labs skin

Question
I have a 3 year old lab  the previous owners said hes a vegetarian and gets whelps on his skin if i dont feed him the right food they said science diet but im feeding him it and his skin under his belly has little red sores on it i dont like the science diet it gives him diahrea do you know if iams is a good choice  

Answer
Most dogs will thrive on most commercial chows.  Ones like Science with a high corn content require feeding more and produce larger, softer stools.  If your dog is not doing well on Science, Iams could be a good alternative as well as Pro Plan or Eukanuba.  Also check what meat is present as part of the Science, and try to select a chow with very little of it or corn.  Make any diet changes gradually over a week.  Give the new diet a few weeks to work.  

You may even want to try a bland recovery diet for dogs to clear up the diarrhea before trying a new chow.  

3 parts cooked rice, one part boiled hamburger or chicken, or cottage cheese. I think you can substitute boiled potatoes for the rice.  Once in an emergency, we bought a plain baked potato from Wendy's.  

This is meant for short time settling a dog's digestive tract.  It is not the complete and balanced they need long term.  

If things don't clear up before too long, discuss the problem with your vet.