# Sensitive skin and digestion in an already skinny puppy!



## Pupmum99 (Jan 4, 2022)

Hi all… was wondering if anybody has had similar issues with their vizslas and able to suggest a plan of action or even a diet that has helped them. 

My Vizsla is an 8 month old male (cross lab, but can barely see the lab in him), and he’s having some issues with diet. Weight gain has severely plateaued and he is very ribby and hippy, looking like a gangly giraffe at the moment when he should really be starting to bulk out. 

The problem is he is a sensitive boy already and really itches at times attacking his back feet and comes up in small scabby bumps around his head and face (through feeding different diets, I think the likeliest cause is poultry, as when I stopped feeding chicken his stools became healthier too).

So essentially I’m looking for a diet or advice for a juvenile who really needs to put on weight, but at the same time - worrying about what reaction he may have with his skin. Vet has prescribed daily antihistamines and told me it’s not diet but environmental which just does not align at all with the triggers I tried to explain to them. Please help if you can!!! 

Sincerely, 

An exhausted puppy mother 😂


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Not saying I’m a big fan of the brand, but Taste of the Wild (fish based) brand has work for my foster dogs that have sensitive stomachs.
Most new fosters that come to my house, I start them on this food. I do it because I have no idea what they have been eating, and this seems to cause less upset stomach. After I while I try to slowly change it to what I normally feed, if I see any loose stool. They just stay on the TOTW.


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## Pupmum99 (Jan 4, 2022)

Thanks for your reply texasred - I’ve started him on a fish based diet to see if this helps. They seem a rather sensitive breed. Appreciate it. Hopefully it helps him put on some weight as well as settle his itchy skin.


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## dsteinschneider (Mar 13, 2015)

I also have a lab/vizsla mix who tends to itch herself. I tried a whitefish diet and it didn't really help that much. I'm thinking of trying lamb. Interested in any comments on that.


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## Pupmum99 (Jan 4, 2022)

dsteinschneider said:


> I also have a lab/vizsla mix who tends to itch herself. I tried a whitefish diet and it didn't really help that much. I'm thinking of trying lamb. Interested in any comments on that.


So… I now have antihistamines on hand (on vets advice) in case of any flares. I avoid turkey/chicken completely. He’s now fed on millies wolfheart countryside mix or obedience mix which contain things like fish, lamb, rabbit, duck I believe. He seems to be fine with duck but other poultry I totally avoid and he now doesn’t chew back feet and we haven’t had a reappearance of the hives. If I ever try him with something new food wise I make sure I’m around for hours after in case he doesn’t tolerate it and can appropriately deal with it in case of a reaction. Hope that helps.


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