This is a specific conversation about New puppy essentials — what you actually need — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
Itchy paws and ears in a 4-year-old Irish Setter almost always points to food sensitivity, and you're right to think about an elimination diet — it's the only reliable way to find the actual trigger. Before I point you toward a specific food, I need to ask a couple of things: has your vet confirmed this is likely dietary rather than environmental (grass, pollen, dust mites can cause identical symptoms), and has your dog eaten anything with novel proteins like kangaroo, venison, or duck before?
Yes, vet said food sensitivity is the most likely cause and suggested trying an elimination diet. He's been on chicken-based food his whole life, so the vet thinks chicken is probably the culprit. He's never had venison or kangaroo as far as I know.
inparticular.ai
That's a really useful starting point — chicken as the likely trigger plus no prior exposure to venison or kangaroo gives you clean novel proteins to work with. The critical rule for an elimination diet is that the food must have a single, genuinely novel protein source and nothing else your dog has eaten before. Many grain-free foods market themselves as good for sensitivities but still contain chicken fat, chicken meal, or mixed proteins that will derail the whole process. What does he currently eat, and does it contain any other proteins like beef, lamb, or fish?
He's on a dry kibble that lists chicken as the first ingredient. Looking at the bag now — it also has salmon oil and egg in the ingredients. So I guess those are also potential triggers I need to avoid?
inparticular.ai
Exactly right, and well spotted. Egg and salmon are both common allergens, so your elimination food needs to avoid chicken, egg, and fish entirely to give you a clean read. That narrows things down considerably. My clear recommendation for your Irish Setter is Orijen Tundra dry dog food — it's built around arctic and boreal proteins (elk, bison, venison, wild boar) with no chicken, no salmon, no egg. Orijen uses 85% animal ingredients and the protein sources are genuinely distinct from what your dog has been eating. It's a premium product, not cheap, but for an elimination diet you need confidence in the ingredient list, and Orijen's transparency is hard to beat. Run it exclusively for 8–12 weeks with absolutely nothing else — no treats, no table scraps, no flavoured dental chews — and you'll get a reliable result.
That sounds sensible. Irish Setters are quite large — he's about 28kg. Will a standard bag size work out very expensive to trial?
inparticular.ai
At 28kg he's on the larger end for an Irish Setter, so expect to feed roughly 280–320g per day depending on his activity level. Orijen Tundra comes in an 11.4kg bag on Amazon UK, which will last you roughly 5–6 weeks, so you'll need two bags to complete a full 8-week trial. It's not cheap per bag, but weighed against ongoing vet visits and the cost of guessing wrong with multiple mediocre foods, it's genuinely worth it. One thing worth knowing: switching cold turkey can cause loose stools just from the dietary change, so transition over 7–10 days by mixing increasing amounts of the new food with his current food before going 100% Orijen. After that, the 8-week clock starts.
Really helpful, thank you. Is there anything else I should watch for during the trial?
inparticular.ai
A few practical things: keep a simple diary noting itch levels, paw licking frequency, and ear redness every few days — it helps you spot improvement objectively rather than relying on memory. Check every single treat and supplement he gets; many dental sticks and joint supplements contain chicken or fish. If the itching genuinely clears by week 8, you can reintroduce old proteins one at a time to confirm the trigger — that's when you get your answer. If there's no improvement at all after 12 clean weeks, go back to your vet because environmental allergens or another cause may be in play. But based on what you've described, you have a solid plan.
