Our five month old chocolate, Samson, went in for some surgery on his leg this morning and after shaving the dark hair off his belly, the vet noticed some blisters that he thinks are food-allergy related. (He was in for a check-up the week before and the vet gave him a thorough once-over and didn't notice anything.) When we got him, he was on Purina One large breed puppy which was what his breeder fed him. But after noticing some major dry skin and gunky, smelly ears, we did some research and gradually switched him to Wellness Large Breed Puppy in November (2 months later) and thought he was doing well on it. The major proteins are chicken and whitefish and the vet thinks it may be a poultry allergy, (he recommended Purina beef and rice) but after reading about grain-free diets on this forum I'm wondering if the grains could be the culprit. His food contains whole barley, oatmeal and brown rice as well as some other fruits and vegetables. He has also had horrible gas on this food as well as sporadic loose stool.

He spends about 3 days per week at puppy daycare as well and we've wondered if he could have gotten into someone else's food there, or if the Wellness simply is not agreeing with him. Has anyone else had any experience with this food or this type of skin lesion? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

If he has been having horrible gas on this food since November then I would change his food.

You won't be able to tell if his blisters are from the food that he is eating or something he has been in contact with, for example a cleaning solution used on the floors at daycare or at home. If your daycare can't absolutely assure you that your puppy will get only his own food, then I would keep him from day care until you feel you have your answers.

Are his ears clean since eating the Wellness? I wouldn't doubt his gas is caused from the peas in the Wellness. It is true that dietary sensitivities are more commonly caused by grains but any ingredient can cause problems in some dogs. The foods that he has been fed are complex foods with many ingredients. Since he is having problems and you don't know why then you might want to see if a more simple food will make a difference in his health. I use the simplest food available, the one with the fewest ingredients, California Natural Lamb & Rice. There are other simple foods containing one protein and one carbohydrate but I prefer my carbohydrate to be rice since it's less likely to be a problem (vs potatoes). Change his food gradually and feed only your selected simple food for several weeks and see what happens. No supplements, dog cookies or any edible treats including rawhide and similar products. Only your selected kibble. Use kibble pieces for training or treats, monitor changes in the skin and ears and any scratching or chewing of the feet. This is called an elimination diet and you can do a search to learn more.

I hope your baby recovers quickly and you find your answers. Good Luck and welcome to the forum. We would love to see some pictures. :)