Jetty Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) My poor boy can't stop scratching! I don't know what else to do. He did have fleas a few weeks back but I have since treated him for them and haven't seen any since. That was the first time he had fleas. Now he is still scratching. What could the cause be? I'm feeding him dry food (Optimum) and chicken necks daily. Everytime I bath him he still scratches and I have been using medicated shampoo. Apart from maybe the possiblity of his food which he has been on for a while I can't think of anything else. Any ideas? Edited March 16, 2011 by ♥JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crisovar Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 If he is flea sensitive then even though the fleas are now gone he will still be itchy, you may be washing him too frequently and drying his skin out, some medicated shampoos are very drying. He may need more oils in his diet. Was he itchy before the fleas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 If he is flea sensitive then even though the fleas are now gone he will still be itchy, you may be washing him too frequently and drying his skin out, some medicated shampoos are very drying. He may need more oils in his diet.Was he itchy before the fleas? He has been this itchy before without the fleas yes. I haven't washed him that much I didn't think. The last time I washed him was a few weeks ago when he got the fleas. So maybe I should change his diet and see how that goes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuffles Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 There are so many different things that it could be... grass, trees, plants, dust, pollen, fleas, food... have you checked your yard for Wandering Jew or other suspicious plants or weeds? You'd have to go to a dermatologist and have tests done to find out for sure. How uncomfortable is he? When my boy was so itchy he was itching his skin off, a cortisone injection from the vet at least gave us all a few days of rest. And providing it's not oatmeal he's allergic to, some of the topical oatmeal lotions can be soothing... we use ResiSoothe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Q Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I'm struggling with the same thing with Buster, he's been to the vet a couple of times about it and they think its a flea allergy, so just a couple of bites can make his super itchy. I advantix him every 3 weeks instead of every 4 now, wash him every 2 weeks with sensitive skin shampoo and have added flax seed oil to his diet and its helped drastically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 There are so many different things that it could be... grass, trees, plants, dust, pollen, fleas, food... have you checked your yard for Wandering Jew or other suspicious plants or weeds? You'd have to go to a dermatologist and have tests done to find out for sure.How uncomfortable is he? When my boy was so itchy he was itching his skin off, a cortisone injection from the vet at least gave us all a few days of rest. And providing it's not oatmeal he's allergic to, some of the topical oatmeal lotions can be soothing... we use ResiSoothe. We do have a large garden but I am unsure what plants are in there. He hardly goes near the garden that I am aware of. He isn't harming himself from his scratching, it seems he is just getting agitated with the scratching. He goes about his normal way then will stop all of a sudden and start to scratch, generally around his behind and near his neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Could be his diet giving him dry skin, which in turn is irritating, then maybe beccause of his dry skin the fleas found him awesomely good? Part his fur and scratch the surface of the skin, does little flecks of white appear? Olive oil [extra virgin] is great for dry skin I'm just giving advice that has helped my Pointer and Belgian who both had itchy and dry skin. I changed their diet and now they are fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Could be his diet giving him dry skin, which in turn is irritating, then maybe beccause of his dry skin the fleas found him awesomely good? Part his fur and scratch the surface of the skin, does little flecks of white appear? Olive oil [extra virgin] is great for dry skin I'm just giving advice that has helped my Pointer and Belgian who both had itchy and dry skin. I changed their diet and now they are fixed. Did you just add oil to his food or did you change the food you gave them altogether? He did have some flakey bits the other day when I was going through his fur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) Could be his diet giving him dry skin, which in turn is irritating, then maybe beccause of his dry skin the fleas found him awesomely good? Part his fur and scratch the surface of the skin, does little flecks of white appear? Olive oil [extra virgin] is great for dry skin I'm just giving advice that has helped my Pointer and Belgian who both had itchy and dry skin. I changed their diet and now they are fixed. Evening primrose oil capsules are great for the skin, my allergy dog was told to take them by the dermatologist. You can add oils his diet etc but if he is allergic to insect bites one bite from a fly, flea etc can make them itch for ages. ETA my dog is 32Kg and takes 5 Evening primrose a day Edited March 16, 2011 by Mason2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sallyandtex Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi There, Just as a relief, maybe try Calendula Tea. Erny on this forum suggested it, maybe do a search. It really works to soothe. Also we have used the special Baby powder Cornstarch and Zinc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meluchja Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi, My dog has an allergy to fleas, one bite can send him nuts for weeks. You should visit your vet, tell them what has happened, and they might give him a steriod shot to help break the itch cycle. He might not have any fleas on him, but if they are still in the area, they could still be bothering him just enough without you seeing them. Does your dog have any flea dirt present? Looks like dirt flecks. I would have a look and pick off any bits of dirt you can see, and but it onto a tissue, add a drop of water, and if the tissue around the dirt turns redish, this is flea dirt and a good indication that at some point your dog still has some contact with them. Not saying your dog has FAD but might be worth a look into, before you go down the elimination path. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest english.ivy Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Could be his diet giving him dry skin, which in turn is irritating, then maybe beccause of his dry skin the fleas found him awesomely good? Part his fur and scratch the surface of the skin, does little flecks of white appear? Olive oil [extra virgin] is great for dry skin I'm just giving advice that has helped my Pointer and Belgian who both had itchy and dry skin. I changed their diet and now they are fixed. Did you just add oil to his food or did you change the food you gave them altogether? He did have some flakey bits the other day when I was going through his fur. I changed their dry food and added the oil for a few weeks while they slowly changed to the new food. Then stopped the oil as their skin was heaps better and the food has emu oil which is great for their skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Hi,My dog has an allergy to fleas, one bite can send him nuts for weeks. You should visit your vet, tell them what has happened, and they might give him a steriod shot to help break the itch cycle. He might not have any fleas on him, but if they are still in the area, they could still be bothering him just enough without you seeing them. Does your dog have any flea dirt present? Looks like dirt flecks. I would have a look and pick off any bits of dirt you can see, and but it onto a tissue, add a drop of water, and if the tissue around the dirt turns redish, this is flea dirt and a good indication that at some point your dog still has some contact with them. Not saying your dog has FAD but might be worth a look into, before you go down the elimination path. Good luck. We do have a heap of dirt in the yard where the grass does not grow so I will test the dirt and take it from there thanks! Could be his diet giving him dry skin, which in turn is irritating, then maybe beccause of his dry skin the fleas found him awesomely good? Part his fur and scratch the surface of the skin, does little flecks of white appear? Olive oil [extra virgin] is great for dry skin I'm just giving advice that has helped my Pointer and Belgian who both had itchy and dry skin. I changed their diet and now they are fixed. Did you just add oil to his food or did you change the food you gave them altogether? He did have some flakey bits the other day when I was going through his fur. I changed their dry food and added the oil for a few weeks while they slowly changed to the new food. Then stopped the oil as their skin was heaps better and the food has emu oil which is great for their skin. Ok thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Could be his diet giving him dry skin, which in turn is irritating, then maybe beccause of his dry skin the fleas found him awesomely good? Part his fur and scratch the surface of the skin, does little flecks of white appear? Olive oil [extra virgin] is great for dry skin I'm just giving advice that has helped my Pointer and Belgian who both had itchy and dry skin. I changed their diet and now they are fixed. Did you just add oil to his food or did you change the food you gave them altogether? He did have some flakey bits the other day when I was going through his fur. I changed their dry food and added the oil for a few weeks while they slowly changed to the new food. Then stopped the oil as their skin was heaps better and the food has emu oil which is great for their skin. Thanks from me too My boy is mr itchy at the moment and is sooo flaky. I'll pick up some oil for him too.. Off to petstock on the way home methinks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) did you use a flea product like frontline or just use a flea rinse? If you didnt use a spot on then you still have fleas about, as would any cats you have hanging around use frontline for a couple of months straight, first doses can be 2 weeks apart. You can also give human antihistamines like Phenergen to settle the itch Edited March 16, 2011 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 It was a spot on treatment and we have no cats (unless there are strays but I haven't seen any) I think he is about due for another spot on treatment in the next week or two. thinking about changing foods to a sensitive skin one like science diet anyways? or should I just go with a normal science diet until I find what the problem is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 science diet is another high in grains. What breed is the dog? I would be aiming for something without wheat, even corn as well as any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives not all spot ons stop fleas biting hence why I recommend Frontline. Its the only one I bother with if I see a flea around here as my dog is really allergic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 I will check what brand spot on I used when I get home. He is a cross breed. Corgi x something. Only is 10kg, medium length hair. I just did some research on the Science diet and realised it was high in grains. I will go on a hunt with something low on grains since I was thinking about changing the food anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I can tell you the foods that have caused the least problems and the best results between 5 different breed dogs plus visitors at my house are: Black Hawk Holistic Royal Canin Nutro Saying that I wouldnt touch anything with wheat with a 10 foot pole anymore. Tried the home made diet of meat and 4x2 biscuits I ended up with a half bald dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 (edited) Hi There, Just as a relief, maybe try Calendula Tea. Erny on this forum suggested it, maybe do a search. It really works to soothe. Also we have used the special Baby powder Cornstarch and Zinc. Ooooh Yay!! I was just coming in to say this. Doesn't cure but by George it helps to ease things whilst you're working things out. Edited March 16, 2011 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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