Hi, I have a 3 yr old westie who is now getting skin irritation every couple of months. At the moment he is on antibiotics and non-steroidal pills AGAIN. I changed his food from Purina beta to Burns on advice from my groomer but he is still getting the irritation. It has now been suggested that I try him on James Wellbeloved or Arden Grange. One shop suggested that I feed him on the non rice food as westies are often allergic to rice. PLEASE any advice would be very welcome.

have you tried a food exclusion diet? best to speak to your vet, but basically it could help pinpoint if there are any food groups he is allergic to?

My friends Westie was put onto chappie and never looked back. He too was having skin problems.
They say it smells though ( :( )
Karen

LOL Chappie smells very fishy :(

Hazel,

With food allergies the problem tends to be persistent because the dog is continually exposed to whatever is causing the problem. If you dog's skin flairs up every couple of months regardless of what you feed its most likely not food that is the cause; IMO the more likely culprits are things like dust mites, molds (outside), pollen or chemicals present in things like washing powder. 

I know it can be expensive, but my recommendation would be to try allergy testing.

That said, if you still want to switch foods its best to try one with ingredients your dog has never had before - for example, a food based on salmon and potato with no meat and no rice ... and no artificial anything added.

If you want to try a food that doesn't have any artificial ingredients or colours and is not based on rice Laughing Dog complete uses wheat flour. You can get tripe (contains tripe and chicken), lamb or chicken complete. Tripe seems to be a fave with a few dogs I know.

Wheat is one of the most common sources of allergic reactions in dogs, so as an ingredient it should not be included in the diet of a dog suspected of having food allergies.