[Dailydrool] Allergy questions

[dpmcquade at verizon.net]

Shortly after Horton came to us, he had some serious stomach issues with bloody diarrhea. We did a certain amount of testing, up to the point where the vet wanted to do an ultrasound.

But since Horton finally seemed to settle in fairly well, eating his fish-based food, I didn't go for the ultrasound. As long as he's on a limited diet, he seems to do fairly well. But we have a problem. To do some training to help him with his fear issues, I am going to have to give him treats--seriously good treats, not just the cookie treats I've made for my hounds. I have tried rabbit treats, liver treats, and lamb treats. Just a few of any of these will start getting the poopies loose. So I figured that I'd go with a good thing and get some fish treats. I love Zuke's treats, since they have good ingredients and are not made in China. But this weekend Horton was getting a bit loose with them too. I have another completely grain-free treat that I will try on him too. But I have a few questions for Droolers:

1. Could this looseness be caused by his nervousness when Drew is around? Horton adores me but is very nervous when Drew is here.

 
2. Could Horton's looseness be caused by allergies? I noticed just the other day that the food I am feeding my hounds has some barley. Since Holly is sensitive to grains, I figured I might change foods to the Earthborn grain-free food. She's pretty good with her allergies, but this might just solve her problem entirely. Could the barley also be causing loose stools in Horton? Nice if I could solve both problems at once.

3. For those of you who dehydrate dog treats, could I safely dehydrate some salmon or make a treat out of salmon and potato, bake it, then dehydrate it, and have something that would not have to be refrigerated? The dehydrator I own is not one of the fancy ones. No fan, no timer, just a heating coil. Will I end up with an improperly dehydrated treat that will harm the hounds? Will I stink myself out of the house if I try this?
 
Thanks for all your wisdom on this subject.
Pam, food slave to the Dashing Bassets