Kirty Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Toby often 'fleas' herself but she has been treated repeatedly for fleas, and I found no sign of fleas/dirt when I bathed her tonight. Her skin is fine - no hot spots, redness, flakiness, etc. Not sure if its worth getting her allergy tested or getting scrapings done because there is nothing unusual to look at? Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Is she shedding? I find both my boys get very itchy when shedding but have no fleas, allergies etc. I think the loose hair just gets itchy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Give her a good brushing (I use a rubber glove mitt on short-haired dogs) to help get rid of moulting hair. It can also help, if that's not enough, to give a bath using only Calendula Tea as a wash. The wash helps get rid of loose hair and the tea soothes skin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 (edited) Toby is a Poodle so she shouldn't be shedding too much! She gets a good brush every few days too. I thought it might have been twigs and things stuck in her coat (she is a complete dag and is always filthy!) but even after her bath and blow dry she is still chewing at herself. Edited February 2, 2012 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Where is she chewing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Toby is a Poodle so she shouldn't be shedding too much! She gets a good brush every few days too. I thought it might have been twigs and things stuck in her coat (she is a complete dag and is always filthy!) but even after her bath and blow dry she is still chewing at herself. Stop using shampoo - shampoo's alter the dog's natural skin pH balances. Try the Calendula Tea and see how it goes. If the itching settles down and doesn't return when you stay off the shampoo, then that will give you a clue as to what's causing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karly101 Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Is the shampoo fully rinsed out? That can often cause itchyness ...what sort of flea treatment are you using? I would try the tea idea and a very good brush and see if that makes any difference, if not then its worthwhile to see a vet to do some skin scrapings. If she's not going red then I'm not sure an allergy test will give you any response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) She doesn't get bathed very often. I think only four times in the 6 months I've owned her. I use a whitening shampoo and it is thoroughly rinsed out. Nex time though I will try the tea. Karly I use Advantage or Revolution for fleas. I have not seen the other dogs or cats scratching or chewing either. Becks she chews under her armpits, her rump and sometimes her groin. But its not like she does it constantly or licks, etc. She might do it a few times in one day then not do it again for several days. She has no bald patches, no stains, nothing. I asked a girl at work today who used to be a derm nurse and she thinks it could be mild allergies. Edited February 3, 2012 by Kirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 (edited) She doesn't get bathed very often. I think only four times in the 6 months I've owned her. I use a whitening shampoo and it is thoroughly rinsed out. That equates to once every 6 weeks or so. For my line of thinking, that's a lot for a dog's skin. My dog has gone, ummmm .... what, is it 2 or 3 years now, without a bath. But I have applied a couple of Calendula Tea wash/rinses just for good measure, when I've wanted to clean out the dirt and freshen him up. He doesn't mind the dirt and not smelling like a daisy, but I prefer otherwise :D. Admittedly, he's a short haired dog which makes it easier, but I do wonder how it would go in those in between times for dogs who have a longer coat. I tend to think we get a bit hung up on the "must soap it up big" before us humans think it is clean enough. Mind you - I do all the bubbles thing when I have my own shower or bath, lol. Care more about what the 'best' is for my dog than for me! :laugh: Next time though I will try the tea. If your dog is itchy now, I'd apply the Calendula Tea as a rinse, now. Edited February 3, 2012 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Yes this frequent grooming thing is very new to me! My other dogs haven't been bathed in years. But Toby needs frequent grooming to keep her coat clean and tangle free. :) Will try the calendula rinse. Does it stain though? She is cream so don't want her going yellow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Refer thread "Sudden Itch Flare Up" - in particular posts #9 and #10. I would do a test patch first to make sure and perhaps don't leave the tea steeping longer than necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 I can't see it being the shampoo, especially if you are bathing her no more often then at her previous home. You could always move to a Neem shampoo which will calm the skin and repel fleas etc. http://www.perfectpetskin.co.uk/products-page/dermopt-shampoo/?gclid=CJfvsaP4ga4CFRR8fAodZ0chwg the link will give you an idea of what it is good for and dare I say it, better then calendula tea! The areas she is licking, suggest to me it is fleas, even just one can cause a reaction in some dogs (even if the flea then dies from your flea treatment, the flea bite has already set off the reaction) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks Erny and Becks. :) I agree, to me it looks like she is 'fleaing' but I have four other dogs and 11 indoor cats and nobody else is so much as scratching. But her skin is perfectly normal, so sign of irritation as you would normally see with allergies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirty Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Haha I just looked at your link Erny and realised it is the same stuff we bought for work (you can use Calendula tea to soothe sore eyes and help with conjunctivitis in dogs). I was showing it to a client one day when I noticed a LIVE beetle crawling around inside the SEALED bag!! I then saw that it had come from Egypt so I called quarantine and said I wasn't sure if I should be concerned or not... Well they sent someone straight round to collect it. Turned out to be a species that we also have in Australia but it was quite funny. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) Haha I just looked at your link Erny and realised it is the same stuff we bought for work (you can use Calendula tea to soothe sore eyes and help with conjunctivitis in dogs). You can drink it too and/or use it to flush wounds :D. Helps with sore throats and other nasties. I was showing it to a client one day when I noticed a LIVE beetle crawling around inside the SEALED bag!! I then saw that it had come from Egypt so I called quarantine and said I wasn't sure if I should be concerned or not... Well they sent someone straight round to collect it. Turned out to be a species that we also have in Australia but it was quite funny. :) Similar thing has happened to me with another product (not from Egypt) that was also sealed (fly magots). Quarantine were VERY fast in their response (good on 'em ) but it too turned out to be flies that Australia also had. Don't know how it got through the sealed bag either. Edited February 4, 2012 by Erny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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