Itchy Poodle

[sas]

Love this guide: http://www.poisonous2pets.com.au/ It also lists a number of plants that 'cause itchyness that I wasn't aware of before, have since pulled 2 plants out of my garden - hasn't fixed my problem but still prefer my dogs to not have contact with plants that give reactions in some dogs.

Edited April 2, 2013 by sas

[sas]

sounds like he's had a lot of chemicals put on him. You can get calendula tea from most health food shops. I know people who have tried everything else to no avail and then the tea has worked miracles.

mmm never had that much success with it on different dogs to be honest but have heard others have had some luck. Cortivance is what is currently getting us through flare ups.

[the cat lady]

If you keep swapping & changing everything & giving medication & applying stuff as well you will never find out what is causing it.

How can you.

Keep on the same food for now.

Stop using frontline or any chemical flea treatments if he hasn't got fleas.

Wash him in baby shampoo only for a while. The same brand & no conditioner.

Wash his bedding in washing soda only.

Wait & see what happens.

Thankyou Christina for this post.

I too have the challenge of an "itchy, scratching, biting himself, pulling his hair out" kind of dog.

I feel as though I am chopping and changing from one product or food or medication to the next.

The list of things that don't seem to help seems to be growing longer and longer.

How long would it take for a food that "caused a reaction or flare up" to work its way through the dogs system. Maybe I am changing the food type too quickly

Some things that have helped us a little, but are not the "cure" are the calendula tea (thankyou Erny), used as a rinse on a daily basis, and left to dry on the fur/skin without toweling dry.

Also rinsing his feet and legs in vinegar after his bath (another DOL tip).

[Charjas]

Another Jasper update. His last spot settled , not sure if it was calendula tea or tablets that did the trick and all was fine up until April. I went away fr 10 days and husband said no signs of biting his feet. 2 days after my return he chewed one. I bandaged this and the next day he started on the othe foot but this time on a toe. Which is really hard to bandage. He licked so much it was red and swollen. I tied some cortavance, calendula and another called neem oil for itches. He licks every single thing. So vet bandaged for a week. As soon as bandages came off he chewed again. I'm wanting to let the air get to it He was wearing the Elizabethan collar but I saw he was able to reach his toe and have a lick. I didn't want a longer collar as then he can't drink from his bowl. The strapping and lotions etc has gone on n for 4 weeks. I think he's going to live in a bandage.

[Erny]

I'd be inclined to look at diet as the next step. A nice 'cool' and simple diet comprising of a novel protein he's not been exposed to before. I quite like the AugustineApproved recommended food combo and SuperBoost. It's done a lot of good for my own troubled boy.

I'd also be asking myself (if I were you :)) if I'm stressed. Could Jasper be picking up stress from you?

Are "cortavance" the tablets? If not, perhaps the tablets did help but wore off. Just another school of thought. Doesn't help that much to know, because the cause for the itchiness still exists and that's what needs to be hunted down.

Has thyroid issue been ruled out?

[temperamentfirst]

I would use wool wash and canesten rinse on the bedding.

I have found my dogs get itchy if they have lamb, so check the ingredients.

ALso, just as a general thing, I give them manuka honey every so often, and daily if they are 'off' at all.

[Charjas]

1369913244[/url]' post='6214942']

I would use wool wash and canesten rinse on the bedding.

I have found my dogs get itchy if they have lamb, so check the ingredients.

ALso, just as a general thing, I give them manuka honey every so often, and daily if they are 'off' at all.

What is the reason for the honey.

[Salukifan]

Just giving an update on Jaspers scratching. Over Christmas was licking a spot on his leg which needed tablets and spray Seems each time this happens it gets treated then settled for a few weeks however he is always scratching his ears and under his chin. Have had him cut quite short as I though he might be itchy from being hot and sweaty and it has been very hot over the summer in Sydney.Seems to itch more after the groomer. Tried a variety of shampoos malaseb, Aloveen, Qv. itching seems same after each. Did do the calendular tea too but no different. In January we mulched the garden n poor jasper and Charlie got tiny baby tics. Must have hatched from the mulch. Vet sprayed with frontline plus and hardly saw him scratch. Now it's started again. Feeding holistic select fish. Nothing in yard and they hardly go out. We make sure they don't walk in the long grass when on their walks. 2 weeks ago I noticed a small dark patch on Jaspers rump. On inspection it's a 10 cent size patch of black straight hair He's silver. It just appeared in an instant. Groomer says its due to trauma but I know nothing has happened to him. He does try to reach that spot to bite. Very confusing. Not sure what to try next obviously something is going on with that spot and what caused his hair to change. Wheni first got him December 2011 he had similar large patch on shoulders but it grew out and vanished.

The itch saga just ones on and on.

Take him to see Dr Barbara Fougere at All Natural Vet Care

Time to quit the hit and miss approach and get to the bottom of the problem. I suspect diet is part of the issue.

[temperamentfirst]

1369913244[/url]' post='6214942']

ALso, just as a general thing, I give them manuka honey every so often, and daily if they are 'off' at all.

What is the reason for the honey.

Manuka Honey is great for a lot of things, it is anti fungal, and anti biotic. We had foster kittens with ringworm, and manuka cream made a huge difference. Tried manuka on my girl with hotspots - again an amazing result! THere is also a manuka wound gel, and manuka cream which are great for putting on wounds and skin problems. but of course you have to stop them licking it.

[sas]

.

Edited June 1, 2013 by sas

[redangel]

Just an update...after a grainfree diet change, long course of antibiotics, antiflams (corti)advocate (though skin scraping was neg)and a special Medederm wash the poodle I spoke of has improved. Last clip saw the coat glossy and the coat now is not breaking off but thickening and requiruing clipping! Bald areas are still there but not as angry. Odor has gone. Still treatments to go...but looking more positive as time goes by.

I was wondering how the OP dog was going???

[Charjas]

Jasper still chews his foot on and off. longest time without wearing hood has been 8 weeks. he's wearing it again . chewed both leg this time and i've noticed the hair on one leg has become sparse. destined for life in a collar .

[Rascalmyshadow]

Are you still going to the same groomer and is it always worse after the visit?

Just a thought but no matter what shampoo gets used if the person bathing doesn't rinse properly ( saw this often over the years back when I was working fur other groomers) it will cause problems.

I would be also seeing a skin specialist often works out cheaper than continuous vet visits. The poodle I rescued 12 months ago had horrific skin, we were at the vets at least every 4 weeks for months, specialist had it fixed in 2 visits. Stupid vets kept using the same antibiotics etc which created a superbug and the infection was never completely clearing even with all his treatments.

[Charjas]

The groomer makes sure she rinses well and we don't use conditioner on him. Now 2 weeks ago he chewed the back foot, really bad this time and way bigger. I think he kept licking to remove all the cream i put on it. It's taped now with a sock on it but if I take it off to air he tries to lick it again. The front leg that was getting sparse now has some bald patches and I know he been chewing it because over a few months his hair is turning dark grey and it was light silver There's no fleas. I don't know of any skin specialists. My vet is VERY expensive. Just cost me $1500 for Charlie , the other toy, to have his appendix out. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Edited April 21, 2014 by Charjas

[essentialdog]

Hi,

I have a spoodle who had terribly itchy skin for years and I changed to a more natural shampoo. I wouldn't be using malaseb - it's way too harsh on the skin. It contains sulphates and harsh chemicals and often does more harm than good. Aloveen also contains sulphates and both of them synthetic fragrances which are really harsh especially for a dog with such sensitive skin. I deal with alot of groomers and the majority of groomers use really cheap shampoo that costs them around $14 for 30 litres. This stuff is really nasty and contains copious amounts of synthetic fragrances and additives. I've had to help many itchy dogs who come back with massive rashes, redness and itching after a groom. A great groomer who only uses natural products is Nose 2 Tail in QLD. Perhaps you should think about buying a shampoo with no sulphates or synthetic fragrances. I wouldn't be going fragrance free as masking agents are used to disguise the base of the shampoo which is quite stinky. These masking agents are also full of irritating chemicals and just as detrimental to a dog with sensitive as synthetic fragrances.

Fab powder also contains alot of synthetic chemicals and is pretty harsh and the pH is out of whack with your dogs skin. Perhaps try and use baking soda when you wash your dogs bedding. You might want to check if it is suitable for your particularly type of washing machine, but there is a baking soda especially made for washing machines that can be found in most supermarkets and it only costs about $2/kg.

[Erny]

Amazing all the stringent/harsh chemicals which are contained in the products that the general layperson spends a fortune on in attempts to help their itchy, irritated dogs .... without realising that they may be inadvertently contributing to the original symptom issue. And so they then go and spend more money on the same products, thinking the worsening problem needs more help from those same products. Not their fault. Vet's could do better to inform and stock really good products they KNOW are free of such harmful agents - that would be a great start.

Edited April 21, 2014 by Erny

[schnauzer]

Just giving an update on Jaspers scratching. Over Christmas was licking a spot on his leg which needed tablets and spray Seems each time this happens it gets treated then settled for a few weeks however he is always scratching his ears and under his chin. Have had him cut quite short as I though he might be itchy from being hot and sweaty and it has been very hot over the summer in Sydney.Seems to itch more after the groomer. Tried a variety of shampoos malaseb, Aloveen, Qv. itching seems same after each. Did do the calendular tea too but no different. In January we mulched the garden n poor jasper and Charlie got tiny baby tics. Must have hatched from the mulch. Vet sprayed with frontline plus and hardly saw him scratch. Now it's started again. Feeding holistic select fish. Nothing in yard and they hardly go out. We make sure they don't walk in the long grass when on their walks. 2 weeks ago I noticed a small dark patch on Jaspers rump. On inspection it's a 10 cent size patch of black straight hair He's silver. It just appeared in an instant. Groomer says its due to trauma but I know nothing has happened to him. He does try to reach that spot to bite. Very confusing. Not sure what to try next obviously something is going on with that spot and what caused his hair to change. Wheni first got him December 2011 he had similar large patch on shoulders but it grew out and vanished.

The itch saga just ones on and on.

Frontline should NEVER BE USED ON A DOG WITH A SENSITIVE SKIN. The labeling was changed years ago due to many adverse reactions to Fipronil.

Also if your groomer does not clean her blades properly/has blunt blades/or clips too close to the skin this will cause skin irritation. She could also be giving your dog clipper burn which will irritate like hell.

Do you have ivy or plane trees where you live? Both can cause excessive skin irritation.

Did you see Dr Linda Vogelnest at Sydney University?

Edited April 21, 2014 by schnauzer

[raineth]

I think just from what you have written that it is something at the groomers.

You fed Blackhawk for several months and had no flare-ups.

Then poodle goes to the groomer and has a big flare-up.

This takes a long time to settle down, but does settle down.

Then he goes to the groomer again, and again, he has a big flare-up.

That to me sounds like pretty good evidence that it is something he is coming into contact with at the groomers.

The only other thing to wonder is whether the groomer might be giving hima food treat while he is there?

Also, does he get any treats or raw meat or anything that co-incident with a flare-up?

[denali]

I think just from what you have written that it is something at the groomers.

You fed Blackhawk for several months and had no flare-ups.

Then poodle goes to the groomer and has a big flare-up.

This takes a long time to settle down, but does settle down.

Then he goes to the groomer again, and again, he has a big flare-up.

That to me sounds like pretty good evidence that it is something he is coming into contact with at the groomers.

The only other thing to wonder is whether the groomer might be giving hima food treat while he is there?

Also, does he get any treats or raw meat or anything that co-incident with a flare-up?

I agree with this.

Its unlikely that it is clipper burn, because unless the groomer is highly unskilled it is unlikely the dog gets clipper burn everytime..

So makes me think it is the shampoo, or the cologne they spray with (most groomers will use these, make sure they are not for your dog!).

OR a food treat he is getting there. Maybe take them some treats you know he doesnt react to so if they do use treats you know for sure it isn't causing the flare up.

Might be a good idea to take in your won more natural shampoo for them to use?

its worth a shot.

[Salukifan]

The groomer makes sure she rinses well and we don't use conditioner on him. Now 2 weeks ago he chewed the back foot, really bad this time and way bigger. I think he kept licking to remove all the cream i put on it. It's taped now with a sock on it but if I take it off to air he tries to lick it again. The front leg that was getting sparse now has some bald patches and I know he been chewing it because over a few months his hair is turning dark grey and it was light silver There's no fleas. I don't know of any skin specialists. My vet is VERY expensive. Just cost me $1500 for Charlie , the other toy, to have his appendix out. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Dogs don't have an appendix.

Edited April 22, 2014 by Haredown Whippets