"Food Allergy", German Shepherd Dog

Awww, Im sorry Shane's not feeling to good. What if you try something without corn? Just for a try. I am by no means knocking what you are feeding, I just think alot of animals have an allergy to corn, I know mine do. My oldest boxer was so bad his ears and pads on his feet would turn purple. That was many years ago, they haven't had any corn in a very long time. I was having a problem with the two I have now because they were allergic to turkey and chicken, I switched to a different protein source, fish, and they are doing fabulous!!  I hope this is helpful, there are a number of good quality kibbles out that don't have any corn. Let us know how you make out!!!

I don't know of any particular allergies that German Shepards have.  I can tell you the top 4 food allergies in dogs from most common to least, but your dog could be allergic to something other than these four ingredients:
Wheat
Poultry
Corn
Beef

I highly recommend Natural Balance.  Natural Balance makes 3 foods specifically meant for dogs with allergies: Duck and Potato, Sweet Potato and Trout, and Venison and Brown Rice.  Natural Balance can be found at any Pet Co and any Pet Supplies Plus.

Sensible Choice is another allergy line.  They make a Lamb and Rice and a new herring and sweet potato formula.  This can be found at any Pet Co or Pet Supplies Plus.  Alot of the privately owned feed stores carry Sensible Choice too.

California Natural makes a Lamb and Rice and Trout and Sweet Potato.  This you can find at Pet Supplies Plus and many privatly owned botiques

Pinnacle makes a Duck and Potato and Trout and Oatmeal.  This  is easiest to find on- line.

Solid Gold Wolf King (which actually is a large breed formula.  I know a few German Shepard owners that feed this).  It is a Bison and Barley formula.  Some Pet Co's carry this and all Pet Supplies Plus's do.  You may also find this at a boutique.

Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, which is a fish and oatmeal formula.  Pet Co, Pet Smart, Pet Supplies Plus, alot of farm feed stores.

My crew said to tell your neighbor to stop spreading nasty rumors....they LOVE beef and have NO problems with it.[]
 
Actually, I know of absolutely nothing that is a common allergen for shepherds, but corn and wheat both are the most common grain allergies.  I feed my crew either Innova...and they do have a large breed puppy, although I wean from momma right to Innova all life stages.....or Canidae.

A friend of mine has a German Shepherd who is allergic to: beef, corn and soy. It's actually odd that she ISN'T also allergic to wheat, but she does fine with it. Usually dog foods/treats that don't have corn do have soy. Just takes a lot of label reading[]
 

Oh, for sure ANY dog can be allergic to beef...it is in the top 4 allergens.  But, what I meant to say is that this is not something that MORE german shepherds are allergic to than other breeds.

Welcome to idog; I agree with glenmar; GSD's can be allergic to any food. Jessie is part GSD and she is allergic to  chicken. I switched her from Eukanuba to Nutro chicken and rice thinking that the reason she chewed her feet so much was because she was allergic to corn but it didn't help. When the veterinary dermatologist put her on an elimination diet we learned she was allergic to chicken. By the way, the reason allergies to corn and wheat are more common than allergies to rice is because corn and wheat have gluten and rice doesn't; gluten free grains are less likely to cause allergic reactions. You need to only feed your pup the Natural Balance and nothing else; no treats; if he has a food allergy it could be from something he's been eating besides his food. After being on the Natural balance for about eight weeks, if he's still itching and having problems with his ears you'll need to think about the possibility of environmental allergies; Jessie has several.

Thank you, everyone, for such great responses! You've really given me a handle on what to introduce back into Shane's diet to see what affects him. I'll add one at a time, one week at a time, starting with corn. The sooner I find what causes the reaction the happier Shane and I will be!
It's a shame to hurt such pretty ears, don't you agree?

Shane is gorgeous!!

ORIGINAL: jessies_mom

You need to only feed your pup the Natural Balance and nothing else; no treats; if he has a food allergy it could be from something he's been eating besides his food. After being on the Natural balance for about eight weeks, if he's still itching and having problems with his ears you'll need to think about the possibility of environmental allergies; Jessie has several.

Fortunately, Shane loves his Nature's Recipe Venison & Brown Rice formula. I'll have to use it as his training treats!
 
I had a GSD (for 14½ years), Daxx, who had skin sensitivities - contact allergies. They were easier to diagnose. He would get oozing lesions on his lip. I traced it to a chemical they use to preserve the texture of fake shearling toys! I think it was formaldehyde! [:'(]
 
Anyway, I'm sticking with it until I solve Shane's problem!

ORIGINAL: Luvntzus

Shane is gorgeous!!

Awww! Shane and I thank you for the compliment. Little Gingerbread is a treasure, too!
We used to be owned by a Shih Tzu back in the 70s! []

Awwww Shane!!! you are beautiful!!!  I wish I could give ya a great big smooch[]

ORIGINAL: Boxermom4

Awwww Shane!!! you are beautiful!!!  I wish I could give ya a great big smooch[]

 
Oh, thank you, Boxermom4. He's a real snuggle bug, too! If I sit on the floor he crawls right into my lap.
 
I'd love to see your Boxer family! I adore Boxers (well, I adore all dogs; but, Boxers always get my attention!)

  In my post above I said grains which have gluten like corn and wheat are more likely to cause allergic reactions than rice, which is gluten free. A booklet I have from Monica Segal says rice is a gluten free carb, but some dog food companies such as Nutro list rice gluten as an ingredient, so I'm not sure if rice is gluten free or not.

ORIGINAL: jojo the pogo

I don't know of any particular allergies that German Shepards have.  I can tell you the top 4 food allergies in dogs from most common to least, but your dog could be allergic to something other than these four ingredients:
Wheat
Poultry
Corn
Beef

I highly recommend Natural Balance.  Natural Balance makes 3 foods specifically meant for dogs with allergies: Duck and Potato, Sweet Potato and Trout, and Venison and Brown Rice.  Natural Balance can be found at any Pet Co and any Pet Supplies Plus.

Sensible Choice is another allergy line.  They make a Lamb and Rice and a new herring and sweet potato formula.  This can be found at any Pet Co or Pet Supplies Plus.  Alot of the privately owned feed stores carry Sensible Choice too.

California Natural makes a Lamb and Rice and Trout and Sweet Potato.  This you can find at Pet Supplies Plus and many privatly owned botiques

Pinnacle makes a Duck and Potato and Trout and Oatmeal.  This  is easiest to find on- line.

Solid Gold Wolf King (which actually is a large breed formula.  I know a few German Shepard owners that feed this).  It is a Bison and Barley formula.  Some Pet Co's carry this and all Pet Supplies Plus's do.  You may also find this at a boutique.

Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach, which is a fish and oatmeal formula.  Pet Co, Pet Smart, Pet Supplies Plus, alot of farm feed stores.

Actually, the Pet Supplies "Plus" stores here do not carry Natural Balance, Sensible Choice, CA Natural (or any Natura product), or Solid Gold products.  It'd be nice if they did, but as of today, they don't.  Also, the CA Natural fish formula is Herring and Sweet Potato, not trout.

ETA: How could I forget to mention how pretty Shane is?!?  He's a beauty!