Doesn’t matter, we did the best we could with her (as the dermatologist eulogized in their sympathy card to us), and she was BAD from the GET-GO. She was just a tiny puppy when I got her from a breeder and itchy as hell, never grew adult hair since she was scratching sides all the time.
By a year she went to the dermatologist (my sister’s Shepherd also had some allergies hence) and while it was EXTREMELY expensive and difficult her entire life, she at least looked great her whole life after that (no one knew by looking at her how bad she was).
I don’t buy any of that cure-all snake-oil stuff. It does not apply to everyone anyway. Raw doesn’t matter - animal protein, period. We had the best food available - Innovative Veterinary Diets (IVD) - now owned by Royal Canin.
I always say anyone wants advice on allergic dogs - mail me. No one has the experience we do. “Worst allergic dog ever.”
I’ve used IVD. I have some on the shelf. Given that your dog had this problem from a very early age (that’s pretty rare) you did the best you could. I have a friend whose dog has similar allergies and you wouldn’t know how close she was to dying. She also is living to old age.
Totally understand about the snake oil thing. However the people I’m talking about are all experts and everyone uses and knows (and funds) high priced vet work and research. With one dog, going with the vets recommendation is the way to go. However, when you need to know how much is environment and how much is hereditary, trying a corrected (raw diet, correctly mixed, raw diets aren’t just meat) diet to see if that’s the problem is important when they make the decision to move forward with not just one dog but it’s whole line.