[Dailydrool] chicken and itchy armpits

[Menzie Campbell]

Let me be the third (or maybe fourth?) person who has a basset with a
demonstrable "red armpit" reaction to chicken.  Bozlee, 8 years old,
came to me with red/brown, itchy armpits, belly and feet (especially
feet).  He got better and worse off and on through the next few years.
 I've fed the BARf diet, the raw-with-veggies diet, and now grain-free
NutriSource kibble to all except Bozlee, who is still on a homemade
diet.  Since I am making his food myself, it's pretty easy for me to
switch out one meat source for another to see if a particular food is
bothering him.  And if I feed him chicken - cooked breasts, raw necks,
or anything in between - he starts licking those feet obsessively.
When I feed him ground beef and turkey necks instead - no
foot-licking.  It's noticeable within just a few hours of feeding him
chicken - it's like flipping a switch, seriously.

So... maybe try a grain-free, NO CHICKEN kiddle - read the bag very
carefully to make sure there's no chicken broth or eggs in it
anywhere.  If all else fails, you might try him on a homemade diet for
a few weeks - start with just three ingredients, to make it simple -
maybe green beans, sweet ptoatoes, and ground beef, all cooked
together into a big stew, something like that- to see if you can
identify a particular food product that makes him red and itchy.

-- 
Menzie Campbell
Save a Life - Don't Shop, ADOPT!
Owned by Pw. Annabelle ATB, Hector TVL, Barney, Bozlee, Millie and now
Pippa and Bonnie (the sisters)