Mini schnauzer with allergies

[LittleLuna]

Hi, I’m new on this forum. My gorgeous girl is a very small mini who constantly seems to
get skin irritations, vet thinks possibly food related. She has always been sensitive to chicken.
Has anyone had these problems? I’m at a loss as to what to feed her, recently had her on
Butternut Box which she loved but 4 weeks on has started scratching, chewing paws which ended
in several visits to the vet.
Any advise would be much appreciated.

[zeta1454]

Hello Jo and welcome to the Forum

Sorry to hear about your mini schnauzer’s skin irritations. Was she fine for the 4 weeks on Butternut Box? I would have thought if it was a food related allergy, she would have had a reaction much more quickly unless you had introduced a different protein suddenly.

Is it possible that it is related to something in the environment? Nowadays potential skin irritants are everywhere in washing powders, cleaning products, room fresheners etc. New carpets and rugs are often treated with chemicals that can cause issues. Outside too there are chemical toxins as well as fungal / mould spores and similar that can trigger a reaction - seasonal allergies are not uncommon in dogs. Also any anti-parasite treatment such as the spot-on fluids are known to affect the skin.

If you are certain that there is no possible external trigger and some kind of food is the problem, I can only think that you would be best trying an elimination diet to see if you can isolate which proteins she has a problem with. Skin issues in dogs are always difficult to treat unless you are certain of the root cause. Many years ago a friend of ours had a mini schnauzer girl who had a desperately bad skin problem and lost her hair and was chewing and scratching so badly she had to wear a special vest to protect her. She actually took part in a trial of two products to try and treat the issue - not knowing if she was getting the medication or a placebo. In her case she did have relief from the product which was actually a herbal remedy although I cannot remember what it was!

We feed our dogs on a raw complete food and dogs are generally better on a minimally processed diet although I realise the Butternut Box food is not highly processed. The only other options I could suggest are to see if you can contact or visit a holistic or integrated veterinary practice where a more in-depth look at your mini’s condition may suggest a cause and treatment. We have in the past had a consultation with an integrated veterinary practice where a homeopathic vet spent 2 hours with us on an individual consultation looking at every aspect of our dog’s life not just the presenting symptoms. I would recommend this kind of approach especially for difficult to diagnose issues.

There are also supplements which may help but really you do need to discover the cause before treating.

These products have been well reviewed by people whose dogs have suffered skin issues similar to that you describe if you check out the reviews on their website. I do recommend the company and use their products regularly for our older pets:

https://www.dorwest.com/product/green-r ... -and-cats/