have treated him for mange before because he had hair loss and flaky skin on his back. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 7 months and 23 days old | 6 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry that you are dealing with allergies. It can still be food allergies though other possibilities should be considered. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Why is my 8-month puppy still scratching his chest after diet change?

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