Contstant Scratching/itching/nibbling

[Llante]

Hi All, Just wanting some advice on my boys itching behaviour. We did have a huge flea problem which has been eliminated (well I bloody hope so!) after about a year of trying every stupid thing under the sun. We used a heap of different spot ons as well. We washed with malowash (is that the spelling) several times during this too. He was bathed twice a week during this. We have also had the whole house and yard pest controlled twice! Finally have gotten comfortis to work, and I haven't seen a flea on him for about 2 months now. And yet he still itches.

With this back story, I thought maybe my boy had developed a bad habit of itching. So I bought some kongs and filled them with cheese (his favourite!) but he would still itch while playing with it. So I thought maybe all these spot ons and chemicals might've dried out his skin? So we are using oatmeal wash during his bath and the dog washer hoses him down with cold water. I have a furminator and brush him once a week and was even tempted to shave him to see if it was the hear (not that its hot at all here atm!) was agrivating him.

His diet hasn't really changed, he is a giant fusspot when it comes to food and will only eat supercoat. I thought Goldies were hoovers? I wanted to try Black Hawk but he turned his nose up to RC and SD and don't want to be wasting more money on food he won't eat. He has some raw stuff occasionally, but i'm not overly knowledgable on how to porportion it right to get a balance.

Still itching. Is there a cream or oil I can rub into his coat to soothe the skin? Could there be something else making him itch that i've missed? Open to suggestions.

(It doesn't 'annoy' me that he scratches. It 'bothers' me because I worry that something is wrong. Other than the itching he seems perfectly fine.)

Thanks in advance.

[megan_]

Look up erny's post on calendula tea. Pls stop the other stugg

[chocolatedogs]

it might be the type of protein used in his food.

[Llante]

Look up erny's post on calendula tea. Pls stop the other stugg

I'll go out and grab one tomorrow :) Looks like it might help.

[Llante]

it might be the type of protein used in his food.

Is there a better type you could recommend? I have been keen to try Black Hawk?

[persephone]

Allergy to Grains /pollen/shampoo/food colouring/.certain meat proteins ....

Agree with using as little chemicals on/in him as possible .. try the calendula tea ..and remove all grains from his food .This may take some weeks to work ..

Not all dogs are itchy with fleas ..but a LOT of dogs are itchy because of food allergies :)

Oh.. has he been tested for a yeast infection ?

What anti- itch medications or anti histamines has he been on?

Edited October 29, 2012 by persephone

[persephone]

Is there a better type you could recommend? I have been keen to try Black Hawk?

IF it is a protein ..then, until you know exactly which one .. changing foods may not help ....

[Llante]

Thanks, maybe I should take him to the vet for an allergy test. Didn't think he had any allergys as he's been on the same food since we bought him home (almost 2 years now) and he wasn't always itchy. I just wondered if the fleas started him itching and now its gotten worse with time. I know dogs itch, but just didn't think it should be so bad.

Only thing we have done is the oatmeal shampoos and some moogoo from my personal stash. The moogoo works on his underbelly but not much for other areas.

[Bundyburger]

it might be the type of protein used in his food.

Is there a better type you could recommend? I have been keen to try Black Hawk?

If the dog has unknown allergies don't! It upset my boy with grass allergies something chronic. In my case I had to stop feeding chicken based foods and now he gets pro plan sensitive skin and stomach formula. I highly recommend Aloveen leave in conditioner to rub on the itchy patches, it is oatmeal based and takes a lot of the heat out of the skin. It is our saviour.

[chocolatedogs]

My dads dogs built up an intollerance to beef, which is very common. When he removed all the beef protein from their diet they stopped scratching. Each dog who has and allegy to protein is different so what is the main protein in what you are feeding now? If he likes that food, is there a different flavour? you could start there instead of changing his food totally, you may still have to and any brand who have the sensative skin formular is a good start.

[Tara8430]

I've had the same problem my girl has been itching biting oh my god it's driving me crazy so I can only imagine how she feels, I think maybe contact allergy. I've changed my girl to proplan sensitive skin and stomach, I'm 2 weeks in and her coat is looking better but still itching and biting, I'm now wondering if it's just habit and I need to break the itch cycle. I tried spraying that can canendula tea and it had no affect.

[trinabean]

It could be allergies, either to food or to something environmental (eg grass pollens). I wouldn't go changing food etc until you know more about what's happening. As Chocolatedogs mentioned, dogs can develop an allergy to a food that they've previously been ok with.

My recommendation would be to see your vet and get a referral to a canine dermatologist.

[Guest Labradork]

Allergies and skin problems are sometimes a sign that there is a problem with the immune system and it needs strengthening. The regular/every day stuff we use on our dogs, like vaccinations, worming products, and chemical flea treatments can weaken the immune systems of some dogs. So can a diet high in carbohydrates.

Personally, I would remove all grains and yeast from your dog's diet to start with, and consider putting him on an Elimination Diet.

Do a Google search on Allergy/Elimination Diets for dogs. You could do a search on here too.

I hope you get to the bottom if it and your dog gets better soon :)

Edited October 29, 2012 by Labradork

[dancinbcs]

Once you get a bad flea infestation the dog's immune system can go into overdrive and make him react to lots of things he never reacted to before. I had this problem with my boy last year, finally resorting to dreaded cortisone to settle things but then he reacted to that. Now after more than a year of Chinese Herbal Medicine we are almost back to a normal dog. He actually improved on Black Hawk but I still feed mostly raw, so it is only a small part of his diet.

A vet I used to go to always recommended a complete raw food trial for a few weeks for any itchy dog. At least half needed no other treatment. If they were still itching after that he would look at other causes.

[Tara8430]

Has anyone ever heard of or tried doing this?

Epsom salt baths can help in several ways. Not only has salt and salt water been used as an extremely effective anti-bacterial agent for thousands of years, as evidenced by salted foods, many breeds, such as Labrador retrievers were bred to spend their days standing in salt water, helping to bring in fishing nets. Epsom salts contain not only sodium chloride, but potassium and nitrates that can aid in restoring the natural balance of bacteria on a dog’s skin. Salt can also raise the pH level of your dog’s skin, which may help regulate normal bacterial ratios. Regardless of the reason, a warm saltwater bath soothes the itch, helps disinfect the area and is a fun experience for dog and owner alike. Don’t rinse your dog’s feet after her bath. Let her lick the salt off or gently pat dry her paws. And don’t get any in her eyes.

[RallyValley]

Has anyone ever heard of or tried doing this?

Epsom salt baths can help in several ways. Not only has salt and salt water been used as an extremely effective anti-bacterial agent for thousands of years, as evidenced by salted foods, many breeds, such as Labrador retrievers were bred to spend their days standing in salt water, helping to bring in fishing nets. Epsom salts contain not only sodium chloride, but potassium and nitrates that can aid in restoring the natural balance of bacteria on a dog’s skin. Salt can also raise the pH level of your dog’s skin, which may help regulate normal bacterial ratios. Regardless of the reason, a warm saltwater bath soothes the itch, helps disinfect the area and is a fun experience for dog and owner alike. Don’t rinse your dog’s feet after her bath. Let her lick the salt off or gently pat dry her paws. And don’t get any in her eyes.

They have obviously never bathed my Kelpie!

[Llante]

Lots of advice here. Seems every dog is different!! I'll try tea and salt bath (not at the same time) and take him to the vet I just didn't want them to give me medications to cover the problem. I'm a bit like that with my kids. I hate just giving them medicine when there are other things I could do which would fix the root of the problem.

I have considered raw in the past but I'm just so worried about not getting all the balances right. I'm not sure he'd eat veggies either, I look at some dogs eatin pumpkin carrot and lettuce and think WTH my dog doesn't even sniff it! I gave him a chicken frame the other day to try and add some raw but he didn't do much with it and I ended up having to collect bits and throw it out. I gave him 3 hours to eat it but was paranoid about chicken going bad. Was I over cautious??

[Llante]

Once you get a bad flea infestation the dog's immune system can go into overdrive and make him react to lots of things he never reacted to before. I had this problem with my boy last year, finally resorting to dreaded cortisone to settle things but then he reacted to that. Now after more than a year of Chinese Herbal Medicine we are almost back to a normal dog. He actually improved on Black Hawk but I still feed mostly raw, so it is only a small part of his diet.

This is what I was originally thinking, maybe all these chemicals have dried out his skin or ruined his immune system. I just didn't know it it was a plausible hypothesis. I've not heard of CHM for dogs! I had some for pregnancy years ago. Where did you get it from?

[persephone]

Lots of advice here. Seems every dog is different!! I'll try tea and salt bath (not at the same time) and take him to the vet I just didn't want them to give me medications to cover the problem. I'm a bit like that with my kids. I hate just giving them medicine when there are other things I could do which would fix the root of the problem.

Epsom salts contain not only sodium chloride, but potassium and nitrates

I may be wrong b -but AFAIK , --and we have used it for many years in human use-- ..there is NO potassium or Sodium chloride ..it is magnesium sulfate ...

a warning - epsom salts can cause diarrhoea if ingested.. that is one of it's uses ... it can be dangerous if used incorrectly ..as it causes much moisture to be absorbed back into the bowel ..so the body tissues are left without.

I just didn't want them to give me medications to cover the problem.

and that is entirely up to you :)

It is your decision to have allergy tests done ..

It is your decision to go to a dermatologist

It is your decision to get blood tests done to test for any problems

It is your decision to accept or refuse medication which may ease your dogs discomfort ...

It is also your decision to ask another vet , if you feel the one you use isn't helping.

Hopefully you find the cause ..and help, soon :)

For many years I lived with an itcher ..he was found to be allergic to food colourings/grass pollen & other things . he lived happily for another 10/11 years on carefully timed doses of anti histamine/cortisone ...and also was helped by occasional chiropractic adjustments .

Edited October 29, 2012 by persephone

[Tara8430]

Out of curiousity persephone how do chiropractic adjustments help the itchies? I was wondering if acupuncture might help with the sensitive areas.

Yes i knew about that epsom salts can cause the runs, im wondering if you just sponge it on the itchy spots if it would help, the only worry i guess is if they bite where you have sponged? My girl has the strangest itchy spots, below her shoulders on her back, not redness on her stomach or feet or face? I dont know if shes going under something in the yard and it only gets on her back and causes the irritation. Ive been trialing claratyne and phernergan, vet wants to do blood test for allergies but i just dont know if its worth it if its a contact allergy it wouldnt turn up anyway would it? Only food allergies?