Food allergy signs

Hmmm...I'm no expert but it seems obvious if these symptoms were not there before the new food. Try going back to their previous food and see what happens....assuming their previous food was a good one.

  I can tell you from experience that the symptoms for food allergies are the same as inhallant allergies but if your dog is having symptoms in the winter when pollen producing plants are dormant then that's a good indication of food allergies. Did all these problems start after they were on this food?  You may want to go back to their old food like borodawg suggests. If they were having the same problems on their old food were any of the ingredients the same as the new food?  If so that may be the trigger. Any ingredient a dog is allergic to can cause the itchy ears; Jessie is allergic to chicken and that will cause her ears and feet to itch but fish doesn't bother her; it can be a different ingredient for each dog with food allergies.

The genital itching and red ears sound like histamine release, a sign of allergic reaction.
The groin, head and paws have concentrated amounts of mast cells. Those mast cells release itchy histmine in response to an allergen in the body.

Before we realized what ingredients my dog was allergic to, she has pustules and rashes in her groin and anal area, as well as ear infections and rashes on her body (especially her mouth, neck, armpits and sides and belly, OK everywhere). Even now, after she eats somethng she is allergic to I see itching of her mouth, ears and eyes. If it's a bad reaction than digestive issues also.
The other thing you mentioned, increased stool, can be a sign of malabsorption from either inflammation in the intestines (from possible allergic reaction) or just a sign of indigestible ingredients. Many dogs with food allergies poop a lot until you find a food that is highly digestable.
Vomiting, diarreah (sometimes with blood and mucous) also are signs of food allergy in some dogs.
It doesn't always manifest as skin issues, some dogs have one or the other or both.

I had two cockers with food allergies.  But, I didn't KNOW that they were food allergies.  Lord knows how many times I asked various vets about them and was told "oh, they are just hot spots".  Rusty did not fare as badly as Misty because he was spoiled and HIS dinner was usually MY dinner, so he ate less of the crap kibble (Purina as recommended by multiple vets) than did Misty.  But one summer, he literally chewed a hole in his own thigh.  Misty kept a bald spot above her tail at the base of her back.....sometimes she would chew it raw, most of the time it was JUST a bald spot.  Both had the terrible problems with their ears in later life, but I was told, its just common to cockers.  Yes, it IS, but it is also common to food allergies.
 
After Rusty had gone to the Bridge and we had the shepherds and I found idog, nutrition in my house changed drastically.  One of the biggest changes for Misty was the combiantion of homecooked and Natural Balance Potato and Duck.  She lived the last year of her life with FUR where before there had been nothing but a bald spot.  Her ears improved, but were never great, but part of that was it had become chronic by that point.
 
The best thing you can do if you suspect food allergies is to get your dog on one of the NB allergy formulas, or something like California Natural that has few ingredients, or even Innova EVO which has NO grains.
 
Just my 2 and a half cents.....

The best thing you can do if you suspect food allergies is to get your dog on one of the NB allergy formulas, or something like California Natural that has few ingredients, or even Innova EVO which has NO grains.

 
And I agree. Those are probably great elimination diet moves if one cannot afford or have the time for a proper, homecooked elimination diet.

Ron is right that a true elimination diet can't be done with kibble.  But often just switching to one of those listed with no grains will do the trick.  And, in the end, it doesn't matter quite so much WHAT the trigger is, so long as you get rid of it in the food.
 
To this day I don't know what Misty was allergic too....no single darned vet wanted to test her at her age.  They all said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and just keep feeding her what you're feeding her since it seems to be eliminating the problem....that kind of thing.  And even with treats, so long as she wasn't getting "whatever it was" that bothered her, on a regular and daily basis, she was fine.  Now MAYBE knowing and totally avoiding would have cleared up the ears entirely, but I think it had become chronic by that point and nothing would have totally stopped the problem there.

Thanks to all of you, you really helped me, my suspicions were right according to what you all say.  I decided I better go back to home cooking, they all, including Dusty seem to do the best on it. The only grain free I found to have worked pretty well, not perfect is Urban Wolf, but I hear it's hard to get now.  It's a pre-mix that is grain free you add the meat. That is a perfect one for elimination diets.  Kibbles have to be out I guess.  I read something that said, even if a dog can take homecooking, lets say chicken, they can tolerate it cooked, but put in a kibble form with all the processing, they can have a reaction to it.
 Anyone hear of this Urban Wolf dog food?  If I can't get it, what about Europa????
Thanks,
Me
 

Monzie---Sit down and make a list of all the foods they have tried.  Then find the ingredients and list them.  See if there is any one common ingredient. 
 
I found out what was setting Willow's IBS off by doing this and haven't had a problem since stopping that ingredient. 
 
Also, I know you want to but you may not be able to feed them all the same food.
 
I'm glad you're going to stop the Canine Caviar, I'm not crazy about that list of ingredients. 

willowchow: thanks.  I have been making a list.  Dusty aside,  Peanut and Gabby are becoming a concern now. I know I can't feed them all the same food.  Especially with Dusty around!! Anyhow I'm bothered too, because the vet who had been taking care of them. left the office and went even further away from me, but it bugs me because I talked to him about Dusty a week and a half before he left and he never mentioned he was leaving.  Now he expects me to go to the new office and I honestly can't drive 2 hours for a vet, besides he didn't give me the courtesy of letting me know he was leaving, sounds fishy - He was head of the practice too.
 Anyhow, I know Peanut and Gabby even Dusty doolittle can have beef, strange I know, I know they all can have chicken, everything else forget it.  I definitely know no potato and fish.
Dr. Harvey's seemed ok, but problems digesting it in all 3, urban wolf is my best bet with digestion, but Dusty is contantly eating grass outside, and they all seem really hungry still, so I guess that must be missing something in it. I swear that Dusty is part horse, he can eat grass faster than anything, he walks and eats it, nutball dog.  Stinkin cute but he's a mess!
Why don't you like the ingredients in Canine Caviar???  Are you still feeding i/d, I can't believe that didn't agree with Dusty.
Oh well, sorry I'm babbling. hope you can answer this all.
Monica

Well, I know I probably sound like a broken record but you should probably try a food with one protein and one carb only.  I would stay away from chicken, odd grains and/or carbs like barley and also flaxseed. 
 
You've go SOOO many ingredients in that canine caviar that it could be.  You need to get the list down so if something happens you can pinpoint it. 
 
I also wouldn't be too too worried about the grass eating.  That doesn't necessarily mean there is something wrong.  A lot of dogs just like doing that. 
 
Yes, she's still on some i/d daily.  Other foods she can have with not problem now are Innova Evo's canned 95% beef, Wysong Beef Aus Jus and also Turkey Aus Jus and I recently discovered Evanger's Hunk Of Beef.  All canned all really good quality with limited ingredients.