Au contraire, kmanthe,
I, too am a raw feeder. Have been for over 5 years. The first couple of years, Dex had terrible hot spots. At one point, 5 simultaneously. Long and short I was feeding him a considerable amount of lamb and that was the offender. I do feed oatmeal, although a small portion. I figured my choice was to eliminate the lamb or the grains. I opted for the lamb and he was better in a very short period of time.
Sabeaux, I am no authority, but generally the "bad guys" are beef, corn, rice and grains. Usually they are not veggies. I say usually, not always. They (bad guys) can also be preservatives in commercial dog food.
I hate to suggest the elimination diet, because it is such a pain in the butt. But, it probably is the best indicator of what your dog may be allergic to.
If you are experiencing hot spots that are very red and oozey, may I suggest you try:
1 large bottle camphophenique (sp?)
Plain old ordinary vaseline
Sulphur (from the pharmacy)
Mix the campho and sulphur to make a thick paste but pliable. Add enough vaseline to make it the consistency of cake frosting. However, I do not recommend you taste it.
Stop applying this mixture when the red and oozing has gone away. Do also be careful, your dog may want to lap it off. At least Dex always did, hence he was in an e-collar.
Let us know.
Sue
