#as a person who had severe dog food related anxiety for years thanks to grain free DCM concerns

[eubalaena]

@confused-they if you're in the US, look for an AAFCO-tested - not just formulated, but tested - dog food. Purina I know makes at least one grain-free AAFCO feeding trialed food. ultimately though fed is best, so if your dog is eating it and seems happy and healthy, that's great! keep doing that! and as far as I know the only real concern with grain-free is dietary DCM, so feel free to look up the symptoms and keep an eye out if you think that'll help with your anxiety. also 'boutique brands'/designer brands covers most dog food brands minus Purina, Hills, Iams, Eukanuba, Royal Canin.

also-also unsolicited advice - we found Cytopoint to be extremely helpful in managing our dog's itchiness, and he got 3-5 months out of each injection so it was cheaper than Apoquel, but he was a 75lb dog so that might not be true in smaller dogs? either way we settled on diet + Cytopoint and it kept him almost totally itch-free. good luck with your dog!

Hi there! I saw your post about pet diets and it seemed like you are semi-knowledgeable. So one of my dogs is allergic to wheat. He gets really bad rashes and his hair starts falling out. Because of this, we look for wheat-free pet food. Is that ok? Will it do him harm? He's been on it for a while but he's getting older and I don't want to see him get sick from something preventable. Afaik we don't buy any designer brands or anything like that. The vet also hasn't said anything. I just got really worried and wanted a second opinion. Thanks and have a good day

Bother your vet! They like when clients are invested! I have no expertise at all!

Poor sweet old thing. Allergies suck so bad.

If your vet knows what kind of food it is and hasn't expressed any concern, but you're still worried about it, go ahead and double check with them about the specific food. I wouldn't try to self-manage something as difficult as allergies all on your own just through research.

If you're not already seeing one but could afford to, and feel like his discomfort is not being managed well enough, a referral to an allergist might really help. Dogs especially have such a hard time with allergies. :(

A veterinary nutritionist can also be helpful, if your vet feels like that could be a good alternate option. The one I was referred to was really helpful with recommendations of specific foods to help my undersized and slightly underdeveloped kittens catch up.

Jasper had a huge growth spurt IMMEDIATELY and has shoulders like a truck, so I guess she knew what she was doing!