As some of you know, I have had my 2yr old samoyed for about a month now. Recently, he has been obsessively licking/nibbling at his privates and ankle area. When we first got him, we were feeding him a purina brand food but he almost always refused to eat it so this last time we got him something different. I got him Kibbles'n'Bits bistro meals. He finally starting eating and seemed to enjoy it. But now he seem to always have the itches.... could it be the food?? What does your samoyed eat?
Some coloured food like Bakers can cause dogs to scratch & nibble a lot. I am guessing he's been flead.
Id never heard of Kibbles 'n Bits Dog Food ,but looking it up it seems on same par as Bakers which is rubbish, so yes it could be the food . heres a couple of reviews http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kibbles-bits-bistro-meals/ http://www.dogfoodinsider.com/kibbles-n-bits-bistro-meals.html
I would also try a change of food, have you considered RAW or a species appropriate diet? There's a new one out, they were on Dragon's Den recently, http://www.purepetfood.co.uk which looks ok - the only thing I am not keen on is them using potatoes. Obviously not being raw it will not have any beneficial bacteria or enzymes either - but still worth a look...
It might not be a food allergy. If there is any brown staining it could be malassezia yeast which causes redness and itching. Finn gets a build up of malassezia yeast which is at its worst during the mould spore season.
If it was a food alergy,I'd tend to think it would be more areas he'd be nibbling at.does his skin look raw?its hard to see with there thick coats what's going on.
Does anyone know a US brand that would be as good? Is there a certain food specifically for Samoyeds? I don't see any staining or anything that would be causing him to be itchy.
He could be itchy for a number of reasons and without having tests done it’s a case of trial and error, Heiko suffers from ‘summer itch’, I found that giving him Fish Oil capsules helps, and I add a bit of apple cider vinegar to his water/food which helps treat itchy skin from the inside, I also give him The regular Piriton , if he’s really bad it would be worth asking your vet about using antihistamines. As for the food id certainly change from the one you are using, try and get a grain free, plus artificial colours/additives free ect: This site might help you http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/
