Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

Dog paw licking & allergies: What food should my Rottweiler eat?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Rottweiler | Male | neutered | 92 lbs

Hi there! I have a 4 year old rotti and he licks his paws alot....maybe allergy.I was going to change his diet from canadae chicken to something else but I don't know what. Was thinking a chicken free; grain free diet. What would u suggest?

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

Veterinarian

Published on October 6th, 2018

There are many possible causes for allergies, food sensitivities is definitely possible but there could be many other options. In order to rule this in or out, a 6-8weeks trial on a hydrolysed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic or hills z/d is recommended - if improvement is noted then food is a likely trigger, if not then further investigation is required. If food is the trigger for her itching it can be a slow process of gradually reintroducing ingredients to see which cause flare ups or to find a suitable diet which suits her

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Stephanie Echols, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 15th, 2019

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The diet change probably won’t help because if the allergies come and go it is likely environmental. Food allergies last all year long. Also, homemade diets require more than protein and vegetables. You need carbohydrates and vitamins and minerals- dogs have different diet requirements than we do. Dogs can be allergic to anything in their environment- fleas, pollens, weeds, trees, grasses and even dust. I recommend taking Isabella to a vet to make sure she hasn’t caused an infection that needs to be treated and then you can discuss how to test for and manage her allergies. Kisses to Isabella!

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a male dog of 15 months old, mixed breed. He got rashes at ass, legs. He licks them. What should i feed him.
This is not automatically related to food. this can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. the first 4 needs to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea him with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take him to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with anti histamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi my dogs keeps on licking his paws and i know that excessive licking is not a good thing..I'm just wondering maybe because of of his food (?? But not 100% sure) . He is currently taking Performatrin brand of food and thinking to switch over to Roya
Switching his food will only help if this is a case of food allergy, but this is only one possibility among many other causes of allergies. changing his food without knowing if he has food allergy and to what ingredient exactly is a very long shot, but you can try an hypoallergenic diet if you want and see if it helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Why is my pug constantly chewing on her back feet? She wakes me up at night trying to get to them. I've used sulfur and canola oil mixed up which helps but makes a mess. She eats grilled chicken which supplements her dry food. Could it be the chicken
Dietary sensitivities often do cause itchy feet and/or ears and a 8 week food trial on a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin hypoallergenic (dry and wet) or hills z/d would investigate this - these must be fed exclusively with no treats or flavored tablets and only water to drink for the 8 weeks in order to evaluate
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Eats core wellness grain free ocean formula because of unknown allergy (licks her paws all the time). Finished a 26 lbs bag already but zero difference. Also taking vetriscience derma strength for few months now. Prefer supplements (chews) that med
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! Unfortunately, Nikki's itching is more likely to be related to environmental allergies than food allergies. Environmental allergies are usually to things like grass, pollen, trees, etc - all the same stuff humans are allergic to. And these allergies can appear at any age. If benedryl helps, it is considered quite safe to use long term for most dogs (talk with your vet first). If you are trying to avoid medicaitons and side effects, talk with your vet about the cytopoint injection. It is not a medication or drug- it is actually just a protein that blocks the itch receptor and is considered very safe. It lasts 1-2 months in most dogs. If it works for Nikki, it also shows that her allergies are environmental in nature (that shot does not work well for food allergies). There are also many great sprays, mousses, and foot soaks that may help - talk to your vet about these options. Getting back to the food situation, if you have any concerns about the safety
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My almost two year old yellow Labrador Retriever has itchy Paws and also an ongoing rash around her vagina and pee area pink irritated smaller lesions some have tiny amounts of white pus I've treated her with rinses that are for fungal infections try
This does indeed look like an allergy - blood tests and an 8 week diet trial on a hydrolyzed diet such as royal canin anallergenic are the best way to determine exactly what may be triggering her symptoms - foods, dust mites and pollens are all common factors
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have 1.5 years rottweiler.he is suffering from excessive dandruff skin itching.ear infection every six months. And bumps around his mouth which seems like pimple and it's not healing.it burst and bleeding occurs.from 2 days he's drooling and havin
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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 rewardi
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I haven’t realized that my dog has been licking her paws more than usual until today. She’s a white fur jindo mix and her paws are getting red. She has been eating Royal Canin food for a while now. I live in Montreal Canada and its allergy season. I
Poor Nahla, those feet do indeed look very itchy! Allergies are by far the most common cause but I would recommend a full vet check to rule out any bacterial, fungal or mite infections which can occur alone or in combination with allergies and increase the discomfort. I recommend an 8 weeks diet trial with royal canin hypoallergenic food to rule out food sensitivities; if full resolution is not achieved then I would transition to royal canin skin care which is additionally supplemented with natural antiinflammatories to help sooth allergy damaged skin. Prescription medications may also be required to break the itch scratch cycle and treat any additional infections which may be present in the damaged skin
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
hey! so for the past few weeks fonzi has been licking and nibbling his paws. all 4 of them. i don’t think it’s food allergies because he’s been eating the same one for the past 4 months. i adopted him 6 months ago so this is our first summer together
nibbling the paws can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. the first 4 needs to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea him with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take him to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with anti histamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Rottweiler skin problems. Itchy. Red skin. Hair fall. Rashes Spread all over the body. Worried. Plz advice. I need medicine for to cure his illnesses
Rashes and itchiness can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. those need to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea Bobo with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take him to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with antihistamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog, Billy, keeps licking his paws. He doesn't stop even if it starts bleeding. At the moment his paws are wet and swollen and have raw spots. He is a Dachshund-Rottweiler crossbreed, so I don't know if maybe it has something to do with his breed
The distribution of the lesions is consistent environmental or food allergies. If the problem appears to be seasonal, the best thing that can be done in general is medicate the symptoms with anti-itching drugs and antihistamines. With food allergies, controlling the symptoms is also important, but finding a suitable food is equally vital. Food trials are attempted with new proteins (usually a good place to start is something like salmon, duck, or venison), and many of the best diets with the best ingredients are prescription available through your veterinarian. Food trials should last six to eight weeks, and no other type of proteins should be fed during this period (this includes treats!). Speak to your veterinarian about medications that are effective for controlling the itching. They should also make sure that none of the lesions appear to be infected, in which case they may require antibiotics. Hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored