Film your dog like a pro (on your phone)
If you only do one thing before switching your dog's food, do this: film them properly first. Change this gradual is invisible day to day. The only way you'll really see it is by putting week eight next to day one, and that only works if day one is on camera.
The baseline shots
Ten minutes, once, before the new food takes over.
- The problem, up close. The itchy patch, the chewed paws, the flaky skin. Get close, hold steady, count to ten.
- Paws and belly. The bits dogs lick are the bits that change most.
- A slow pan of the coat, head to tail, in daylight.
- Eating, side on. Appetite and enthusiasm are part of the story.
- Their face. Partly for comparison, mostly because you'll want it later.
How to make the clips comparable
- Natural light. Near a window or outside. Lamps turn everything orange.
- Wipe the lens. Sounds daft. Fixes half of all blurry dog videos.
- Hold each shot for at least ten seconds. Longer than feels natural.
- Same spot, same angle, every week. Pick a place and stick to it.
- Film both ways up - landscape and portrait. You'll want both later.
Then, once a week
One close-up of the problem area, same spot and angle as day one. One 20-second clip of your dog just being your dog. That's the whole job. The boring weeks matter as much as the dramatic ones, so film them anyway.
worth doing
Make an album in your camera roll called "[your dog]'s 8 weeks" and drop each clip in as you go. Eight weeks of clips scattered through a camera roll is how before-and-afters get lost.
No editing, no fancy kit, no narration needed. Just the same honest shot every week, starting before anything changes.
the food behind the guide
One novel protein.
None of the usual suspects.
Some Grub is a cold-pressed, hypoallergenic dog food built around insect protein - a protein most dogs have never met, which is the whole point of a food trial.
See the food →picked for this page
Where to go next
For your food trial · 22 min read
Elimination Diet for Dogs: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide
The gold standard for diagnosing a food allergy takes at least 8 weeks. The full process, what to feed, what breaks a trial, and how to reintroduce.
Read the guide
