For the first 2 years of Scout's (my 5 year old yellow lab) life he had chronic, although mild ear infections. He would itch some but not to a degree that would earn any concern. The ear infections I chalked up to the fact that he was a lab and labs always had ear infections. It wasn't until I switched the brand of dog food that it made me question a food sensitivity. What prompted the switch was that the manufacturer of the food I was feeding had sold out to a company that makes everything from cosmetics to shampoos to food. Often in the dog food world, once this happens, the quality of the ingredients start to change. So before that happened I switched foods. It was unintentional the first food I switched Scout to, but it was a high, novel protein (bison, venison), free of rice and full of pro and prebiotics. Within a span of 3 weeks, Scout's ears, untreated with medications, cleared. I had never seen them so clean. While he never had a raging infection he always had that greasy, yeasty debris. It was at this point that I became aware that he had even been itchy. Because when he used to jump up and start scratching his armpits after laying on carpet, I would think, he has little hair there and the fiber of the carpet must irritate him. After switching foods, he hardly ever itched. That it is when the light bulb went off!
It took many months, close to a year, of trial and errors to narrow down the ingredients which were irritating to him. In the end it came down to Rice and/or Chicken. I am more certain that it is chicken because once it came down to the two, I picked a chicken grain free diet which had about 6 different chicken ingredients within the first 10 listed. At the end of 1 week being on the food, his ears started to get that greasy debris. Scout can still eat things with chicken in it, but just not an overabundance and every day for a month or more. I have no problem with grains in a dogs diet, I find it just as easy to pick foods that are chicken and grain free. Scout who will be 6 in a couple of short months has been ear infection free for 4 years.
You may have noticed that I keep calling it sensitivities verses allergies. The difference between a sensitivity verses an allergy is that with allergies they are acute reactions; swelling, can't breath, overall, severe issues that need attending. Think of people who are allergic to bee stings and need immediate assistance. Sensitivities are an intolerance. They can occur anywhere 2-72 hours post exposure, like after eating something. According to Dr. Jean Dodds, Veterinarian and one of the foremost experts in pet healthcare, onset of sensitivities occur between 6 months to 4 years for most animals. Largest complaints when it comes to sensitivities, itching, otitis externa (ear infections), and seborrhea (dry skin flakes like dandruff ).
There are definitely other reasons dogs can itch. Food sensitivity actually falls third in the list of many things. Number 1 = Flea bites, Number 2 = atopy, or inhalant allergy, and then Number 3 = food sensitivity.
If you think your dog has an intolerance to something in particular, like food, it is important to give the trial 4-6 weeks if not 6-8 weeks of eliminating that particular ingredient. Then if there is no improvement you can try eliminating more ingredients. There are a number of companies out there that offer a limited ingredient formula which is often one protein source and one grain which is extremely helpful when doing food trials.
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