brewers yeast with garlick pills

Question
Our dog is about 100lb yellow lab,about a 1 & half years old,when we give her the brewers yeast pills she scratchs at herself like mad(no or very few fleas),my question is,could it be drying out her skin or could she be allergic to them? Help,very itchy dog,her food(she loves)ol roy dry,she gets a bowlfull a day. She's very active and happy mostly,except for the digging.

Answer
Hi Paul,

Its possible that she's allergic to the pills, but more likely that she's got an allergy to her food. Ol'Roy is a very low quality food full of high allergen fillers and some nasty preservatives.

The reason dogs like it is because they spray animal fat on it to make it smell better. Without that dogs wouldn't likely touch the stuff. Think of it as McDonald's. Not exactly healthy but tastes pretty good.

I would discontinue the pills for now and switch her to a higher quality food. Innova, Wellness, Solid Gold and Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul (yes it a dog food too) are all good choices. You'll find you feed less of these foods because they are very nutrient dense. Much of what you are currently feeding is ending up on the lawn and not in your dog.

When you switch not only will you likely feed less you'll also notice changes in coat condition, doggie odor, frequency of stools and better over all health for your dog. She should also stop itching when she's no longer getting those fillers (corn, wheat, soy).

It will take 6-8 weeks on a new food to know for sure if it is working. After 6-8 weeks of the new food and no pills if she's not itchy you can try to introduce the pills again if you want. If her itchiness flares up then you've got your culprit. If she's still itchy after 6-8 weeks on the new food and no pills then its time to start an elimination diet to pinpoint what else she could be allergic to.

As for the digging, some dogs just LOVE to dig. Its better (and easier) to come to a compromise with the dog rather than eliminating the behavior altogether. Give her a dig spot where she's allowed dig all she wants. It could be a hidden section of your yard or a sandbox, dogs love to dig in sand even more than dirt. To teach her to use it bring her to her spot and encourage her dig there, praise lavishly when she does. If you go the sandbox route you can also hide toys for her to find in the sand. If you see her digging in an off limits spot tell her No and bring her over to her spot and encourage her dig again. It'll take a couple weeks of training and supervision but she'll soon catch on. You get a hole free lawn, your dog gets to enjoy digging, its a win-win.

~Jess