An apparent allergic reaction in our GSD?

[Anonymous]

For almost two weeks now, our otherwise healthy 4-year-old german shepherd dog has had a significant uptick in biting and licking himself, mainly on his legs. We don't see any skin irritation, at least not yet, but it must be uncomfortable because it's pretty frequent (seems to be every few minutes at times). Also he appears to be sneezing a bit more (only a few times daily though).

He's never had any health issues before. We've lived in our NW DC home for a year and have been in the area for two years, having previously lived in another area of the country. We're first-time dog owners, although we've had him since 8 weeks old. No recent changes in his environment that we can think of. Any idea what the culprit might be?

TIA, worried GSD mom

[Anonymous]

We switched our dog to grain free food and added fish oil. That fixed it.

[Anonymous]

Some dogs are allergic to chicken or potato and that can cause itching. Licking paws is a sign of this allergy
What food & treats does he eat?

[Anonymous]

Check for fleas, even if you are using medication.
One of my dogs has also started doing this though, usually after lying in the grass or wandering among the bushes in the yard. It may just be some insects or an aergy.

[Anonymous]

We have two GSDs, one with allergies. Oddly, when we switched from Taste of the Wild to a lower quality dog food (Purina Dog Chow), his allergies dramatically improved. I would consider gradually changing his diet.

We have found that Benedryl works better than anything else for doggy allergies.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here--he eats Orijen "Whole Prey" kibble, and has been for past 2-3 years, so no change there. I occasionally give him a bit of dried chicken treat, but no recent change there either, and just a couple times a week.

The only new thing he's gotten is a bit of dried salmon treat, but honestly I think he was itching before I opened that bag.

I was also thinking fleas, but I haven't seen any, and he gets monthly flea treatments (Frontline and Sentinel).

Not sure what it could be--will take him to the vet if need be but had been hoping it was temporary...