Itchy, scabby spots - food allergy??

[FenrisUlfr]

In the last week and a half, Fenris has been getting these small scabby spots on his skin (about the size of a pinky fingernail, and he has maybe 2-5 at any given time). He doesn't seem to be scratching excessively, although I guess he must be. His nails aren't too long, and he doesn't have fleas.

The only change we've made is to start feeding him California Natural Lamb & Rice, because he wouldn't eat the new Canidae, and when he did, it made him sick. He seems to love the California Natural, eats it with enthusiasm, and no longer vomits or has loose stools, so I'll be really bummed out if it's the food (especially since we just bought a huge bag of it). Is there anything else this could conceivably be? The ingredient list looks really close to the old Canidae Lamb & Rice, so I'm not sure what he could be allergic to.

Any suggestions, other than "keep trying new food"? (We're going to do this anyway, if things don't improve in another week.) Should we take him to the vet to get this checked out, or assume it's allergies and try other food before taking him to the vet?

[brunie's mom]

Small scabby spots on the skin does not sound like a food allergy. They usually appear with itchy ears, and foot licking. It sounds to me like some sort of bug bite. Is your dog on flea prevention? It could be the bite of only one flea that causes this reaction if the dog is allergic to the flea bite. It could also be ant bites or some other sort of flying or crawling bug.

Give him a bath with some soothing Oatmeal type of dog shampoo, and see what happens from there. If it get's worse take him into the vet to check him out.

Gina