[Salt n Pepper]

My boy Cody has developed two pretty good sized sores, one under his arm and the other on his belly. I'm thinking its an allergy because he had small bumps on his front legs before, still has a few, and he seems to scratch and itch a lot. I switched his food from purina puppy chow to canidae because I thought it might be the corn or something but that must not have been it. I'm thinking about taking him to the vet tomorrow. Can the vet determine what the allergy is? Have any of you had a problem such as this?
Cody is still a pup, nearing 4 months old. He's a wonderful boy and I'd like to get to the bottom of this dilemma.

 

[Bock]

how long ago did you make the food switch?

 

[Oaklys Dad]

Could they be hot spots? Are they sticky and growing? Listerene or some Gold Bond medicated powder work well to heal them.

 

[Salt n Pepper]

They aren't sticky and don't seem to be growing. The sore on his front leg has been there 3 or so days and is scabbed over now, it hasn't grown. I made his food switch about 2 weeks ago.

 

[EmmaDube]

My girl Emma has almost the same thing! She is 4 months tomorrow and had some bumps on her belly near her right leg and then started itching/scratching. She would sit down multiple times during a walk to itch. Sometimes in the house she will lick a paw for 10+ minutes until she gets it all red and raw or I catch her and distract her. I took her to the vet and she got some prescription anti-itch shampoo and oral cephalexin pills. I'm hoping it was outside allergies and not something in our house.

EDIT: She also woke up one morning with an open sore on her belly, which really worried me.

 

[tippykayak]

Proteins are more likely to be an allergen than grains, and thyroid issues are the root cause of many allergy problems.

Why not switch to a food with a unique, single protein source, like a lamb or fish based food? And if things don't change, you could get a thyroid panel from your vet.

 

[Salt n Pepper]

Did those things work for Emma?
I thought corn and wheat were highly allergenic, so thats why I switched to canidae.
Can a vet determine the allergen, or is it a trial and error thing?

 

[tippykayak]

Did those things work for Emma?
I thought corn and wheat were highly allergenic, so thats why I switched to canidae.
Can a vet determine the allergen, or is it a trial and error thing?

Corn and wheat are popular bad guys on the internet, but the science doesn't support that. They can be allergens, but protein sources are actually much more common.

Vets can determine allergens with some reliability, but it's expensive, and trial and error often works faster.

What Canidae are you on? Did you switch from chicken to chicken?

 

[EmmaDube]

She is about 4 days into the treatment and I do see a difference. She still has bouts of itching, but it does seem to be less.

Oh and I just remembered, the vet also told me to buy baby wipes and wipe down her legs/belly after walks in case it was only a contact allergen.

I hope this helps!

 

[Salt n Pepper]

I switched to the canidae all life stages. It chicken meal, and a bunch of other meat meals. I've fed Cody raw before, actually a few times a week. I'm thinking about switching him to raw, single protein source, for a few weeks to see if that clears things up. That way I can determine if its a food allergen or not.
Just to clarify, this wouldn't be hot spots would it? Its only a place like the size of a dime or penny without spreading.
Thanks everyone.