I have a 7 month old puppy with suspected food intolerances and am looking for a suitable complete food.

I would like to feed him raw but am a little concerned about getting it right as a novice, particularly while he is still growing.  I have therefore decided on a complete and raw mix for now. I have been looking at Orijen as it doesn't contain any grain but must admit I find it all a little confusing.

What would everyone recommend as a hypoallergenic food?

It would really depend on what intolerances your puppy has ;)  until that is known it would be impossible to recommend any one food over another.

Have you tried an elimination diet?  or had tests done?  How is the intolerance manifesting itself?  Is it through skin, Tummy trouble, behaviour, other?   There are as many different solutions to try as there are intolerances ;)

Sorry to sound so negative but not knowing the dog or what the vet has said, it would be wrong to suggest anything without more info ;)

The vet is not totally sure what the problem is yet. It may not be food intolerances at all.

He has always had a sensitive tummy and has just finished a course of steroids and antibiotics for severe puppy impetigo which got infected.
The vet has suggested that we look into food intolerances as he thinks that the problem maybe his food.
He is fine when he isn't having his complete and seems to tolerate tripe, potatoes, raw lamb, chicken and eggs, with out any side affects
The vet wants me to try changing his food, before we start any actual tests, to see if it makes a difference but didn't recommend any brand.

In your position, I would be wanting to stay with those foods that are tolerated for at least 6 weeks before trying any other foods.  This will enable you to establish whether or not pup is stable on these foods ;) and allow any gut problems to heal.  When trying a new food, add only one food at a time and wait at least a few weeks before adding another food if that one is tolerated. This way you can identify what food is a problem ;)  

This can take a long time, especially if you see a reaction or suspect one as you then have to wait for normality to return and then try again later to be sure it was the food and nothing else. 

There are foods made with only these named ingredients and maybe this is the way to go.  

It would be helpful to know which foods your pup has been on and reacted badly to?  What does the breeder feed?

Thanks Dill
Thankfully mainly due to his antibiotics and steroids Hugo's skin looks brilliant at the moment and his tummy seems fine, I'm really hoping I can get it to stay like that.

He's currently eating Royal Canin Maxi junior and has been on this since before I had him.

His breeder feeds her puppies on Royal Canin but says she feeds her adult dogs over 18 months a cheap food, I'm not sure which one.

Having looked at the ingredients, it seems to contain a lot of Maize (maize occurs several times in the ingredients list ;) ) and also contains soya -  both of these can cause problems ;) - I avoid maize heavy feeds for my own dogs as it affects their skin and ears ;)

Perhaps as a first step you could look for a food that doesn't contain maize or soya and contains some of the foods your dog appears to tolerate well?  It might well help to enquire from the breeder what food their adult dogs are fed on too, the ingredients may suit ;)  a good breeder would be happy to keep in touch and give help and advice where possible ;)

Thanks.

I'll have a look and see what I can find.
I'll ring his breeder tommorrow, she may well have some advice and iIm sure she'd be happy to help.

I would put him onto raw completely, there's loads of info available and pre prepared raw food as Prize Choice frozen blocks. My bichons start to itch and scratch if they manage to get hold of any complete (usually at somewhere we are visiting).

Or maybe try him on something like Natures Harvest/Naturediet, which have easily identified ingredients and nothing artificial.

In your situation I'd be inclined to go with a home prepared diet, raw or cooked (IMO raw is best) you then know exactly what he's getting. Join the yahoo group Britbarf and their sister site BritBarf Health, you'll find lots of useful information on there. And avoid any mass-produced treats.

I have just bought him some lamb Natures Diet and although it's too early to see how it affects his skin he seems to love it. 

I will, when I get a chance, look at the britbarf group. I really like the idea of raw feeding and Hugo has chicken wings, mince and tripe a few times a week but I worry about providing a complete diet, particually as he is a large breed and still growing.

One of my mastiffs has a lot of allergies (chicken, beef, oats etc) I have been feeding her on Burns-venison and brown rice. Has made a difference.

go onto Trophy Pet Foods website -they have a hypo-allergic food that basicaly saved my dogs life, it's better than anything you can buy in the shops, just as cost effective and is delivered to your door, they'll send you free sample and give you loads of advise