Nutro lamb and rice worked well for my allergy ridden dog.

YOu may want to check the ingredients on the Iams small dog treats, I have no idea what is in those. Typically its corn or other grains that the dogs react to.

I wonder about your grass. Where do you live, who takes care of the lawn?

You've got too much variations going on in her food to be able to determine anything. You have to eliminate things. Start by feeding her only the Nutro Lamb and Rice, absolutely nothing else, nada, no treats, nothing for about two weeks, see what happens. If there's no change then cut out the Nutro totally and feed her only the ground turkey meal you prepare normally for two weeks and see if there's a change, if there isn't then you have to start eliminating ingredients from that one by one each time over a two week period.. I would eliminate the pasta right away since it's wheat. It may just be contact dermatitis after all.
Why I'd start with just feeding her the Nutro Lamb & Rice soley is because it contains no wheats, corn etc. so is more easily tolerated by many dogs with digestive or skin problems. Worth a shot.

debbiep,
I used to feed our springer Avoderm dog food since she had a dermatitis and it seemed to work well. But I agree with pkguy, their are too many "foods" being given which makes it difficult to isolate the "offender(s)". Good Luck!

I recall you other post on this problem. As I said before, an allergy test and skin scrapping can still be done regardless where you are located.

If the vet believes the problem is contact dermatitis, why are you trying to change food and treating it like it is a food allergy? It should be easier to identify the problem and treat with contact dermatitis. I know you limit the dog's time outside. Have you considered that it could be something inside the house? Do you have carpeting? Any possible cleaners you use on floors? Scabies, mange? I would check that one out.

I use the frozen BilJac for Thistle, she does still itch when she gets into the cat food though!
A friend on a Scottie list I go to, who is also a groomer highly recommends Merrick brand (I personally have never tried it, so can't comment on it)

In answer to your question premier I'm considering changing her food as I've tried everything else except testing and I figured what could it hurt.Contact dermatitis was mentioned but so was just allergies.Theres never been a confirmed diagnosis and testing has never been suggested by any of the vets I've used.Vets are not plentiful in my area so I have to work with whats here.This is a long ongoing problem not something that has just come up,the itching anyway.The rash started at the first of the year and I can't seem to get it under control and obviously not the vet either.I've been coming to the pet forum three or four years posting about allergies,etc in hopes someone new could offer some advice I haven't heard or tried yet.I feel its something outside as her stomach can be clear(about as much as it can be)and once she lays on the grass/dirt it will be inflamed,red bumps and the more she licks it the more it spreads.The rash is only on her stomach.I have no carpet and only mop with water.It makes more sense for the problem to be outside than inside as she has no breakouts laying on the flooring or furniture.Antibiotics will clear it up for about two weeks or so but it always comes back with a vegenance.Thanks for the suggestions on the foods...Debbie

Debbie, I sent you an email to your gardenweb address.

debbie. Can you post a closeup photo of the rash? Maybe by seeing the rash we can figure out what it is. I don't understand why the vets in your area don't feel it is necessary to determine the exact cause. It is strange that it is only on the stomach.

Bluegrass is the worst for grass allergies, but oddly enough it is not a contact allergy as much as an inhaled allergy.

I think you would do well to talk to other people with Bassett hounds and see what they think about skin allergies in Bassetts and what food works best for the breed.

Good luck!

My dog has food allergies. I tried lots of the premium foods, Innova, CA Natural, etc. Nothing helped. For the past year he has been eating Timberwolf. You can find it at www.timberwolforganics.com. It is not cheap but he hasn't had any problems on it and now at age 11 is a furry bear. No vet bills for skin issues. You can order directly from the manufacturer and shipping is free. That would eliminate your problem of limited local resources. It would be worth a try. One thing though, he doesn't eat anything other than this brand. You'd have to cut out any snacking on other things.

Here is a link that might be useful: Timberwolf Organics Pet Food

Debbie, you posted something I can speak very clearly to. I actually have a webpage about my dog and his allergies and dog nutrition. You can read up on it at http://bellsouthpwp.net/M/o/MochaGal/index_Page652.htm . I have a dog with allergies and epilepsy, so I am EXTREMELY cautious about his diet.

He's around 6 yrs old now, so that site is a little older, and still valid. I am in no way affiliated with any dog food company or dog food in particular. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions. It's a subject near and dear to my heart.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mocha's diet

Hi, my labradoodle has allergies and I had to take her off all animal based anything for three months and her diet was fish based food for the three months, no treats, etc. We did this and now have her on Salmon based food and she is doing very well. I have introduced her back to her dog biscuits and we have found that if given more than one rawhide a week the allergies return. She is currently and will continue to get Purina Sensetive stomach dog food. It works very well. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Suggest the allergy testing to your vet. Sometimes they don't bring it up because in some areas especially pet owners don't like to spend a lot of money on their pets. Just because they didn't suggest it, doesn't mean it's not an option. They have labs that they can send samples to, it's probably not that difficult for them to request a different test.

I'm not really sure what you think we can suggest. If she has allergies, then figure out what they are and avoid them as best you can or medicate. There isn't much else to do.

Do you wipe her paws/belly with a wet cloth when she comes in from outside?

My vet recommended a tsp of Wesson oil on my dog's food to help with his skin problems. He said it had to be Wesson and I didn't question him as to why, just tried it and it really helped.

I know now its not avaliable for sure and her stomach/paws are wiped after being outside.I'm surprised Olga d that you took the time to respond being theres no advice you can suggest.Thanks for the recommendations on brands of food to everyone and I'm going to try the wesson oil.Debbie

Debbie I forgot to mention my dog's weight was about 22-24 lbs. You should adjust the Wesson oil for Lucy if she's bigger than that. As a basset I'm guessing she is!

Good luck. I hope something works for Lucy.

Sher