food allergies?

[Matdonna]

Hi. My french bulldog, Dylan, is 10 months old. He seems to always be licking his "private area" to the point where it is raw and red. He recently had an infection in the area and had to go on antibiotics. I am wondering if he has allergies or could possible have food allergies? Can anyone recommend a hypo-allergenic dog food?

[AlliKat]

I find it so interesting that your dog licks his private areas... my Frenchie can't reach his!!! :lol:

Anyway - he had an issue with licking his paws until they were red, so we stopped feeding him (including treats) anything that has wheat in it. We are feeding him a hypo-allergenic dry food and it seems to have helped SO much. We are feeding him Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish. He loves it!

The other thing our vet recommended is to wash his feet with Nizoral (an over the counter dandruff shampoo) once a week. He said it could be a food sensitivity or a skin irritation or a combo of both. Both things have helped SO much - he rarely licks now at all.

[mdenglund]

Hi. He may also have environmental allergies. I have been told that normally they won't develop food allergies until over one year. I have noticed that paws are usually one of the most itchy areas. Or some dogs scoot their butts along the ground. His infection may not have cleared up fully. It may be a good idea to talk to your vet and see if the infection is gone. Treats can sometimes cause the most problems and we get a hypoallergenic treat at our vet. One of our girls has environmental allergies and we make sure to try to prevent her itching when possible. Best of Luck.