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It is highly possible it's a food allergy. Remember, just because the brand of food hasn't changed doesn't mean the makers of that food haven't changed something about it. The ingredients in the food this month may not be an exact match to what was in it last month. So just because you haven't changed it, doesn't mean it hasn't been changed. It could still be an allergy to the food.

The best place to start would be by switching the food. I recommend Chicken Soup For the Pet Lovers Soul, which is rather costly. You can also try Natural Balance which is available just about everywhere in the US and Canada. It took is slightly on the expensive side (I've seen it near me for roughly $33 for 16 lbs). However, the ingredients are all natural, free from known allergins, and containing so many essentially "perfect" ingredients means your dog will eat half as much of it as it did the other stuff but still be getting the fill he needs to be healthy.

Benedryl should be okay for him. 1 mg per 10 lbs of the animal's weight. Try one pill daily, increase to two if 1 doesn't help. I personally would not recommend any higher or more often of a dose.

Also remember if you are bathing too often, this will dry out his skin and cause itching. Lengthen times between baths and swimming in any body of water.

On that note, if he's swam in any lakes, oceans, streams, rivers, etc, etc, etc, recently he may be suffering an allergic reaction either to the water or something in the water. I've seen dogs have unbelievable reactions to salt-water. Also remember the uncountable numbers of parasites found in natural bodies of water--some aren't noticable to the human eye. If you take him swimming it's always best to rinse him well with clean water immediately after. You may also try a gentle shampoo such as a baby soap or dawn dish soap (but remember to rinse well with both).