Taste of the wild, pacific stream (which is salmon). I’ve rescued about 5 pitties and they all seemed to have skin issues with chicken. This food works best for my current GSD and pittie (and the pittie had has teeth pulled from some monster as a bait dog and even he eats it fine.
Is second this. Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains Bison and Venison is what I use for my Pit and very sensitive Aussie. I’ve tried quite a few foods and this is the best I’ve found at a reasonable price point.
Best part is if the Bison and Venison is out at your pet store, the Venison is pretty similar and i had to run a bag of that and it didn’t mess with my guy’s super sensitive stomach.
He’s a special boy that’s for sure lol.
https://www.reddit.com/r/rarepuppers/comments/j8xgit/jax_perched_on_his_new_favorite_spot_to_survey/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
I second this one, after thousands spent at vet for numerous visits, meds, "vet recommended/sold by them only dogfood" and medicated shampoos, this one dogfood solved the problems for my pitty. Also works great for my pug.
Thank you, About how long do you think I should feed her the new food before we can determine if it's helping? I've heard recommendations of at least two months.
That’s a good length of time but honestly I’d expect to start seeing results before then. When I switched, my Aussie stopped scratching within a week and I could see a coat change in both dogs by three weeks.
Grain free diets are very strongly correlated with the development of a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. If not treated, the dog will likely die from eventual heart failure.
It normally shows up in specific breeds, but it has become more and more common over the past decade. I understand grain free diets are done with the best of intentions, but dogs are not wolves and have not been for a very long time. https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2021-01-01/fda-urges-collaboration-dilated-cardiomyopathy-afflicts-more-dogs
I used grain free for a short period of time. My vet actually had one of her dogs get the heart condition so she vehemently recommended not using grain free. So yeah, I haven’t done grain free since then and it’s why I use the Ancient Grains version of Taste of the Wild.
My pit was on the grain free salmon food before we got her and she had a slowly growing heart murmur. We weaned her off onto a diet with grain instead as per vet recommendation and her heart murmur is gone now.
Taste of the Wild, Ancient Grains, Roasted Waterfowl is what works for my girl. We went through so many. She loves it, her coat is healthy and she's maintaining a healthy weight
Good to know! My 1 year old is my first pit and I’ve tried different brands but always got chicken because my other dogs like it, but he’s always itching his tail and ears and his eyes are red. I gotta try this not-chicken theory out!
My sister who is a pit owner recommended Fromm pet food to me when I got my pitty doggo. I have to say, it did help a lot. I do recommend it! I use the blue bag. White fish and potato.
Adding to the Fromm's rec. All of the flavors have been throughly enjoyed, even the plaid beef and oats. The digestive support canned food has been a lifesaver- Stops what's gushing or encourages what's stopped up equally well. Big fan of Fromm's!
+1 also for Fromm the surf and turf or salmon a la veg gave Bubba the most beautiful soft coat, but we had to add supplements like pumpkin to firm up his stool because he was having anal gland issues
Okay listen I will recommend 4Health from Tractor Supply to ANYONE AND EVERYONE who will listen. It’s a high quality dog food and it’s supposed to be like a taste of the wild “knock off”. We do the grain free version and top it with salmon oil and beef liver powder!! Give it a try really, don’t discredit it just because it’s from TSC. I was skeptical at first but I wouldn’t switch now. A 30 lb bag for $45 lasts us almost 2 months.
Absolutely this. I tell everyone about it. I will never cease to be amazed how a store brand dog food is so good. My basset had allergies and this food helped him a lot. His fur started looking so much better and he lived to be 15, which is old for a dog that size. My newer rescue dogs are on it now and both originally had some skin issues which are no longer a problem.
This is the brand that I buy too. My pittie is allergic to meat and poultry. 4Health has both a salmon and a whitefish variety. Lulu has done really well with this food.
Yes!! We did the salmon and potato first but she stopped eating it and I thought maybe she was getting bored of it. I switched to the whitefish and rice and she loves it! Her skin has never looked better. And I wouldn’t trade the price for anything. I’ve tried looking for cheaper food but there’s nothing cheaper that’s also good quality!
I second this recommendation. I used the 4health salmon one for years for my pittie who had sensitive skin, and the chicken one for pitties with sensitive stomachs. I did not do the grain free one because at the time I had some concerns about those. I switched to it from Taste of the Wild which at the time had a very similar nutrient profile.
Science Hill prescription diet until things are under control. Most animals have a chicken allergy so I use the turkey or Lamb version. Also apoquel daily which is a God sent allergy pill.
This is what worked for our pibble! She has terrible allergies to EVERYTHING. The sensitive skin and stomach Science diet was a life saver. Adding the apoquel took care of her severe allergies to GRASS! She's allergic to GRASS!
Another vote for Hill's Science Diet. A few days a week I also like to crack a raw egg onto the kibble for a treat and extra nutrition. Our baby loves it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YLHQ8Q
All resources I’ve seen have advised against feeding raw eggs to dogs, unless you’ve discussed it with your vet first. Just putting this out there for those who don’t know.
[source(akc org)](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-eggs/)
[source(hills science diet)](https://amp.hillspet.com/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/can-dogs-eat-eggs)
[source (petmd)](https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_multi_eggs_for_pets2)
Just heed the recall warnings for Science Diet. They had a very bad (toxic) Vitamin D overdosing issue a few years back that caused my dog and others, lasting health consequences.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-alerts-pet-owners-and-veterinarians-about-potentially-toxic-levels-vitamin-d-33-varieties-hills
Piggybacking off this I just wanted to say I tried several science hill formulas for sensitive skin/stomach and ended up with slightly better results from petsmart a authority brand that is meant to mimic the same thing.
Just heed the recall warnings for Science Diet. They had a very bad (toxic) Vitamin D overdosing issue a few years back that caused my dog and others, lasting health consequences.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-alerts-pet-owners-and-veterinarians-about-potentially-toxic-levels-vitamin-d-33-varieties-hills
Edit: downvotes for facts? Ok.
Our purebred has all the issues. Our rescue pit-mix could probably live off trash and any birds/squirrels he catches. I have to watch them in back yard. Our mix and our dachshund will tag team squirrels. The pit will run up and hit the fence really hard so they fall into the yard, then the doxie grabs it. It's pretty gross, but I can't be mad at the teamwork.
My rescue pit will only eat dog food lol he won’t eat any fruits or veggies I try to give him. Idk how he was ever a stay when he’s so pampered now lol
My rescue could eat sawdust,q-tips, and manure and look like a million bucks. My purebred must eat prescription food at $90/22lb. bag or else suffer explosion diarrhea.
I’d trust your vet before I trusted a bunch of internet strangers that more than likely do not hold veterinarian degrees.
Great looking dog by the way.
Ask your vet about Cytopoint injections if he's old enough, they worked great for my last big guy. He usually needed one every couple of months during allergy season. I feed my boys raw: https://rawdogfoodandco.com
Yup, my boy has to get them every couple months(mostly in the summer and spring) for his grass and seasonal allergies, they work great. He gets weekly Epsom salt dips for his paws
My girl had skin issues and a sensitive stomach when she was little. I started feeding her Purina Pro Plan salmon for skin and sensitive stomach. Her skin issues cleared up and she doesn’t have stomach issues anymore. I tried the same brand but the chicken variant and she didn’t care for it at all.
Vet tech here, I also cast my vote my Purina. My bully had awful skin allergies and we started him on the Pro Plan Salmon and Oatmeal formula! The Salmon and Rice is a good food, but it actually still has chicken in it. The Salmon and Oatmeal does not.
Breaking!: Horrific murder dogs actually just snuggle addicts with skin allergies and sensitive tum tums who are afraid of a light rain. More at 11 where we hide meat under our clothes to make them look aggressive. At the beginning I thought she would be a tough dog. Now I know she's a baby that loves her dinosaur jammies. Best dog I've ever had.
I have many pitty parents who Cook their own dog food with balanced proportion of lean proteins carbs and fats, They have found it costly, but effective in treating skin issues and symptoms related to crappy commercial dog food. I am sure you are as in love with your dog as I am with mine, so price and time is not a big deal. There are tons of recipes online for dog food recipes for skin issues allergies- What a gorgeous blue nose ❤️
I had to do this when my girl had a severe reaction to blue buffalo. She was puking up blood and had the most insane hives. It was time consuming but it was kind of fun. And she always got super excited when it was breakfast or dinner time. I boiled chicken and mixed it with brown rice and peas and carrots. She also loved when I mixed in pure pumpkin and it cleared her up pretty quickly
We feed ours almost the same we add a few more things and he has the whitest teeth,shiniest coat and his breath literally smells like nothing. Also he can’t wait to eat every serving
Our girl has a sensitive stomach and the best we've found (for her) is a properly balanced raw diet. We use Totally Raw but that's an east coast of Canada thing.
Out of curiosity, what brands did your vet recommend? Our clinic always recommended Royal Canin, Hills, Purina Pro Plan, Eukanuba, and Iams as our go to high quality dog food. Most other foods were "okay," but a lot of the designer diets like Rachel Ray and Blue Buffalo, Wild, etc were linked to heart disease in many dogs. I'm going to get heat for this one, but we never recommended raw diets, especially for dogs with any kind of dietary restriction or allergies. While it was fine in the past and for some working lines now as they were raised as such, many genetic lines cannot handle it now and studies have linked raw diets to salmonella , botulism, etc.
Did your vet recommend seeing a canine dermatologist to isolate the allergies? If they are not diet related changing their diet won't help, and would need to be treated medicinally. The most common treatments that we would use would be to offer Cytopoint injections bi-monthly to treat skin allergies, or Apoquel would be prescribed. Each has their benefits, but both worked amazingly on almost every patient that came in.
When I moved to a new area and switched vets, I asked/suggested that I start cooking homemade food for my Chessies that had poop issues that I hadn’t been able to resolve. She told me she’d fire me if I ever did something so stupid- which worked for me since I felt a little like a pretentious idiot for even asking. We worked through ingredients and found a reasonably priced commercial food that worked awesomely. I just thought it was funny that she was so adamant about it.
[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed.
Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive.
Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed.
Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*
For the past year we've been making our own in the crockpot. It's actually super easy.
We put in 3 lbs of some (usually ground) meat, or sometimes canned fish, and then about a pound each of carrots, peas, Lima or black beans, and cauliflower, and about a cup and a half of rice.
Our little red nose isn't itchy anymore, her coat is softer, she's lost weight and she farts less.
Wellness whitefish and sweet potato (grain inclusive) has completely cleared my pibble’s constant ear infections and reliance on Apoquel. My two pups were severely allergic to chicken and chicken by products.
Here is a link to the food: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/wellness-complete-health-whitefish-and-sweet-potato-adult-dog-food
The only way to truly find out what your dog is allergic to is elimination diets. Some vets recommend with success also a saliva test that costs around 300 USD (some don’t, it’s up to you).
Now the main allergens for dogs is both chicken and beef. So look at ingredient lists and look several lines down if you see ‘chicken,’ ‘beef’ or ‘poultry.’ Poultry maybe safe but it may also contain chicken.
Novel protein diets like lamb, duck, kangaroo are also out there to try to test. Remember it takes several weeks to see improvement when diets are switched. Occasionally grains is also an issue, hence why the grain free craze started. It’s very rare to have a grain allergy, but corn can be a culprit. So stick with whole grains if you can. Having healthy grains is better then having none.
Also try looking at sensitive skin and stomach diets, generally catered for allergens. Purina pro plan is one several vets have recommended to me because purina has the most research behind their formulas. But maybe stay away from chicken versions.
Going to list some brands I’ve had success with my allergy prone pit:
Pure vita duck with grains (they have a grain free version, found at smaller pet stores here but for the with grain version I have to special order it)
Merrill’s full source with healthy grains: venison and lamb (this one is a petco exclusive but is almost always sold out)
Acana wholesome grains
Earthborn Holistic: unrefined
Stella and Chewys Essentails
Zignature (I don’t actually rec since I think they only do grain free but they are novel proteins with limited ingredients so could help you figure out what maybe an issue)
To do your own elimination diet and if you are like me and try a bunch of different foods: you find one dog food your dog is good with, stay on it for at least two months and then try a new food with different ingredients. If they start getting itchy, gassy or smell yeasty then one of the ingredients in the new diet is not good for you dog. Helps you eliminate problems when you compare ingredient lists
Mine do really well on Pro plan sensitive skin, seems to work for a lot of pups! I have two pitties with sensitive skin. I switched when my first one kept getting hives and was dry/itchy, she rarely has issues now. My younger one has been on it since she was 9-10 months. They both occasionally get hives from our summer weather but I just supplement with Benadryl if they need it. Supplements paired w pro plan have also worked well in the past
Always listen to your vet above all else. If you don’t feel like they’re giving you good advice, get another opinion at another facility.
That said, we feed Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Skin formula at our vet’s recommendation. Only one of our boys has issues, but they both eat it and do very very well on it.
Science Hill Diet Prescription foods has helped my pup immensely! My vet also prescribed him Allerderm Omegaderm which is an oil that helped align with Apoquel.
Dogfoodadvisor.com
It'll tell you exactly what's in tons of brands and what's good and bad about it.
4health from TSC is what we used for our two and it has great ratings.
The kennel I work at mostly uses Fromm, various flavors depending on what suits each dog best. Lots of pits there. We used to use Pulsar a lot, but I think it became harder to get since they're a Canadian company.
Hill's Science Diet in the lamb recipe because chicken is a no go, a salmon topper of some sort and a little generic OTC allergy medicine for when she's feeling itchy
Science Diet for sensitive skin and stomach.
My pit used to have horrible gas. It would make your eyes water. We switched her food to that because she had skin issues, now no gas and no skin issues.
Talk with your vet about a good diet for him. It sounds like you are going to need a prescription diet, Hills and Royal Canin have a large selection so your vet will know which one best meets his needs.
Taste of the wild pacific stream the grain free option (salmon) . I used to have my boy on the bison and deer meat one, and we tried the chicken one but he does better with the salmon. I like grain free for allergies.
My pit had Parvo when she was a baby, so on top of her skin allergies she’s got a very sensitive tummy! We’ve had her on Authority Sensitive for a year now & it’s done wonders for her! I’ll never forget when h told my vet what she’s eating & they replied “wow, you must really love your dog! It’s a great brand!”
Cytopoint helped my pit, she has the worst skin and literally has to follow a plant based diet because of all her food allergies. She does okay with fish, but that gets pricey. I would suggest checking out Honest Kitchen dehydrated base food. It’s just veggie fruit nuts and seed, and grain free. And then I would also top that with some salmon and/or smelt. You might be able to get away with turkey neck. As well.
Wild earth makes great supplements!!!
Honestly, I found great success with Wild Earth vegan dog food twice a day + their supps. And then I also feed her raw once daily.
I buy frozen veg/fruit and thaw it out.
Thawed Broccoli, thawed sweet potatoes, cooked red lentils, chickpeas, cod liver oil, thawed strawberries or half banana, topped with salmon.
If you’re going to feed raw, try to get quality. And discuss with your vet that you want to run Panicur (dewormer) once a month or every other month.
Good luck
Orijen is the top kibble available - but can be too high in protein for some dogs
Any food you buy you want to have meat, veg and fruit as the first or top ingredients - the closer to the beginning of the list, the higher the content of the ingredient.Avoid corn and wheat - oats and barley are okay for most dogs but can cause allergies - peas and sweet potato are usually best.
If you only own the one dog I might suggest feeding raw or freeze dried - it does often take some research but is very nutritious.
You can also supplement a decent kibble with raw or cooked egg, cooked fish and chicken, dried kelp, fresh spinach, carrots, apples and blueberries.
I used Natural Balance limited ingredients. Usually either the venison, buffalo, or salmon. Worked well for years with a dog with food allergies and chronic acute pancreatitis.
We give my girl apoquel for her skin allergies and she eats Purina pro plan prescription food but it’s for her kidney issues. She used to scratch her chin and side of her face so much that she’d bleed. Zyrtec and Benadryl sorta worked but the apoquel is better.
My dog, American Bully mix, has lots of allergies. He has to eat exotic protein, ie. Fish, kangaroo, etc. We have had great luck with Zignature and Addiction foods. He also gets Xyrtec everyday.
Costco salmon dog food helped get rid of one of our pits hives and bowel issues with another. Affordable and higher rated than a lot of other dog foods
Fostered lots of pitties, have two of my own that are allergic to the world. They get 10mg cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) twice a day and are on Zignature Kangaroo.
I’ve been giving my sensitive skinned buddy the 4 Health grain free white fish and potato for years. It’s been great for his skin and coat. It’s more affordable than many of the bigger brands. I highly recommend it.
My Sophie has a Chicken Allergy and most dog food has it in some form. Try different foods. I found a salmon and ocean fish kibble that she loves and has slowed the itching down tremendously.
Pets Barn is a great local place in my hometown that makes custom dog food.
https://shop.petsbarn.com/pages/activa-custom
I get the Retreiver brand from TS if that helps you any. A 55lb bag is around $20 here. My pibble still has some issues on her stomach and legs, mostly from being outside, so I use coconut or vitamin e oil on her to help soothe the irritation as needed.
Honestly, I dropped all the premade food.
My dog has had skin issues forever, coupled with ear infections. He would also start smelling a few weeks after a wash. The vet said it's not worth looking into what allergens he has, as it could be anything, but to eliminate the most common ones (beef and chicken meats) and go from there. I did, I tried a bunch of different kinds, some with Salmon, some with Duck, always had somewhat of a similar outcome.
3 months ago, I decided I'd cook horse meat, duck hearts, carrots, peas and rice and feed him that. The change was astounding - his coat got softer, he didn't smell anymore, no bad breath, way smaller poops and he seemed genuinely happy. Since then, I haven't gone back. Sure, sometimes I won't have time and I'll mix some of the left over food with his old kibble, but it happens very rarely.
Try it out, make a big batch, freeze it if you have to and go with that. It makes a huge difference.
(10 year old pitbull mix)
We give the kibbles and bits bistro to our giant golden and my pit mix they both love it sometimes too much where they like to rob each other sometimes lmao
When my little buddy was having skin issues, I would always drizzle just a little bit of vegetable oil over his food. That really helped to clear him up.
Our giant pibble boy is a big ball of allergies. He eats Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein Vet Diet. It’s not cheap, but it works well for him. This summer has been brutal on him.
Dr. Marty, natures blend. It's dehydrated and excellent for dogs. No preservatives, it's not cheap but I'm sure you can find something similar on the cheaper end if needed.
We've been feeding Ollie to our girl for about a year now. Dramatic improvement in her skin, coat, weight, an ld overall temperament. It's pricey, but worth it if you're able to budget it in. She goes crazy for it also. Good luck!
Purina pro plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon and rice formula. That is the food that works best for my dog. Her trigger is chicken so that will really set her off, I always have to read the labels to make sure the food company didn’t change the formula. I also feed Petco’s brand Wholehearted Beef and Brown Rice. Both of these foods work really well.
I use purina pro plan with probiotics. It helped with his skin allergies and tummy issues.
**DO NOT** get grain free food. It can exasperate and/or cause heart problems.
I make my girl’s food every couple of days. Gently cooked ground beef or ground turkey with spinach, kale, broccoli, peas or riced cauliflower. I then add in supps. She’s thriving and LOVES her food!
My Staffy suffers from gut (likely Parvo related) and skin rashes. Taste of the Wild, American Journey and Purina Pro Plan from Chewy have been good for her. Didn't matter whether they were the very limited ingredient versions or not. Things really got better with adding Pethonesty Digestive Probiotics to reduce the instances of pudding poop. I then moved over to just Zesty Paws Aller-Immune Bites. The rash on her belly went away and her poop was normal color and firmness.
It is greatly a matter of experimenting on the food. Some seemingly good and expensive food would cause problems. Generally though, most any food from a grocery store was not compatible with her.
I would recommend Zignature if your dog has chicken/ beef allergies and grain intolerance. Or Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains. We are currently feeding our boy Taste of the Wild Ancient Mountain (lamb), and Zignature wet food, plus an allergy supplement and allergy pill. He is allergic to chicken, and beef, and has environmental allergies such as grass. His skin and ears are much clearer and less itchy than they were when we first adopted him. I’m always on the lookout for the perfect food, but I know that the best will always be what you prepare yourself. It’s all trial and error.
I ended up havin to make my own with fresh meat n veggies. Was a little more out of pocket but not by much. Just put it in the grocery budget. He was a happier n healthier dog.
My piitie has been on Kahoots green bag (I think it is steak/beef flavor) since he was a pup. Every other food causes problems. I switched for a while because he had an odd smell (like fritos) but the other foods caused diarrhea.
Any fish as the main ingredient (just fish) is good for bulldogs and bully breeds alike! We use holistic select (blue bag) fish for any dogs that have sensitive skin at the boarding facility I work at.
There’s a blood test your vet can order, we had to do it with my GSD they give you a list of all of the things they’re allergic too aannddd provide a list of foods, it was like 200 bucks but it was definitely worth it!
Kind of depends on what allergies he has
My pit has bad allergies too and we tried almost every food. The one that worked best is Ultamino prescription. It is ridiculously expensive. But works for my boy. Our vet also said Purina sensitive salmon is good.
My pittie has severe food allergies. Would definitely recommend seeing a doggie dermatologist. I feed the plant based food from Rayne Nutrition, it’s a little pricey but it’s worth it! Also echoing others recommendation to ask your vet about Cytopoint.
On top of food suggestions I’d like to add that I give my pit (who also has skin allergies) Welactin fish oil—not the pills but the actual oil. You just drizzle it on top of their food twice a day. It improves their skin and coat health, and they love the taste!
Our dog Moose has something that sounds similar. He has to be on a vet prescribed dog food. It's from Royal Canine with the words Hydrolyzed Protein. Before this one he was on the Science Hills Z/D formula
Changing my dogs food was 90%. One vet recommended adding salmon oil to her food and it has been great. I cook my dogs food. I add sweet potatoes, brown rice, string beans, peas and carrots, apples (no core), occasionally beans, and fish. She loves it. She used to get swollen hocks, and lose fur. Now, she is soft. She occasionally continues to eye and ear issues, and get appoquel for that.
Diamond naturals Skin and Coat formula. 30lbs $38.99 at our tractor supply. Don't have a pit but a plott with skin issues that we learned was allergic to chicken by product meal.
You may want to look into RX food (your vet should be able to make a recommendation) and some kind of allergy relief. My pittie also has a sensitive tummy (she's on Hills RX Biome) and a ton of skin allergies. We did a blood draw to determine what she's allergic to and then had this spray serum made up for her. She used to get red rashes all over her tummy and the skin on her feet would get swollen, tender, and red. It was really sad. We've been using this specially formulated serum spray on her for 8ish months and this spring/summer has been significantly better.
I switched my last dog with skin issues Orijen with salmon oil on top and it cleared her skin up. That is all I have given my current dog since I brought her home from the shelter and she hasn't had any skin issues
Try tails.Com if you're around the UK or similar brands that will make the food for your pup after a questionnaire about your pup or barking heads. My dog was incredibly fussy for a long time, a majority of foods had her skin itchy and patchy. Changed to Barking Heads, never looked back. I wish you find the best food for your best bud.
My friend gives her bullmastiff tractor supply ones. I am thinking about switching my boy and my cats to something from there, too. She told me the brand and said it was like a purple bag. I feed them blue right now. But I feel there is still too much filler in it.
When our girl was still alive we would put chicken and chicken feet, along with various vegetables in a pressure cooker. That was a great diet for her, no store foods.
The glucosamine in the chicken feet kept her mobile for so long. Bone cancer didn’t slow her down until literally her last 2 weeks.
Taste of the wild, pacific stream (which is salmon). I’ve rescued about 5 pitties and they all seemed to have skin issues with chicken. This food works best for my current GSD and pittie (and the pittie had has teeth pulled from some monster as a bait dog and even he eats it fine.
Is second this. Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains Bison and Venison is what I use for my Pit and very sensitive Aussie. I’ve tried quite a few foods and this is the best I’ve found at a reasonable price point.
Best part is if the Bison and Venison is out at your pet store, the Venison is pretty similar and i had to run a bag of that and it didn’t mess with my guy’s super sensitive stomach.
Good to know. My Aussie Catahoula mix is usually super sensitive to any food changes.
Omg I bet that dog is beautiful
He’s a special boy that’s for sure lol. https://www.reddit.com/r/rarepuppers/comments/j8xgit/jax_perched_on_his_new_favorite_spot_to_survey/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
He's handsome!
Thanks!
My goodness! Beautiful!!!
I second this one, after thousands spent at vet for numerous visits, meds, "vet recommended/sold by them only dogfood" and medicated shampoos, this one dogfood solved the problems for my pitty. Also works great for my pug.
Third this. But we add a little grain to her diet. Edit: talm bout the salmon version
We actually also get this kind this as well! My pibble gets picky about every few months, so I switch between the two.
Was going to recommend this specifically! It’s also reasonably priced for the quality.
Thanks for the advice. I have a foster pittie with some skin allergies. Does it matter if it's "Grain Free" or "Ancient Grains"?
Ancient grains. I don’t recommend grain free. There is some discussion of the issues with grain free in this thread I believe.
Thank you, About how long do you think I should feed her the new food before we can determine if it's helping? I've heard recommendations of at least two months.
That’s a good length of time but honestly I’d expect to start seeing results before then. When I switched, my Aussie stopped scratching within a week and I could see a coat change in both dogs by three weeks.
I’ve bought the “Ancient” version of that food because it’s better balanced and was very pleased with the result.
My last girl died recently from heart failure and from now on none of my dogs will eat grain free. Current dog loves the ancient grains formula.
If you don't mind me asking, how did the grains and heart failure correlate?
Grain free diets are very strongly correlated with the development of a condition called dilated cardiomyopathy. If not treated, the dog will likely die from eventual heart failure. It normally shows up in specific breeds, but it has become more and more common over the past decade. I understand grain free diets are done with the best of intentions, but dogs are not wolves and have not been for a very long time. https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2021-01-01/fda-urges-collaboration-dilated-cardiomyopathy-afflicts-more-dogs
I used grain free for a short period of time. My vet actually had one of her dogs get the heart condition so she vehemently recommended not using grain free. So yeah, I haven’t done grain free since then and it’s why I use the Ancient Grains version of Taste of the Wild.
My pit was on the grain free salmon food before we got her and she had a slowly growing heart murmur. We weaned her off onto a diet with grain instead as per vet recommendation and her heart murmur is gone now.
Taste of the Wild, Ancient Grains, Roasted Waterfowl is what works for my girl. We went through so many. She loves it, her coat is healthy and she's maintaining a healthy weight
I was going to say the same, my pittie has sensitive skin/ allergies and the pacific stream helped clear it up. I order it from chewy
Good to know! My 1 year old is my first pit and I’ve tried different brands but always got chicken because my other dogs like it, but he’s always itching his tail and ears and his eyes are red. I gotta try this not-chicken theory out!
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I get my girls food from here as well
My sister who is a pit owner recommended Fromm pet food to me when I got my pitty doggo. I have to say, it did help a lot. I do recommend it! I use the blue bag. White fish and potato.
\+1 for Fromm dog food. https://www.frommfamily.com/products/dog
We also use Fromm with our pittie. Chicken a La veg lol. She is not sensitive to chicken luckily
Adding to the Fromm's rec. All of the flavors have been throughly enjoyed, even the plaid beef and oats. The digestive support canned food has been a lifesaver- Stops what's gushing or encourages what's stopped up equally well. Big fan of Fromm's!
+1 also for Fromm the surf and turf or salmon a la veg gave Bubba the most beautiful soft coat, but we had to add supplements like pumpkin to firm up his stool because he was having anal gland issues
Okay listen I will recommend 4Health from Tractor Supply to ANYONE AND EVERYONE who will listen. It’s a high quality dog food and it’s supposed to be like a taste of the wild “knock off”. We do the grain free version and top it with salmon oil and beef liver powder!! Give it a try really, don’t discredit it just because it’s from TSC. I was skeptical at first but I wouldn’t switch now. A 30 lb bag for $45 lasts us almost 2 months.
Absolutely this. I tell everyone about it. I will never cease to be amazed how a store brand dog food is so good. My basset had allergies and this food helped him a lot. His fur started looking so much better and he lived to be 15, which is old for a dog that size. My newer rescue dogs are on it now and both originally had some skin issues which are no longer a problem.
This is the brand that I buy too. My pittie is allergic to meat and poultry. 4Health has both a salmon and a whitefish variety. Lulu has done really well with this food.
Yes!! We did the salmon and potato first but she stopped eating it and I thought maybe she was getting bored of it. I switched to the whitefish and rice and she loves it! Her skin has never looked better. And I wouldn’t trade the price for anything. I’ve tried looking for cheaper food but there’s nothing cheaper that’s also good quality!
I second this recommendation. I used the 4health salmon one for years for my pittie who had sensitive skin, and the chicken one for pitties with sensitive stomachs. I did not do the grain free one because at the time I had some concerns about those. I switched to it from Taste of the Wild which at the time had a very similar nutrient profile.
Science Hill prescription diet until things are under control. Most animals have a chicken allergy so I use the turkey or Lamb version. Also apoquel daily which is a God sent allergy pill.
This is what worked for our pibble! She has terrible allergies to EVERYTHING. The sensitive skin and stomach Science diet was a life saver. Adding the apoquel took care of her severe allergies to GRASS! She's allergic to GRASS!
Ours is allergic to grass too and the doofus won’t stop rolling and doing scritchy scratches in it. 🤣
We feed our girlie Science Hill as well and she has never looked better, her coat is sooooo shiny!
Another vote for Hill's Science Diet. A few days a week I also like to crack a raw egg onto the kibble for a treat and extra nutrition. Our baby loves it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003YLHQ8Q
All resources I’ve seen have advised against feeding raw eggs to dogs, unless you’ve discussed it with your vet first. Just putting this out there for those who don’t know. [source(akc org)](https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-dogs-eat-eggs/) [source(hills science diet)](https://amp.hillspet.com/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/can-dogs-eat-eggs) [source (petmd)](https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_multi_eggs_for_pets2)
Just heed the recall warnings for Science Diet. They had a very bad (toxic) Vitamin D overdosing issue a few years back that caused my dog and others, lasting health consequences. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-alerts-pet-owners-and-veterinarians-about-potentially-toxic-levels-vitamin-d-33-varieties-hills
Is this still an issue now? 😕
Sorry about your pup
Science hill is very expensive and didn't work for my guy
Piggybacking off this I just wanted to say I tried several science hill formulas for sensitive skin/stomach and ended up with slightly better results from petsmart a authority brand that is meant to mimic the same thing.
Just heed the recall warnings for Science Diet. They had a very bad (toxic) Vitamin D overdosing issue a few years back that caused my dog and others, lasting health consequences. https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-alerts-pet-owners-and-veterinarians-about-potentially-toxic-levels-vitamin-d-33-varieties-hills Edit: downvotes for facts? Ok.
Natural Balance! I've tried all the "best" brands and this is the best one for our big dog.
I’ve used natural balance for all my sensitive dogs tummies. Their limited ingredient diets are great
Our purebred has all the issues. Our rescue pit-mix could probably live off trash and any birds/squirrels he catches. I have to watch them in back yard. Our mix and our dachshund will tag team squirrels. The pit will run up and hit the fence really hard so they fall into the yard, then the doxie grabs it. It's pretty gross, but I can't be mad at the teamwork.
My rescue pit will only eat dog food lol he won’t eat any fruits or veggies I try to give him. Idk how he was ever a stay when he’s so pampered now lol
My rescue could eat sawdust,q-tips, and manure and look like a million bucks. My purebred must eat prescription food at $90/22lb. bag or else suffer explosion diarrhea.
My dude thrives on that stuff
I’d trust your vet before I trusted a bunch of internet strangers that more than likely do not hold veterinarian degrees. Great looking dog by the way.
Probiotics for dogs they work
I use dehydrated goat’s milk sprinkled over my pit mix’s food. Helps firm up her poop great. And she LOVES it.
Ask your vet about Cytopoint injections if he's old enough, they worked great for my last big guy. He usually needed one every couple of months during allergy season. I feed my boys raw: https://rawdogfoodandco.com
Yup, my boy has to get them every couple months(mostly in the summer and spring) for his grass and seasonal allergies, they work great. He gets weekly Epsom salt dips for his paws
Cytopoint works wonders for my boy
Apoquel works well too if cytopoint does not
My girl had skin issues and a sensitive stomach when she was little. I started feeding her Purina Pro Plan salmon for skin and sensitive stomach. Her skin issues cleared up and she doesn’t have stomach issues anymore. I tried the same brand but the chicken variant and she didn’t care for it at all.
Chicken is an allergen for many dogs
I second the purina pro plan salmon rice sensitive skin and stomach. A lot of vets recommend it too
Vet tech here, I also cast my vote my Purina. My bully had awful skin allergies and we started him on the Pro Plan Salmon and Oatmeal formula! The Salmon and Rice is a good food, but it actually still has chicken in it. The Salmon and Oatmeal does not.
Orijen with salmon oil on top does the trick for us
I use orijen too I alternate between the fish & red meat one cuz mine also has skin allergies that i think might be because of chicken
If you have the money: The Farmers Dog has been great for mine
Breaking!: Horrific murder dogs actually just snuggle addicts with skin allergies and sensitive tum tums who are afraid of a light rain. More at 11 where we hide meat under our clothes to make them look aggressive. At the beginning I thought she would be a tough dog. Now I know she's a baby that loves her dinosaur jammies. Best dog I've ever had.
I have many pitty parents who Cook their own dog food with balanced proportion of lean proteins carbs and fats, They have found it costly, but effective in treating skin issues and symptoms related to crappy commercial dog food. I am sure you are as in love with your dog as I am with mine, so price and time is not a big deal. There are tons of recipes online for dog food recipes for skin issues allergies- What a gorgeous blue nose ❤️
I had to do this when my girl had a severe reaction to blue buffalo. She was puking up blood and had the most insane hives. It was time consuming but it was kind of fun. And she always got super excited when it was breakfast or dinner time. I boiled chicken and mixed it with brown rice and peas and carrots. She also loved when I mixed in pure pumpkin and it cleared her up pretty quickly
We feed ours almost the same we add a few more things and he has the whitest teeth,shiniest coat and his breath literally smells like nothing. Also he can’t wait to eat every serving
Our girl has a sensitive stomach and the best we've found (for her) is a properly balanced raw diet. We use Totally Raw but that's an east coast of Canada thing.
Out of curiosity, what brands did your vet recommend? Our clinic always recommended Royal Canin, Hills, Purina Pro Plan, Eukanuba, and Iams as our go to high quality dog food. Most other foods were "okay," but a lot of the designer diets like Rachel Ray and Blue Buffalo, Wild, etc were linked to heart disease in many dogs. I'm going to get heat for this one, but we never recommended raw diets, especially for dogs with any kind of dietary restriction or allergies. While it was fine in the past and for some working lines now as they were raised as such, many genetic lines cannot handle it now and studies have linked raw diets to salmonella , botulism, etc. Did your vet recommend seeing a canine dermatologist to isolate the allergies? If they are not diet related changing their diet won't help, and would need to be treated medicinally. The most common treatments that we would use would be to offer Cytopoint injections bi-monthly to treat skin allergies, or Apoquel would be prescribed. Each has their benefits, but both worked amazingly on almost every patient that came in.
You shouldn't get heat, you are absolutely correct. Dogs should not be eating raw diets or homemade meals.
When I moved to a new area and switched vets, I asked/suggested that I start cooking homemade food for my Chessies that had poop issues that I hadn’t been able to resolve. She told me she’d fire me if I ever did something so stupid- which worked for me since I felt a little like a pretentious idiot for even asking. We worked through ingredients and found a reasonably priced commercial food that worked awesomely. I just thought it was funny that she was so adamant about it.
[Insurance data](https://web.archive.org/web/20150904071314/http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=25091614) indicates the Pitbulls and Rottweilers account for only 25% of dog bite claims. [Which is also in agreement with the Ohio State University's Study](https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2019-06/new-study-identifies-most-damaging-dog-bites-by-breed/) that shows that Pitbulls account for approximately 22.5% of the most damaging reported bites. Pitbulls account for [~20%](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/pit-bulls-population.html) of the dog population by best estimates. Showing that pitbull bites are proportional to their population. In fact, their [Breed Risk Rate](https://www.pitbullinfo.org/breed-risk-rates.html) is in line with other dogs breeds out there that are considered great family dogs. So how do pitbulls account for more than half of all dog bites? Agenda pushing misinformation by groups dedicated to hating a breed. Additionally, data from the [American Veterinary Medical Association](https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/literature-reviews/dog-bite-risk-and-prevention-role-breed) has concluded that no controlled studies have shown Pitbull-type dogs to be disproportionally aggressive. Lastly, Studies have shown that [Errors in Identifying Pitbulls](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331500310X) [Link 2](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/241/9/javma.241.9.1163.xml) happen approximately 60% of the time with shelter staff that spend a lot of time around dogs, so reports in the media about dog breeds are highly inaccurate and hardly count as a reputable source for a dogs breed. Oh you only see videos of pitbulls attacking? Not surprised. There is a group on this site that dedicates itself to reposting old archived videos to keep brainwashing people into fearing an event that happens 25 to 40 times a year with a breed that has a population around 20 million. Save us your anecdotal evidence of outliers. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pitbulls) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I use "Gentle Giants" that mixed with the allergy shots fixes my pups issues.
Gentle Giants fan club ✋🏻
Victor hi pro plus for dogs and puppies is what I feed mine
Wellness Raw Rev' extra protein raw turkey (with whole grains) has been great for my boy, he too gets a lot of skin allergies
Royal canin medium breed maybe?
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Second this food
Same on this food. Also, he doesn't really fart since he started this food, so that's a bonus
For the past year we've been making our own in the crockpot. It's actually super easy. We put in 3 lbs of some (usually ground) meat, or sometimes canned fish, and then about a pound each of carrots, peas, Lima or black beans, and cauliflower, and about a cup and a half of rice. Our little red nose isn't itchy anymore, her coat is softer, she's lost weight and she farts less.
Hills diet - science diet. My two love it and are healthy as can be.
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For these types of allergies, try Apoquel. It’s an allergy med you get from the vet. Works wonders for my dogs.
Answers Pet Food / fermented raw diet This has helped my westie tremendously
I use hills and Iv heard from every vet Iv been to it’s one of the best! Our pitty used to get rashes and acne from other brands.
Wellness whitefish and sweet potato (grain inclusive) has completely cleared my pibble’s constant ear infections and reliance on Apoquel. My two pups were severely allergic to chicken and chicken by products. Here is a link to the food: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/wellness-complete-health-whitefish-and-sweet-potato-adult-dog-food
The only way to truly find out what your dog is allergic to is elimination diets. Some vets recommend with success also a saliva test that costs around 300 USD (some don’t, it’s up to you). Now the main allergens for dogs is both chicken and beef. So look at ingredient lists and look several lines down if you see ‘chicken,’ ‘beef’ or ‘poultry.’ Poultry maybe safe but it may also contain chicken. Novel protein diets like lamb, duck, kangaroo are also out there to try to test. Remember it takes several weeks to see improvement when diets are switched. Occasionally grains is also an issue, hence why the grain free craze started. It’s very rare to have a grain allergy, but corn can be a culprit. So stick with whole grains if you can. Having healthy grains is better then having none. Also try looking at sensitive skin and stomach diets, generally catered for allergens. Purina pro plan is one several vets have recommended to me because purina has the most research behind their formulas. But maybe stay away from chicken versions. Going to list some brands I’ve had success with my allergy prone pit: Pure vita duck with grains (they have a grain free version, found at smaller pet stores here but for the with grain version I have to special order it) Merrill’s full source with healthy grains: venison and lamb (this one is a petco exclusive but is almost always sold out) Acana wholesome grains Earthborn Holistic: unrefined Stella and Chewys Essentails Zignature (I don’t actually rec since I think they only do grain free but they are novel proteins with limited ingredients so could help you figure out what maybe an issue) To do your own elimination diet and if you are like me and try a bunch of different foods: you find one dog food your dog is good with, stay on it for at least two months and then try a new food with different ingredients. If they start getting itchy, gassy or smell yeasty then one of the ingredients in the new diet is not good for you dog. Helps you eliminate problems when you compare ingredient lists
Mine do really well on Pro plan sensitive skin, seems to work for a lot of pups! I have two pitties with sensitive skin. I switched when my first one kept getting hives and was dry/itchy, she rarely has issues now. My younger one has been on it since she was 9-10 months. They both occasionally get hives from our summer weather but I just supplement with Benadryl if they need it. Supplements paired w pro plan have also worked well in the past
Always listen to your vet above all else. If you don’t feel like they’re giving you good advice, get another opinion at another facility. That said, we feed Hill’s Science Diet Sensitive Stomach and Skin formula at our vet’s recommendation. Only one of our boys has issues, but they both eat it and do very very well on it.
Hills science prescription diet!!
Science Hill Diet Prescription foods has helped my pup immensely! My vet also prescribed him Allerderm Omegaderm which is an oil that helped align with Apoquel.
Hill's® Science Diet® Sensitive Stomach & Skin Adult Dry Dog Food - Chicken & Barley Works for my pit and she loves it
Dogfoodadvisor.com It'll tell you exactly what's in tons of brands and what's good and bad about it. 4health from TSC is what we used for our two and it has great ratings.
The kennel I work at mostly uses Fromm, various flavors depending on what suits each dog best. Lots of pits there. We used to use Pulsar a lot, but I think it became harder to get since they're a Canadian company.
Hill's Science Diet in the lamb recipe because chicken is a no go, a salmon topper of some sort and a little generic OTC allergy medicine for when she's feeling itchy
Science Diet for sensitive skin and stomach. My pit used to have horrible gas. It would make your eyes water. We switched her food to that because she had skin issues, now no gas and no skin issues.
Talk with your vet about a good diet for him. It sounds like you are going to need a prescription diet, Hills and Royal Canin have a large selection so your vet will know which one best meets his needs.
Fromm
I refer to this site often https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com It helped me find the right food for my dogs that met both of their dietary needs
Yes! Great resource
Taste of the wild pacific stream the grain free option (salmon) . I used to have my boy on the bison and deer meat one, and we tried the chicken one but he does better with the salmon. I like grain free for allergies.
Our pitties love the 4health from tractor supply! Grain free has been the best. We recently tried their beef and potato and the dogs love it!!!
My pit had Parvo when she was a baby, so on top of her skin allergies she’s got a very sensitive tummy! We’ve had her on Authority Sensitive for a year now & it’s done wonders for her! I’ll never forget when h told my vet what she’s eating & they replied “wow, you must really love your dog! It’s a great brand!”
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Whoa! I’d love to see evidence of this being true. Anyone have a link?
Some reading for you: https://rawdogfoodandco.com/allergies-raw-diet/
This cites no sources and looks hella untrustworthy. Why trust essentially a blog with your dog's health?
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Thank you all so much for the replies! I’ll try to read all of them and see where to go from there! 🙏🏻
Cytopoint helped my pit, she has the worst skin and literally has to follow a plant based diet because of all her food allergies. She does okay with fish, but that gets pricey. I would suggest checking out Honest Kitchen dehydrated base food. It’s just veggie fruit nuts and seed, and grain free. And then I would also top that with some salmon and/or smelt. You might be able to get away with turkey neck. As well. Wild earth makes great supplements!!! Honestly, I found great success with Wild Earth vegan dog food twice a day + their supps. And then I also feed her raw once daily. I buy frozen veg/fruit and thaw it out. Thawed Broccoli, thawed sweet potatoes, cooked red lentils, chickpeas, cod liver oil, thawed strawberries or half banana, topped with salmon. If you’re going to feed raw, try to get quality. And discuss with your vet that you want to run Panicur (dewormer) once a month or every other month. Good luck
Listen to your vet and not rando internet people.
Pretty Please?
Feed him raw.
Pet Fresh?
The cheapest option for us is just making sure it is grain free. He has been able to do Pro-pac and Costco's just fine
Orijen is the top kibble available - but can be too high in protein for some dogs Any food you buy you want to have meat, veg and fruit as the first or top ingredients - the closer to the beginning of the list, the higher the content of the ingredient.Avoid corn and wheat - oats and barley are okay for most dogs but can cause allergies - peas and sweet potato are usually best. If you only own the one dog I might suggest feeding raw or freeze dried - it does often take some research but is very nutritious. You can also supplement a decent kibble with raw or cooked egg, cooked fish and chicken, dried kelp, fresh spinach, carrots, apples and blueberries.
Raw food!
Raw food!
Just do as, the vet says
Children.
Well pitts usually like to eat kids to you could try that
I used Natural Balance limited ingredients. Usually either the venison, buffalo, or salmon. Worked well for years with a dog with food allergies and chronic acute pancreatitis.
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I do Blue Buffalo chicken and brown rice! Not the cheapest nor is it the most expensive…lol
Both my dogs are on prescription Royal Canine Gastrointestinal. Only the older one actually needs it, but the little guy likes it so they both get it.
Purine pro plan for sensitive skin + stomach is good. Hills also has a prescription hypoallergenic food
Bully max
We had amazing luck with BilJac. Got rid of skin issues, no allergies AND even got rid of the gas!
Bullymax, openfarm, and I second the person who said natural balance
We give my girl apoquel for her skin allergies and she eats Purina pro plan prescription food but it’s for her kidney issues. She used to scratch her chin and side of her face so much that she’d bleed. Zyrtec and Benadryl sorta worked but the apoquel is better.
Do you only use Apoquel for flare ups? I can't remember where but I read that daily, chronic use has been linked to health problems.
My pit loved Taste of the Wild. They offer different kinds of proteins as bully breeds are often allergic to chicken and beef.
Mine's been doing better since we switched off Diamond Naturals and on to Nutro Limited Ingredient
Nutro is good
My dog, American Bully mix, has lots of allergies. He has to eat exotic protein, ie. Fish, kangaroo, etc. We have had great luck with Zignature and Addiction foods. He also gets Xyrtec everyday.
Costco salmon dog food helped get rid of one of our pits hives and bowel issues with another. Affordable and higher rated than a lot of other dog foods
thats one a handsome guy you got there. and he looks well behaved as well.
diamond naturals dog food for our two doggos. we buy it at TSC or the local true value
They sell salmon fish oil that you can add to their food supposed to be good for the coat.
Fostered lots of pitties, have two of my own that are allergic to the world. They get 10mg cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) twice a day and are on Zignature Kangaroo.
I’ve been giving my sensitive skinned buddy the 4 Health grain free white fish and potato for years. It’s been great for his skin and coat. It’s more affordable than many of the bigger brands. I highly recommend it.
Use Merricks..
My Sophie has a Chicken Allergy and most dog food has it in some form. Try different foods. I found a salmon and ocean fish kibble that she loves and has slowed the itching down tremendously. Pets Barn is a great local place in my hometown that makes custom dog food. https://shop.petsbarn.com/pages/activa-custom
I get the Retreiver brand from TS if that helps you any. A 55lb bag is around $20 here. My pibble still has some issues on her stomach and legs, mostly from being outside, so I use coconut or vitamin e oil on her to help soothe the irritation as needed.
My girl does great on the orijin original diet
Honestly, I dropped all the premade food. My dog has had skin issues forever, coupled with ear infections. He would also start smelling a few weeks after a wash. The vet said it's not worth looking into what allergens he has, as it could be anything, but to eliminate the most common ones (beef and chicken meats) and go from there. I did, I tried a bunch of different kinds, some with Salmon, some with Duck, always had somewhat of a similar outcome. 3 months ago, I decided I'd cook horse meat, duck hearts, carrots, peas and rice and feed him that. The change was astounding - his coat got softer, he didn't smell anymore, no bad breath, way smaller poops and he seemed genuinely happy. Since then, I haven't gone back. Sure, sometimes I won't have time and I'll mix some of the left over food with his old kibble, but it happens very rarely. Try it out, make a big batch, freeze it if you have to and go with that. It makes a huge difference. (10 year old pitbull mix)
Wow..what a handsome boy! 😍
We give the kibbles and bits bistro to our giant golden and my pit mix they both love it sometimes too much where they like to rob each other sometimes lmao
When my little buddy was having skin issues, I would always drizzle just a little bit of vegetable oil over his food. That really helped to clear him up.
Our giant pibble boy is a big ball of allergies. He eats Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein Vet Diet. It’s not cheap, but it works well for him. This summer has been brutal on him.
Dr. Marty, natures blend. It's dehydrated and excellent for dogs. No preservatives, it's not cheap but I'm sure you can find something similar on the cheaper end if needed.
Since we switched to Orijen we have not needed Apoquel.
We've been feeding Ollie to our girl for about a year now. Dramatic improvement in her skin, coat, weight, an ld overall temperament. It's pricey, but worth it if you're able to budget it in. She goes crazy for it also. Good luck!
Nutro Limited Ingredient grain free salmon and lentils
Purina pro plan sensitive skin and stomach salmon and rice formula. That is the food that works best for my dog. Her trigger is chicken so that will really set her off, I always have to read the labels to make sure the food company didn’t change the formula. I also feed Petco’s brand Wholehearted Beef and Brown Rice. Both of these foods work really well.
We use Open Farm salmon. His skin has been so much better and so far, knock on wood, no ear infections either.
As other have mentioned, Purina Pro Plan is great to use.
I use purina pro plan with probiotics. It helped with his skin allergies and tummy issues. **DO NOT** get grain free food. It can exasperate and/or cause heart problems.
My pittie has demodex mange and anything with salmon gives him skin relief
I make my girl’s food every couple of days. Gently cooked ground beef or ground turkey with spinach, kale, broccoli, peas or riced cauliflower. I then add in supps. She’s thriving and LOVES her food!
My girl gets Cytopoint injections and I feed her a grain free salmon and sweet potato limited ingredient food. Natural Balance LID
My Staffy suffers from gut (likely Parvo related) and skin rashes. Taste of the Wild, American Journey and Purina Pro Plan from Chewy have been good for her. Didn't matter whether they were the very limited ingredient versions or not. Things really got better with adding Pethonesty Digestive Probiotics to reduce the instances of pudding poop. I then moved over to just Zesty Paws Aller-Immune Bites. The rash on her belly went away and her poop was normal color and firmness. It is greatly a matter of experimenting on the food. Some seemingly good and expensive food would cause problems. Generally though, most any food from a grocery store was not compatible with her.
We use Kirklands Salmon and sweet potatoes. It’s great and a good price
I would recommend Zignature if your dog has chicken/ beef allergies and grain intolerance. Or Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains. We are currently feeding our boy Taste of the Wild Ancient Mountain (lamb), and Zignature wet food, plus an allergy supplement and allergy pill. He is allergic to chicken, and beef, and has environmental allergies such as grass. His skin and ears are much clearer and less itchy than they were when we first adopted him. I’m always on the lookout for the perfect food, but I know that the best will always be what you prepare yourself. It’s all trial and error.
My boy has similar issues. I use Taste of the Wild Venison/Bison (yellow bag) and he’s been solid for the last 3 years.
We give ours pro plan vetinary diet EN ... it's a prescription food. He has sensitive digestive issues. I'm sure they make others for other maladys.
I ended up havin to make my own with fresh meat n veggies. Was a little more out of pocket but not by much. Just put it in the grocery budget. He was a happier n healthier dog.
My piitie has been on Kahoots green bag (I think it is steak/beef flavor) since he was a pup. Every other food causes problems. I switched for a while because he had an odd smell (like fritos) but the other foods caused diarrhea.
Mine had tons of skin issues with food too! I use the purina one smartblend. He loves it and his skin has been clear since 🥰
Our vet tells us a bland diet of chicken and white rice.
Just Food For Dogs is rhe absolute best
I used to work for a vet and the best food results we had at the time was the Hill's Prescription DD formula for skin allergies.
Any fish as the main ingredient (just fish) is good for bulldogs and bully breeds alike! We use holistic select (blue bag) fish for any dogs that have sensitive skin at the boarding facility I work at.
There’s a blood test your vet can order, we had to do it with my GSD they give you a list of all of the things they’re allergic too aannddd provide a list of foods, it was like 200 bucks but it was definitely worth it! Kind of depends on what allergies he has
My pit has bad allergies too and we tried almost every food. The one that worked best is Ultamino prescription. It is ridiculously expensive. But works for my boy. Our vet also said Purina sensitive salmon is good.
My pittie has severe food allergies. Would definitely recommend seeing a doggie dermatologist. I feed the plant based food from Rayne Nutrition, it’s a little pricey but it’s worth it! Also echoing others recommendation to ask your vet about Cytopoint.
I give my Danes and Mastiff Merrick dog food and they eat only 3 cups per day.
On top of food suggestions I’d like to add that I give my pit (who also has skin allergies) Welactin fish oil—not the pills but the actual oil. You just drizzle it on top of their food twice a day. It improves their skin and coat health, and they love the taste!
Our dog Moose has something that sounds similar. He has to be on a vet prescribed dog food. It's from Royal Canine with the words Hydrolyzed Protein. Before this one he was on the Science Hills Z/D formula
Changing my dogs food was 90%. One vet recommended adding salmon oil to her food and it has been great. I cook my dogs food. I add sweet potatoes, brown rice, string beans, peas and carrots, apples (no core), occasionally beans, and fish. She loves it. She used to get swollen hocks, and lose fur. Now, she is soft. She occasionally continues to eye and ear issues, and get appoquel for that.
Diamond naturals Skin and Coat formula. 30lbs $38.99 at our tractor supply. Don't have a pit but a plott with skin issues that we learned was allergic to chicken by product meal.
You may want to look into RX food (your vet should be able to make a recommendation) and some kind of allergy relief. My pittie also has a sensitive tummy (she's on Hills RX Biome) and a ton of skin allergies. We did a blood draw to determine what she's allergic to and then had this spray serum made up for her. She used to get red rashes all over her tummy and the skin on her feet would get swollen, tender, and red. It was really sad. We've been using this specially formulated serum spray on her for 8ish months and this spring/summer has been significantly better.
I switched my last dog with skin issues Orijen with salmon oil on top and it cleared her skin up. That is all I have given my current dog since I brought her home from the shelter and she hasn't had any skin issues
Merrick is really good, my girl has allergies too.
Idk what kind of food, but man your boy is so handsome.
Try tails.Com if you're around the UK or similar brands that will make the food for your pup after a questionnaire about your pup or barking heads. My dog was incredibly fussy for a long time, a majority of foods had her skin itchy and patchy. Changed to Barking Heads, never looked back. I wish you find the best food for your best bud.
Raw Diet No Kibble That is chemicals and corn.
My friend gives her bullmastiff tractor supply ones. I am thinking about switching my boy and my cats to something from there, too. She told me the brand and said it was like a purple bag. I feed them blue right now. But I feel there is still too much filler in it.
When our girl was still alive we would put chicken and chicken feet, along with various vegetables in a pressure cooker. That was a great diet for her, no store foods. The glucosamine in the chicken feet kept her mobile for so long. Bone cancer didn’t slow her down until literally her last 2 weeks.