Pit Bull Nutrition

Question
Hi, I have a 2.5yo male pit bull who has quite bad allergies.  I have taken him to the vet and they give him steroids and sprays to use which stop the irritation (and also special foods) but they only seem to cover up the symptoms once I stop the treatment the rashes & itching comes back.  I have tried several different "sensitive diet" foods but he doesn't like them very much.  I am thinking about making homemade food for him.  Can you give me any details on ingredients and quantities I should use.  All I know is that I can't give him eggs, milk, and onions.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks.

Answer
I would try a raw diet!  Look up dog allergies and raw diets, they are great for that.  You are also eliminating all grains and carbs.  You can either research on how to balance your own diet, or you can buy it pre-made and frozen.  It's easier and more natural than homemade, in my opinion.  Here is a intro to Raw and some pre-made brands http://dynamicdogschicago.com/raw.html

Also, you did not mention having him tested for specific allergies.  If you haven't, you don't know what he allergic to, he may be allergic to chicken, or who knows what!  Get an allergy panel done.  It's from the inside-out to fix it, sprays only help symptoms, the immune system is the problem.

Don't trust that just because a dog food is called "sensitive" means its any good, I have seen ones with wheat and soy, and those are two of the common allergens.  The veterinary formulas are different than ones you buy in the store.  Your dog should not have anything with wheat, corn, or soy (common allergens), some dogs are also allergic to beef.  So a lot of people do a 6-week diet of a new protein, like venison, lamb, pheasant, etc.  If you absolutely must do homemade and not raw, you can look up recipes online, but a general example of a recipe would be meat, cooked sweet potatoes, a multi-vitamin powder, and bone meal powder for calcium.  You have to give a little variety in order to get all the nutrition- dogs should eat mostly meat but they can have a lot of the same healthy things we eat.  I would do raw though, no grains, and start giving him a fish oil pill every day for the Omega-3's for his skin.

A lot of Pits have skin issues, especially Blue ones, good luck and don't give up finding a solution!