[Susan]

Hi Sade.
Your dog might have Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food sensitivities the 2 normally come together & as the dog ages the allergies get worse not better…

Have a look at “Canidae”Pure Petite, Small Breed formula’s or there’s Pure Sea, Pure Wild, Pure Land formula’s, Canidae kibble size is nice, small & easy to digest you will see a big improvemnet with the skin, most of the Pure formula’s are chicken FREE
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products. I’ve read that chicken fat has no protein in it, & the protein is what the dog reacts too… but when they have both Food & Environment allergies it’s hard to work out what is causing what? So Elimination Food Diet is best to do in teh colder months not Spring Summer or Autunm too many allergens..

Baths the best to do, are you bathing twice a week too wash off the allergen’s on paws & skin? I have found “Malaseb: medicated shampoo to be very good, it kills any bacteria & yeast that’s on the paws & skin, puts moisture back into the skin & makes skin nice & soft, I also use Hydrocortisone 1% cream when paws are red & itchy at night you check all over dogs body & paws look for any red irritated paws & skin look inbetween toes & pad lightly apply some hydrocotisone 1% cream, by morning paws will be all clear again, then I use “Sudocrem” before Patch goes outside for walks etc, Sudocrem is for Dermtitis, Eczema, Nappy Rash & acts as a barrier & protects the skin & paws, really good thick cream, Amazon or Ebay sell Sudocrem & the Malaseb medicated shampoo..
Start keeping a diary & write everything down, as te years pass you well start to see a patten & can work out if it is Seasonal Allrgies, another really good food to add to diet is Green Lipped Mussels chwy sells teh “K-9 Natural”Green Lipped freeze Dried Mussels give 1-2 mussels a day as treats, Mussels are high in Omega 3, EPA & DHA

You need to keep on top of things & with the weekly baths or bath as soon as he starts licking & chewing paws with the Malaseb Shampoo to relieve his itchy paws & skin, diet high in Omega 3 faty acid, applying creams & using baby wipes to wipe skin, fur & paws down after ghe comes back instide & when you dont want to bath you’ll start controling the problem, but allergies don’t get better…
A really good Face Book group to join is “Dog Issues, Allergies & Other Information Support Group” there’s a Dermatologist in the group Karen Helton Rhodes she also has her own site called “Canine Skin Solutions inc”