Beside Fleas, What Could Be Making My 7 Yr Old Dog Itch And Chew?
Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at
2:37 pm
We use Advantage Flea Control, and we have done treatment inside the house, there are no fleas, but here is is November, and my poor dog is still itching and scratching and chewing himself silly. Every so often I can feel bumps on his skin under his coat, but not there are no scabs. He has always been an itchy dog, but it has always been seasonal. I know to use Oatmeal Shampoo, and to give him raw eggs/veggie oil in his food, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Aside from taking him to get allergy testing ($$$) anything else you’d recommend? Thanks
Tagged with: Beside • Chew • Could • Fleas • Itch • Making • What
Filed under: Flea Allergies In Dogs
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First suspect is allergies (bug bites [Advantage kills bugs after they bite, he could be allergic to the actual bite], carpet, carpet powder, fabric softeners in your clothes, almost anything really), bad habits (I’m not kidding, some dogs get hooked on licking and biting themselves. Then there is an infection. Then it itches. Then they lick and scratch…), Consider feeding a coat-specific formula food gradually: like AvoDerm. There are many available. Find something and stick with it for a while, that way you have fewer possibilities to eliminate.
Make sure you are using only animal-specific shampoo. Human products are the wrong pH. Try any sulfur-based product like Vet Solutions Universal Medicated. It smells a bit, but he’ll feel better. Get all of the soap off, rinse well. Never bathe more than once a week, skipping a week or two is even better, unless your vet gives you specific instructions.
Do a little Sherlock Holmes work and eliminate the possible irritants one at a time. And you can give him a Benedryl twice a day.
Ants , see if you have them in the yard , that will make your dog itch, bite & scratch.
Dry skin. Quit giving the dog baths so often.
Sweat?
Try head and shoulders shampoo.
He might need an antibiotics round. My dog had a skin infection and did the same. She was miserable. We took her to the vet and they put her on antibiotics and she got better. Every once in a while, we have to repeat the meds, but less than once a year.
Hot spots…
sounds like allergy’s to me
Well, after baths, or getting wet, or hot and sweaty, dogs often get hotspots. If it is bad, you’ll have to shave the hair down, to let the skin dry out and air out. Then, you’d probubly want to oatmeal bathe him, or give him a medicated shampoo….(that’s alot of $$ though) He might naturally have dandruff, which makes dogs and cats ictch themselfs to torture. Pet stores sell shampoos and stuff to help with dandruff, but the best is to shave the coat and bathe him with a medicated shampoo from the vet. Good luck!
May be allergic to pollen. Unfortunately pollen is year around. Especially is worse during the fall season when the leaves have fallen. Dogs walk through the leaves getting pollen on their feet and then so they lick or chew their feet. Not only is it skin contact, but ingested too, causes severe allergies in this case. Try washing your dogs legs and feet off after being outdoors. I would do this year around for your dog. (:
Dry skin reaction.Have vet look at him.
It really sounds like he has allergies. Do his ears always itch? Does he chew at his paws? If yes it is allergies. You can mention it to you vet and he can give you a dosage for your dog’s size.
Check the food.
Dogs are prone to corn allergies which can develop at any time. most commercial dog kibble (dry food) use corn and constituents of corn such as gluten as a binding agent for the food. Unfortunately it also causes the symptoms your dog is displaying. I have seen dogs chew their paws to bloody stumps because of corn allergies. Use a food that has no corn, corn gluten or anything with the word corn in it. The suggestion of benadryl is not a bad one but DO CONSULT A VET FOR DOSAGE ETC.
Allergies, dry skin. Omega fatty foods can improve skin quality, such as fish.
Has he had fleas in the past? Sometimes when a dog becomes allergic to flea bites, he will have a kind of permanent rash called a “hot spot” where he’s had flea bites in the past. They have topical treatments for it at the pet store.
Give him benadryl
It sounds like he has dry skin. Even dogs can get dry skin. Go to a pet store and they will recommend something.
He’s getting on in age and that can make previous problems worst. Also we are experiencing a drier environment and that could be a factor. Have him checked by a vet just to be sure there is no hidden problems.
mange? it’s a parasite, they treat it at a vet
My dog is going threw this too. More than likely its an allergy problem. There are some great anti-itch shampoos for dogs out there at pet stores. also you could give your dog benadyl but do your research first to see how much. if you have a small dog, i wouldn’t recomend it. i have a small dog, tried it with him and he was out of it and not himself the whole day! good luck to ya!
staff infection. has your dog been sick lately? lowered immune system? might as well go to the vet and get the antibiotic. hopefully not demondectic mange that can be tough to get rid of…but opt for the ivermectin before doing the dip. come back after you get back from the vet and vote me best answer good luck!!
Yes dip your pet in a dip called LYM dip that can be purchased at the site below.Some dogs have tiny Mites that the human eye can’t see.This could possibly be your problem.http://www.revivalanimal.com
Some dogs (like my baby Bassett!) are prone to skin problems…some are even allergic to dust…
You do NOT need a series of allergy tests for your pooch to get an allergy shot…
Our kitty gets an allergy shot once a year (usually about this time of year) and we have NO clue what she’s allergic to…
(our running joke though is that she’s allergic to cats…LOL!)…
Get your family pet an allergy shot…you’ll BOTH be happier!
And you can also cut out all the special food, etc….(which will save you $$ in the long run)…
You could give him benadryl. My folks had a vet recommend it. Talk to your vet about dosage!
my pug does the same thing, it’s his allergies. take your doggy to the vet, the steroids they give them to stop the itching isn’t very exspensive.
Food allergies, the heating in your home, residual fleas in the home, feeding him raw eggs, Try him on a good quality kibble, and don’t bath him all the time.. Omega 3 capsules daily and see what happens
We have had the same problem with our dog. As she has gotten older she has started to itch, especialling on her back. It is sad to see her try to reach a spot that is just out of reach.
What has helped for us it mixing in an omega-3 oil supplement with her dog food. We give her a mixture of soft food which she loves and does not notice the pill, and dry food. I suggest something called Canine Caviar for the dry food. Her itching has been getting better over the last few months.
A couple of thoughts:
1. environmental allergies to grass, for instance.
2. if you are feeding anything with wheat, corn or soy, that might be it. those are the top three allergens in dog foods and can wreck havoc with dog health and skin health.
3. protein/carb allergies or additive allergies
Eggs are okay for dogs, but really should be given only a couple times of week. You might try fish oils, but remember to only buy human brand oils and do you research. They are not all alike.
I would have a discussion with your vet, as well.
As a note: It usually takes a a couple of months on a new food (and remember to mix new foods in very slowly over a period of weeks with the old food) for any changes to begin to show. When doing an elimination diet, and this is usually done if protein or carb allergies are suspected (usually done with one protein and one carb at a time, e.g. duck/potato, buffalo/potato) they usually recommend keeping the dog on ONLY this… NO other additions for a period of 12-16 weeks. This may reflect if the dog has an allergy to a specific protein which is not uncommon. They also make special foods, Z/D is one, that addresses the issue in a more broad, but different way in regard to protein allergies. It takes that long for the new food to show results.
I would have a discussion about this with your vet prior to doing anything, however. If it is thought to be environmental, it usually shows up on the feet (e.g. a grass allergy) first.
Bathing or over bathing can cause coat/hair problems, as well.
Sometimes disease can cause skin/hair problems, and this is common in many of the immune-mediated diseases. The coat will feel dry, thin and the hairs clipped.
Best of luck to you.
Our dog had this problem- it was a food allergy he had….the only way you can tell is get him tested or try different dog foods to see what best fits him…Good luck!
Now I have a similar problem with my dog BUT even if I tell you what I use on my dog I would still take your dog to the vet. I could have red mange from the fleas (if it had fleas). Also it could be a fungal infection which is what mine had and they gave me a medicated shampoo that worked great. ( mine ran my parents field for exercise) But even after I got that cleared up she was still itchy. So, we started her on a vitamin call Nutri-Vet healthy coat. It has the omega 3,6,and 9 fatty acids in it that dogs need for there skin ( it is also a hell of allot cheaper than the gel tabs). Also we give her PEANUT OIL in her food which is ALLOT healthier for a dog than veggie oil.
Wow tough question. it is very generalized. well you can check on dogs.com/health they have a search engine that you can type the symptoms of your dog and it will give you what possibly it can be.