Any dog chew toy recipes?

[Cara]

I'd be really careful about putting flea medicine on a dog with irritated skin. It could end up feeling like it's burning her, then she really will be biting and licking.

One of the main causes of food allergies is corn, although we have a couple of dogs that are allergic to a mystery ingredient in one brand. They get a nasty wet itchy rash on the inside of their back legs. My Lab mix can't tolerate oatmeal, she throws up an hour or so after eating it. Some dogs are allergic to different proteins, in particular beef.

Is there any way she can have more stimulation during the day, even if it's just in a yard?

 

[Xtina]

Yeah, I can definitely increase her exercise and fun. It's rough but the amount of exercise she gets directly correlates to how things are going for me at work: if things are bad and I'm depressed, I can't bring myself to conquer the world in the evenings and take her to the dog park. We end up playing fetch in the house instead. And lately, things have been bad at work, what with the economy putting all our jobs in jeopardy. Anyway, that's a long story that doesn't have much to do with her itchy tail.

There are a few reasons my vet tech friend thinks that it's much more likely due to a small flea problem (even though I couldn't find any evidence, she said it just takes one). First, all the chewing is going on around her butt and tail. Second, I phased her on to the food over the course of three weeks. Now we're beginning the fourth. Even though I still think it could be a food intolerance, she thinks that the problems would have shown up earlier. So even though I hate to irritate her skin more, fleas are the most likely culprit right now. And if she doesn't stop itching within a few days after I get the flea medicine, then I'll start looking into a change of diet.