After one year of painful allergy shots, my shepherd is not any better. Yesterday, we saw a vet who also does alternative medicine. Here is what he suggested:

Probiotics - helps heal leaky gut syndrome.
Vitamins C & E
Fish Oil - if your guy reacts, try salmon oil. Always get the capsules because the bottled stuff can be rancid. Do not use cod liver oil because you'll overdose vitamin A.

Food - when I did the food trial, I got IVD rabbit from my vet. I wanted to be absolutely positive that the protein source wasn't contaminated. Since you have to do it 6-8 weeks, it pays to do it once. Watch all treats, even rawhides, etc.

Douxo calm shampoo - leave on 10 minutes & rinse
Hylyt bath oil spray - daily. Can be diluted if he gets too oily.

Food - I home cooked for him. Vet said a food called Orijen is excellent. It is made in Canada & all parts of production - from fish catching to final product is done in one place. Nothing is out sourced. It's a small company.

Stay away from grains. Read labels.

I went the alternative medicine route because I couldn't stand him being so miserable. The allergy shots were painful & he hated going to the doggie dermatologist. They didn't help at all & often made him worse. My regular vet suggested that I consult with this guy (who does allopathic and alternative medicine).

Keeping fingers - and paws - crossed!