Scratching and Itching, Could it be His Food ?

Allergies are a common cause of skin disease in canines & felines. Most of the time, the allergies are due to environmental allergens such as various pollens, molds, & house dust mites. While plenty of pets have food sensitivities, true food allergies are rare. Despite the fact that plenty of food companies claim their foods are "hypoallergenic" & won't cause your pet to itch, this is never the case. Since I started in the veterinary profession, I have seen less than a handful of pets with true food allergies. That is not to say that pets might not itch less when switched to a better diet. I think a better more natural diet is important for all pets. I doubt that a dietary issue is the reason for nost itchiness in pets. In fact, most pets with allergies to environmental allergens have normal skin (unless they have secondary infections or the allergies are a chronic issue that have never been treated.) Conversely, most pets with food allergies are not only VERY itchy, their skin is abnormal; usually they have extreme ulcerations with bleeding & crusting. Blood allergy testing can be helpful in diagnosing environmental allergies in pets, although skin testing is thought about the gold standard.

However, blood testing is useless in diagnosing food allergies; plenty of normal pets will show an "allergic response" on blood testing to various foods such as wheat, corn, or other grains. In lieu, a food trial in which a hypoallergenic diet is fed exclusively for 8-12 weeks is the proper way to diagnose this issue.

For pets which itch, keep in mind that environmental allergies to pollens & molds is the most common cause. True allergies to food are rare, & only a food trial (not a blood check) can diagnose this rare kind of allergy.