Dec
25
2009
Please Help! Dog Won’t Stop Scratching!!!?
Posted by: Alan in Flea Allergies In Dogs, tags: Help, Please, Scratching, Stop, Wont
She’s been scratching since January. We’ve upgraded her food, bathed her, given her supplements, took her to the vet. The vet thinks its a flea allergy. We have her benedryl per the vet. No help. Vet prescribed a different antihistamine. Very little help. She’s had 2 hot spots since she’s been scratching. We gave her advantage 2 months ago and frontline this month. She just keeps SCRATCHING and BITING herself. What else could be going on??!!
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December 26th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Try a hypoallergenic dog food, like Hill’s Z/d ultra or Royal Canin Hypoallergenic (correct spelling). Give it a few weeks. Often, pets are allergic to a specific ingredient: chicken, beef, wheat, corn, etc.
What is the antihistamine she’s on? Maybe she needs a steroid.
Make sure you’re not washing her too often – you can irritate the skin.
If nothing helps, you can request an allergy test at your vet. We offer something called a VARL test. It’s a blood draw that gets sent to a lab, where they test for allergies to all sorts of allergens, like dust, pollen, meats, trees, etc.
Good luck!
December 26th, 2009 at 9:03 am
How often do you bathe her? Some dogs’ coat and skin reacts badly to being bathed more than once every month or two, and that can cause hot spots. As dyutz22 mentioned, “dry” forced hot air or electric heat can also cause itching, and her suggestion sounds as good as any.
Scratching can also cause more irritation and itching. A friend of mine occasionally puts baby socks on her dog’s feet (taped around the ankles with medical gauze tape) to keep him from scratching. Depending on how big and/or determined your dog is, she may be able to get them off, especially if you’re not around, but it could be worth a try.
The same friend I mentioned started her dog on a raw diet after 3+ years of him having horrible allergies, and it worked like magic. Food allergies definitely can cause itching and skin irritation for dogs. I would only recommend the raw diet as a last resort, though, since it’s a lot more work than regular dog food.
December 26th, 2009 at 10:18 am
hey there
i know this sounds cruel and probably is but i would get her one of those things you put around a dog’s neck to stop them scratching themselves after an operation. it helped my friend so hopefullyit helps you.
hope this helps
P.S i think you can get them at the vet.
December 26th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Could it be an allergy to something else like her food?
It’s not uncommon for dogs or cats to have food allergies. Keep trying and if he can’t solve the problem you might want to try a different vet.
December 26th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
if you have “dry heat” in your home, this will cause hot spots. you should make a mixture of teatree oil and virgin olive oil to rub on the spots.