Itchy 11wk Old Pup

[Fordogs]

Very good response Miss Danni, thank you.

All of the things that I do know but you have responded and relieved my mind. My puppy and her brother (who was sold) were both itching and yes they were just beginning to change coat, the rest of the litter were fine. My puppy is now improving and her coat is regrowing on her chest and stomach (thank god), I did up the anti on omega 3 & 6, stopped the mince from my butcher, increased her chicken & beef (beef is farm killed so no preservatives and on the bone).

The only thing I have to disagree with is the use of antihistamines, I found that they really helped break the itch cycle while she was trying to cope with the itch.

Her coat change is almost complete now so will have to wait and see if the itch disappears for good

[Mason_Gibbs]

I would go and see a dermatologist, its not normal for a pup to be so itchy....

[aussielover]

If it's an allergy it will probably respond short-term to anti-histamines. Discuss this with your vet. If the anti-histamines do make a difference then you will need to start eliminiating culprits to try and identify the source allergen.

Allergens can be the weirdest things:

Common ones are flea saliva allergy (flea may not be living on the dog), various plants and foods.

But I have also known of allergies "cured" when

- the carpet in the house was changed

- a different laundry detergent was used

- a different dog shampoo was used

- the dog bed/blankets were replaced with different materials

Actually, antihistamines are not as effective in dogs as they are in humans. It is often necessary to trial different antihistamines for a period of one month each until you find one that actually works for dogs.

Iramine, an antihistamine registered for canine use, is effective in less than 50% of dogs.

My pup did not respond to iramine, claratyne, polaramine or phenergan and has only had a marginal improvement on Zyrtec.

For an extremely itchy dog I would recommend corticosteroids such as prednisolone as well as skin scrapes and a derm consult.

If you are worried about food allergy, you will have to do a food trial, which involves feeding a novel carb and protein such as roo meat and potato ONLY. There are commercial formulations such as hills z/d and royal canin sensitvity control that can also be used in food trials.

There is really no point in messing around with diet if you suspect food allergy as it can just be harder to develop a diet for the food trial later on (which I learnt the hard way).

Another thing to keep in mind is that allergies this summer have been really bad for many dogs

[Fordogs]

The antihistamine of choice was Phenergan given 1 morning & night, skin scrape showed nothing and the area was not consistent with either Demodex (which is not itchy) or sarcptic which is itchy and in my many years working within a veterinary hospital I have never seen any mange that presented in this way.

When looking at the puppy you would not even notice the hair loss as it was only underneath as in a contact allergy, no rash or irritation just hair loss from scratching at an itch.

I was at work yesterday and within a 3 hour period 6 dog consults were for itchy dogs.

[Marlfoxx]

The antihistamine of choice was Phenergan given 1 morning & night, skin scrape showed nothing and the area was not consistent with either Demodex (which is not itchy) or sarcptic which is itchy and in my many years working within a veterinary hospital I have never seen any mange that presented in this way.

When looking at the puppy you would not even notice the hair loss as it was only underneath as in a contact allergy, no rash or irritation just hair loss from scratching at an itch.

I was at work yesterday and within a 3 hour period 6 dog consults were for itchy dogs.

Thanks for your suggestion with the antihistamine as it seems to be something that alot of people have suggested I try. With regards to the Phenergan, is it 1 x 10mg tablet twice a day or less than that? As i understand it there is a 10mg and 25mg tablet available and I am a little confused with the dosage - is there a formula? e.g mg/kg body weight? Too much can cause drowsiness right?

[Fordogs]

My vet suggested that I give 10 - 20mg twice a day but I have only given 10mg twice a day for 5 days then have reduced to 1/2 a 10 mg tablet twice a day, I am also using Megaderm from my vet once each day. Megaderm is very useful for these itchy dogs very rich in omega 3 & 6.

Edited to add that I have NOT noticed any drowsiness.

Good luck

Edited March 2, 2011 by Fordogs

[Marlfoxx]

Thanks again to everyone who has replied so far!

I have the vets appointment tomorrow and will get him to check over the pup and ask about the antihistamines. I have started my pup on fish oil as well due to the many suggestions. Thanks to Miss Danni who spoke about the changing of coats as i think you're pretty spot on with that...we've noticed a sleeker coat coming through the puppy fluff (Oh how i'll miss the puppy fluff!).

I'll also give the manuka honey and aloe vera a whirl to see how he responds to that!

We really appreciate everyone's responses!

Thank You!

[Fordogs]

Hi Marlfoxx,

Just wondering how your puppy is doing ?

[Marlfoxx]

Hi Marlfoxx,

Just wondering how your puppy is doing ?

Hi!

So far his itching has been relieved quite a lot thanks to everyones posts on this forum! I tried everything that I said that I would and he only scratches intermittently now - nowhere near as much as before. It would appear that the 2 x fish oil capsules mixed in with his food per day and 20mg phenergan tablets morning and night are what are helping him the most.

I am still taking him to see another vet for a second opinion this Saturday on his itch and so hopefully he will be able to narrow it down more for me!

[stormie]

Hi Marlfoxx,

Just wondering how your puppy is doing ?

Hi!

So far his itching has been relieved quite a lot thanks to everyones posts on this forum! I tried everything that I said that I would and he only scratches intermittently now - nowhere near as much as before. It would appear that the 2 x fish oil capsules mixed in with his food per day and 20mg phenergan tablets morning and night are what are helping him the most.

I am still taking him to see another vet for a second opinion this Saturday on his itch and so hopefully he will be able to narrow it down more for me!

How much does your puppy weigh? The dose rate is 1mg/kg - I wouldn't have thought a 12-13wk GSD would weight 20kg??

[Fordogs]

Though I am told antihistamines do not have quite the same effect on dogs as they do on humans, I only gave my

11 . 3 kg puppy 1 x 10mg Phenergan twice a day but my vet did say that I could give 10 - 20 mg. After 5 days I reduced to 5 mg each morning & night for 3 days and then stopped. She is now fine.

[Marlfoxx]

Hi Marlfoxx,

Just wondering how your puppy is doing ?

Hi!

So far his itching has been relieved quite a lot thanks to everyones posts on this forum! I tried everything that I said that I would and he only scratches intermittently now - nowhere near as much as before. It would appear that the 2 x fish oil capsules mixed in with his food per day and 20mg phenergan tablets morning and night are what are helping him the most.

I am still taking him to see another vet for a second opinion this Saturday on his itch and so hopefully he will be able to narrow it down more for me!

How much does your puppy weigh? The dose rate is 1mg/kg - I wouldn't have thought a 12-13wk GSD would weight 20kg??

Sorry! That was meant to read as total 20mg... 10mg in the morning and 10mg at night! My vet said to keep it up for 2 weeks then to go back for a review. If it is still not managed then he will refer on to a specialist who can do further testing on specific allergens etc.

Hope that that clarifies!