[Woofle]

My dog is on science diet and occasionally bites his arms, has somewhat itchy ears, and has eye goobers a lot. His eyes are sometimes red, and they're really itchy. Maybe he just likes me to rub his eyes, I dunno, but it doesn't seem normal.

He's 9 years old, so possibly he could just be having some problems as he ages? I think senior dogs usually do have runnier eyes than young pup, right?

Either way, i'd like to get him off the stuff he's eating regardless but i'm not sure if he's maybe allergic to the protein in his dog food.(chicken)

Any thoughts, tips? Possibly any suggestions of dog food with an alternative protein source? I can't afford orijen, and don't want to put him on a food like that anyway, since he's not as active as he used to be. He's also a neutered male and gains weight pretty easily...

 

[Woofle]

Possibly nature's recipe? They have a senior formula with lamb meal as it's primary source of protein.

 

[naturalfeddogs]

It could be environmental, but being on science diet could more than likely be a big part of it, considering it's low quality. Maybe try Taste Of The Wild? It's affordable and better quality.

 

[MollyDoggy]

When I adopted my shelter dog, she was on science diet at the shelter. She had horrible itching problems. Itchy everywhere 24/7. Some of it was caused by a flea problem, but I swear that food is evil. She's doing well on Wellness right now. I believe they have a senior variety and its not as expensive as orijen.

 

[griffinflames]

Natural Balance has a bunch of more budget friendly limited ingredient diets that could be worth a try if you suspect some kind of protein allergy. Zignature also has a good novel protein selection, but is pricer since their food seems to be of higher quality.

As for good all around food that doesn't break the bank, I tend to like the following list: Acana, Wellness, Canidae, ProPac, Taste of the Wild, Fromm, Nutrisource.

You didn't mention anything about seasonal variations, but I would worry about seasonal allergies as well this time of year as well.

 

[Dawnben]

Any thoughts, tips? Possibly any suggestions of dog food with an alternative protein source? I can't afford orijen, and don't want to put him on a food like that anyway, since he's not as active as he used to be. He's also a neutered male and gains weight pretty easily...

I would no recommend Orijen to a dog that had suspected allergies because there are to many different meats in the food. What you want to try is a grain free single protein food. I don't like Natural balance because most of the formulas start with potato but they do have this one that sounds like what you want one meat and probably one your dog has not eaten before. Try it for a couple of months and see how it works out. Science diet is just junk so getting him off of that is a good idea.
L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets® Legume & Duck Meal Dry Dog Formula | Natural Balance Pet Foods

 

[Dawnben]

I forgot to add that this food is also lower fat then most other single protein foods so you won't need a senior food.

 

[EmmaRoo]

Hi!
My little rescue mutt used to be so incredibly itchy it was unbelievable! I promise she would stop to scratch about ever 2 or 3 steps. I switched her over to VeRus' Cold Water Fish dog food and she has virtually stopped scratching. She's outside most of the day so I feel like the remaining/occasional scratching is due to whatever she gets into out there (fireants are a possibility for us). When she spends the majority of time inside, she doesn't scratch anymore.
VeRus' Cold Water Fish has Omega-3s and doesn't have corn (which may or may not be a reason for her previous itchiness.
Go to their website - they have a lot of great info & there's a form you can fill out for a sample. Verus Pet Foods - Home