Has she had an allergy panel?
Buffy did when she was bad - though hers came back as not allergic to anything tested. I really think allergies would be a good starting point. Might not be food, could be environmental.
Buffy would scratch herself badly, chew her legs and feet. She would then get a skin infection and need anti-biotics. Steroids would give relief, but because she is so young (20 months now) the vet and I were concerned about developing Cushings. So long term use wasn't an option.
We tried an exclusion diet - perhaps different to the 'special diet' already tried?
Basically 1/3 meat protein that she hasn't previously been fedd - we used white fish(Coley), 1/3 carb (sweet potato or half sweet potato, half potato, 1/3 veg - I used half kale and half carrot.
This diet does not provide all the nutrients a dog needs so should only be used short term. But you do need to feed the diet exclusively (no treats, scraps etc) for a month to get any allergens out of the system.
IF there is an improvement, try reintroducing other foods one by one and noting any reaction. IE, week one, a different meat (try chicken if you used fish), no reaction, week two try rice instead of potato. And so on......A long process and to be honest, the allergy panel is easier if a little pricey.
I also tried oatmeal shampoo to calm her skin (perhaps helped a little), Mink Oil Shampoo (no help), Yogurt and honey (no help - but her attitude to bath time changed for the better
), Neem Oil (healed abrasions quick, but didn't stop the scratching), Spinach in the food (seemed to help - and others swear by it), Salmon oil in the food (didn't seem to help - but the other dogs had lovely glossy coats)
Clothing helped a lot - by covering her up she couldn't scratch or chew herself. Tasty Kongs kept her distracted.
With Buffy, in the end we gave up. We treated it like human eczema, bathing with gentle shampoo, emollient creams, piriton and covering up. And it seemed to clear up significantly. Now, until tonight, she has had fantastic skin for the last few months, even though we do very little other than wash her legs after off-lead walks.
BUT
We noticed it got way worse when she was due a season (hence the spay question). In fact, it all started just before her first season. Although the vet said it wasn't hormonal, it settled down after her season (but not enough for to permit a spay), then flaired up again before her second season. Luckily, with the eczema regime we kept it under control enough for her to be spayed.
However....
After the spay we were given Hill I/D food. We dutifully fed it to her that night and next day. The next few days she was licking excessively and chewing her legs. Back on her normal Wainrights Potato and Salmon, she goes back to OK.
Today - if you see my 'Dog upset tum' thread, you'll see poor old Murphy got rice and chicken for dinner. So did Buffy for convenience. Tonight I have put her babygrows back on to stop the scratching.
Common denominator? Rice and chicken - even though her allergy panel said she was allergic to neither.
I also know people who have had dogs with poor skin that has improved enormously after feeding a BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet.
Sorry for the massively huge post. Hope some of it helps. I would still also suggest a thyroid test.
