nutrition question

Question
Hello,

This is not a medical question! But i will explain a little first about my dog if you don't mind. He is a 7 year old Chihuahua with severe allergies.. (for the last 4 years) I rescued him from a bad breeder when he was a puppy (he should have never even been bred at all) He was running around with a pack of 43 chihuahuas in a filthy two room home. It started when he was about two (when i started going back to school) and was very minor, now it is horrible. I have taken him to numerous vets and tried EVERYTHING. We don't know what is causing it. My hope for him is that he lives a comfortable life as long as possible. So i continue doing everything i can. He eats the best food available to purchase, but i am going to try to feed him.. people food/prepared diet, i am not quite sure what you would call it. The problem is i don't know anything about how much he should be eating a day, and how much of what food groups.  He weighs 7lbs. Should he be eating strictly protein like eggs and meat, cooked or uncooked? or should i be giving him other foods as well.  I know nothing about this.

I also read that you have done a lot concerning rescue dogs, have you ever seen excessive scratching, etc. done by a dog as some sort of psychological/attention issue? The reason i say this is because there is definintely a correlation between his bad and worse states depending on how much attention he is recieving, but i am not sure if it is just because i help him with the actual discomfort or not. He started all this around the time i went back to college and wasnt able to give him as much attention as before. I just assume it was a coincidence. But now i spend the majority of the day with him, he goes everyware with me that i can take him, etc. And his situation is not improved whatsoever.

Not sure if you can help me, if not sorry to bother you! Thank you, -Nicole

Answer
One home made diet for dogs that I have personally used and with good success is to mix 1 cup of ground beef/chicken 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of frozen peas,and if you wish you can mix yams(sweet potatoes)and kelp into as well

And with a dog as small as a Chihuahua,probably half a cup a day or less will be enough for him

And yes,I have known dogs that will lick,to get attention or as a compulsive disorder,even though they have licked themselves raw-so I think the same can be true of licking in most cases the dogs needed medication,like prozac and that seemed to get rid of or reduce the problem,but only do so after speaking to your Vet first