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Very Itchy Puppy.


Ranger00
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Hi all

I need some assistance with itching in my BC pup. He will be 11 weeks on Wednesday and is extremely itchy, constantly scratching and "flea biting" - he is on Advocate and had a dose on the 23rd of Oct and I've not once seen a flea on him.

I thought initially it may be an allergy to the grass as he also gets a bit of runny eye (disappears with warm saline and have given chlorsig drops upon breeders recommendation) but his skin shows absolutely no signs of irritation or redness, and he itches even where the grass wouldn't touch him. He seems to have become even itchier in the last week or so, but nothing has changed in his diet or routine.

He is on Advance puppy and has half a chicken frame 3x per week for dinner. I use boiled chicken breast for his training and occasionally some 100% liver treats (not many though). Is it possible he is allergic to chicken?

I recently had him at the vet for another issue and she simply said he had a very dry coat considering he is on Advance, but didn't offer any other advice, probably because at the time he was very ill after eating a bunch of cats litter so priority was to get him xrayed and so on - he's fine now.

I will have him see his usual vet on Wednesday before puppy school but thought it was worth posting.

I have bathed him once using Paws puppy shampoo - all natural ingredients and PH balanced. Didnt make any difference. I have been brushing him with a small slicker brush but despite him having what looks like a lot of dead, dry coat, it's not getting much fur out whatsoever.

I think that's all the background info, please let me know if you have any suggestions or advice.

Thanks!

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Sorry to hear of this problem.

Unfortunately it could be so many things causing it.

It could be a flea bite, some dogs get quite a bad reaction - and now you have treated you can monitor to see if the symptoms go away.

It could be the very high pollen count in WA at this time of year - treating with an antihistamine should help

It could be the food - You could try a higher quality grain free. It could be the chicken.

You can add some cold pressed pure virgin coconut oil (available from health food shops) both topically and added to the food.

I hope you get to the bottom of this without having to go through the ordeal of elimination diet.

Best of luck

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Not too knowledgeable about this :) but our dog has sensitive skin, prone to dryness, and so we give her fish oil supplements (I hear flaxseed oil I'd great for dry skin), and also we use an oatmeal shampoo/conditioner (but we try not too over wash, which would dry out the skin). Oh, we also found she was sensitive to grains like wheat in her dry food, so switched to a rice based food.

Hope this helps! :)

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Not much to add to all of the above, but have you contacted his breeder...there may be something that runs in his family :) You could try adding a little coconut oil to his diet...cold pressed & organic of course.

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Not a BC but we have a pup here who came with random excessive chewing, scratching. He was raised 100% on Proplan. Switched him to a mixed diet - meat, sardines, bones, variety of dry food and it has vanished. Took about 6 weeks for him to realise he didn't need to scratch all the time.

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Cavaliers get very itchy skin when they been bitten by a flea. i dilute some quit itch lotion when ours have been like that.

Some puppies will get weepy eyes when they are teething too.

I now feed our cats grain free dry food as one of ours had the worse skin allergies, which she need injections for on a regular basis. She hasn't had one for quite a few months now and theres been no loss of hair/scabs for ages *touch wood*

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Maybe its the Advocate that has triggered it. Don't use any flea chemicals or washes on him unless he has fleas. Its all strong stuff & doesn't suit every dog.

One time here on letting a kitten out of its cage that had flown here to us I got huge welts all over me instantly & my son had an asthma attack. Kitten had been sprayed with Frontline before being put in cage.

Otherwise as kelpiecuddles said. One thing at a time. May be as simple as a carpet freshener, what you clean your floors in or the washing powder his bedding is washed in.

Good luck. Horrible for the puppy.

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Take him off all / any dry food and go to a complete natural food - should see improvement in the coat within 2 weeks. Plenty of advice about raw diets on DOL.

Adding more chemicals of any description can just add to the problem.

If the vet recommends an all dry food diet, then find a new vet..... remember most vets are like a GP they are not feeding specialists.

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Maybe its the Advocate that has triggered it. Don't use any flea chemicals or washes on him unless he has fleas. Its all strong stuff & doesn't suit every dog.

Second this. He could be allergic to Advocate. He does not need it unless he has parasites. Removal all the chemicals and feed only a natural diet - no dry food.

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One of our cavs had a very itchy episode after giving him a flea treatment (Comfortis sp?) . First i thought it was just from the fleas but he didn't let up, so i called the vet eventually and they said to bring him to be checked over, as some dogs can have rare reactions like that to flea treatments.. He came good but they said perhaps best to not use it again just in case..

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Pharmacology of Advocate - just so you are aware

Imidacloprid and moxidectin.

What are some symptoms from a brief exposure to imidacloprid?

Farm workers reported skin or eye irritation, dizziness, breathlessness, confusion, or vomiting after they were exposed to pesticides containing imidacloprid. Pet owners have sometimes had skin irritation after they applied flea control products containing imidacloprid to their pets. Animals have vomited or drooled a lot after oral exposure to imidacloprid. If animals swallow enough imidacloprid, they may have trouble walking, develop tremors, and seem overly tired. Sometimes animals have skin reactions to pet products containing imidacloprid.

Edited by Florise
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I had this with my new pup. She was on half Black Hawk dry and half raw. Switched her to total raw natural diet. Skin and coat improved within days. itchiness gone. Smooth sleek soft coat and skin way better. Every time she had dry her coat and skin would dry out straight away.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi everyone

Thanks for the advice thus far.

Unfortunately his itching persists (seems to be getting worse if anything) and his skin has become irritated from the scratching, a visit to the vet saw him given antihistamines (no change) and a recommendation to put Neocort cream on the areas. Bit hard to get it on the skin through his fur! Plus he licks it all off anyway.

I have changed his food over to BARF at the recommendation of the breeder, going to give it a bit of time but it's so hard to see my poor little guy so irritated. He cries as he is scratching/biting at himself and he is starting to get bald patches from constantly chewing at himself. There is still no sign of irritation on his skin apart from the abrasions from scratching. Not much other advice from the breeder and no other pup owners have made contact re itching in their pups...

He came with 6 weeks pet insurance and I had already arranged to continue this so he is insured, it's not really that helpful when the cost is spread over multiple appointments though, given the excess is $125 anyway and most single appointments are less than that!

I may take him to another vet tomorrow and request some skin scrapings to check for mites, mange, and yeast (he does smell a little bit but not an obvious yeasty smell) just to rule them out.

Any other advice greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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