Over the past months, we’ve reviewed intolerance screening data from more than 100 dogs.
Not all of those dogs had skin problems.
They came to us for a range of reasons: digestive issues, behaviour changes, low energy, recurring ear infections, or simply because their owners wanted clearer insight into what might suit their dog best.
But as we reviewed their results, one pattern became increasingly hard to ignore:
Skin-related symptoms are one of the most common ways intolerances show up. Even when they aren’t the original reason for testing.
This article isn’t about diagnosing disease or criticising symptom management.
It’s about sharing what we’re consistently seeing in the data, and what it might help dog owners think differently about.
The assumption most owners make about itchy skin
When a dog develops itchy or inflamed skin, the first assumption is usually external contact:
🌱Grass
🪻Pollen
💨Dust
🧼Household products
🍃Seasonal changes
And sometimes, those things are part of the picture.
But across a wide range of dogs, including many without obvious skin complaints at the outset, intolerance screening often highlights contributors that are internal, not just environmental.
Skin is often where pressure shows up, not where it starts
One of the clearest learnings from reviewing intolerance results is this:
The skin is frequently the outlet, not the origin.
Dogs may tolerate certain foods or ingredients for long periods.
But when their system becomes overloaded, through repeated exposure, combinations of stressors, or environmental layering, the skin often becomes the visible signal.
That’s why we commonly see:
✅Paw licking
✅Ear irritation
✅Facial rubbing
✅Generalised itchiness
Even in dogs whose digestion appears “normal”.
Food-related intolerances don’t always look like gut issues
Another misconception we see often is that food-related problems should be obvious in digestion.
In reality, many dogs with identified food sensitivities show:
❎No vomiting
❎No diarrhoea
❎No obvious stomach upset
Instead, the impact appears elsewhere, most commonly through the skin or ears.
This helps explain why some dogs cycle through:
😃Temporary improvement
😔Symptom recurrence weeks later
😕Shifting symptoms rather than resolution
Why symptom management can feel like a loop
Many owners tell us their dog’s skin issues respond briefly to diet changes, improve with medicated shampoos, or settle with antihistamines or steroids.
None of these approaches are inherently wrong.
But if underlying contributors aren’t identified, the system often returns to the same pressure point and the skin flares again.
That’s when owners start to feel like they’re managing symptoms rather than understanding causes.
What intolerance screening is (and isn’t)
To be clear, an intolerance screening:
❌Does not diagnose allergies or medical conditions
❌Does not replace veterinary care
❌Does not claim to explain every symptom
What it can do is:
✅Highlight patterns across food and environmental stressors
✅Reduce guesswork when making diet or lifestyle changes
✅Support more informed conversations and decisions
It’s a tool for context, not conclusions.
The key takeaway from 100+ dogs
If there’s one insight we’d share, it’s this:
Recurring skin issues are often a signal of underlying intolerance patterns. Even when skin wasn’t the original concern.
Understanding those patterns can change how owners think about flare-ups, and how they approach next steps.
To find out how Paw Print Health's Complete Intolerance Screening can help you better understand your dog's intolerances and get them back to living their best lives, click here.
