It is impossible for any of us to diagnose skin issues without seeing the dog, even if we were vets, which we are not! Since your vet mentioned food allergies, I would tend to go along with that. Allergies develop from the dog getting the same food all the time... that's how they work. Frankly, Iams isn't the best choice out there, especially for possible food allergies since it uses lots of corn as a filler and many dogs ARE allergic to corn. I would suggest you try one of the grain free dog foods, and select one with a different protein source than your Iams... if he's on chicken, try fish or lamb... be sure to read all the ingredients... some use chicken fat even though they are called lamb. There are tons of great brands available... try Wellness, Merrick, Blue Buffalo, others will suggest even more. It WILL take some time for changes to be evident so plan on at least a month.
The other suggestion I would throw out is to have a thryoid panel done if you haven't yet.

Toto, CD, RN, CGC answered on 5/20/10. Helpful? / 0