I stirred up a lot of dust this weekend doing some fall cleaning and it put my husband in bed with bad dust allergies. (He swears it's not JUST the aversion to cleaning that makes him sick!)

I have been reading a lot about dog health and diet lately. Did you know that dogs have allergies just like us, but generally they don't express them through sneezing or colds but through itchy skin?

If your dog has been scratching excessively or has raw patches of skin, it's possible that the source of the irritation is an allergy.

Itchy dogs can get ugly fast as they rub off fur and irritate their skin further with scratching, biting and licking the itchy places.

If your dog is itchy - and you know it's not fleas - try to identify what's making him itch.

Two common sources of skin irritation are flea repellants and dog food.

Try to identify what's made him itch and eliminate it from his environment. Then talk to your vet about how to keep your dog from irritating his itchy patches while you wait for them to heal.

Dogs can be allergic to all sorts of things, but dog food is a very common source of allergens. Some less expensive dog foods are made with grains, starches or low-quality meat products which can be bad for your dog.

I had Kera on a name-brand dog food recommended by South Eastern Guide Dogs and she seemed to like it fine. She didn't get itchy, but it did give her gas! We switched her over to Iams and she liked that, too. However, I thought it was better because it didn't give her gas and I imagine it was because the higher-quality ingredients were more easily digestable.

If you decide to change your dog's food, please do so gradually. An abrupt change can cause stomach upset. You'll want to make the change over a course of 3 weeks. The first week give a mix of food that is 25% new food and 75% old food. The second week, switch to a 50/50 mix and then the last week go 75% new food and 25% old food. Then you can go over to 100% new food and your dog will not have any problem adapting to the adjustment.

Be careful changing food brands often, too, as it may lead to picky eating. If you want to supplement your dog's diet with eggs, cottage cheese, cooked meat or other high-protein supplements, I would suggest discussing that with your vet. Commercial dog foods are designed to provide a balanced, nutritious diet for your dog, but that doesn't mean they can't be improved on. Supplement with caution to be sure you are not over- or under-feeding your dog or giving him foods that are bad for dogs (e.g. Raisins) without realizing it.

If you want to start supplementing your dog's diet with snacks you know will be good for him, you might try making your own dog treats. That way you know you're giving your dog something good for him, but you're not committing to make all his meals from scatch. Something to consider at least.

To your health!

Emily Cressey

P.S. Would you like to make your own healthy dog treat recipes, so you know your dog is getting only high quality, healthful snacks? Check out this book of healthy dog treat recipes written with your pup's health in mind!

Copyright 2005, Emily Cressey.

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