Finally figured out Rosie's allergies after 8 months - sharing in case it helps someone

eight months. that's how long it took us to figure out that Rosie, our 4-year-old golden, is allergic to chicken. chicken. the ingredient in like 60% of dog foods. i'm posting this because i wish someone had laid out the full picture for me at the start, so maybe this saves someone else the frustration.

the symptoms were: constant paw licking, ear infections every 6-8 weeks, occasional eye discharge, and this generalized itchy restlessness where she'd just sort of scan her own body looking for somewhere to scratch. no visible rash. no hot spots. just constant low-grade discomfort that made her seem anxious when really she was just itchy and couldn't tell us why.

we tried: changing shampoo, adding fish oil, treating for environmental allergies, two different antibiotics for the ear infections. the ear infections kept coming back. finally a vet dermatologist suggested a strict 12-week hydrolyzed protein elimination diet. we did it. no cheating at all, which was hard. week 10 was when i noticed Rosie stopped immediately going to lick her paws when she came inside. week 12 the ears were clear.

we reintroduced chicken after another 2 weeks. within 4 days the ear started looking irritated and she was licking her paws again. that was our answer. she's been on a salmon and sweet potato food for 3 months now and is a completely different dog. i genuinely teared up the first time i realized she'd made it 6 weeks without an ear infection.