A friend has a dog (non lab) that she suspects may have a food allergy. She is on a chicken based food (with corn) now. Her vet suggested she switch to a different protein with no corn, and see if that helps. She asked me what I could recommend. I told her that I think it takes a fairly long time to see a difference, and if you don't see a difference in about 6 weeks or so, you should try another protein. Question: What food have you that have dealt with food allergies had the most success with? What should she try first? Fish? Venison? Beef? Lamb? And what would be the best brand to try? Thank you for any input you might have.

I have dealt with a food allergy dog (non-lab) for 3 years now so have experimented alot. If she can get by with lamb and rice she'll be lucky. I found that certain foods caused a different allergic reaction in my dog but if the ingredient that caused the reaction was listed in the first 4 or 5 ingredients the allergic reaction would be within 5 days. I'm talking itchy bumps all over the body, bumps that would turn into pustules then scab and lose hair, itchy paws, red welts on belly, itchy ears that would turn into ear infections if not caught immediately. If the ingedient was further down the list, it would take 2-3 months to manifest so you thought you were doing good and then by the 3rd bag of food, a reaction would show up. I had to start out with cooking 1 protein, seeing if that was ok, add a vegetable (potato, sweet potato, white rice, brown rice). Much trial and error! My dog is allergic to beef, all poultry, white rice, white potatoes and some ocean fish. We came up with Venison and Sweet potato that he is doing good on and then bought a dry food with those ingredients listed in the first 3. 2nd bag, so far so good, keeping fingers crossed.
I would stick to the brands that have limited ingredients so you can figure it out easier. Just buy a quallity food, it doesn't matter which brand. I've boughten $4/lb food but if the ingredient is in there that he was allergic to, he would have a reaction.
Tell your friend good luck and don't give up. Better to find the source of the problem than to treat the symptoms for the rest of their lives.

Would like to up the odds of picking the right one from the start. Fish, maybe?

If there was a formula of the same brand she's feeding now with fish or lamb I would try that first. It would be easier on digestion BUT I wouldn't hesitate to switch immediately to a different brand if I thought it would help. In these circumstances you don't want to switch slowly to a new food. Beef is one of the proteins to stay away from.

What are the symptoms? Food allergies are pretty rare. Dog may have environmental allergies. Especially if they fertilize their lawn, or the dog walks on grass that is fertilized. Pollen could be a culprit. Does she give rawhide? That could be a culprit too.

She may want to try a grain free food and see how the dog does. Also rinse their feet before they come into the house in case it is more environmental.

Well I had one that was definately reacting to food and or environment. Ears were horrible and itchy and was getting hotspots. I switched her over to Diamond Extreme Athlete Chicken and Rice and I started her on NuVet supplement. It has been about 4 wks and her ears are almost completely clear and the coat is coming back and in much better condition. I don't know which did the trick or if it was a combination but I am not going to take her off of either. Just my experience.

I have a rescue here who is "sensitive" to chicken or anything with the word poultry in it. I feed him Drs. Foster & Smith Lamb & Rice for 2 reasons. First, it is one of the few L&R I found without the word chicken or poultry and, second, it's been on the whole Dog Journal's list of great foods for 10 years. My boy does great on it. And, no corn, no crap and at $37.99, 10th bag free if on their program (no matter how many bags you committ to that's how many free you will get) and free shipping at $49.

Sometimes it is not the protein, although chicken and beef are big problems, but the types of grains in the food. And soy and corn are obvious culprits. Infinia is a good holistic food in case you want to try a better dog food.

But starting with venison or duck is a good choice as far as a limited ingredient. Make friends with a hunter. Simply for bragging rights, a hunter will try to get you a deer and then a good butcher can put up enough burger to last a year. Now is a good time to raid hunters' freezers as they will be throwing stuff out in preparation for this year's deer and duck season. The meat may be a bit freezer burned but perfectly fine for a dog.

Flax seed oil is also good for itchie skin.

Good luck, it's a pain, I sympathize!!!!