Seren Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Hi, I have looked and cannot see this specific topic covered - some on itchy dogs yes but not what itchyosis means and if it means pup is affected. I have a 19 week old Golden Retriever who is quite itchy. I read on his papers that his dad is: Itchyosis "Carrier". So I am guessing by that his line is prone to itching?? Harry came to me with fleas but was bathed before he was even put down in the house. He itches quite a lot and has licked bald patches at the base of his tail. I have given him Macrolone tablets ( I have had him vet-checked for itching) and put the cream on his bald spots after washing them in cidar vinegar water. He settles on the tablets but when they are stopped he itches again. I have him on a natural diet with Royal Canin kibble. My 20 month old Lab is also itchy. I have read the threads on itchy dogs and taken notes. But I would love any more advice on nautural remedies. I was wondering if anyone can clear up this "itchosis carrier" question if it means that they carry a gene suseptable to itching perhaps. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 perhaps if you had talked about this with the breeder and your vet prior to getting a pup - you may have felt better about it. here is the definition of icthyosis (NOT itchyosis) : ;) - no it's not an itchy gene . It is a hereditary condition ... CLICK here fromTHIS SITE - A skin disease prevented thanks to a DNA test Ichthyosis results in a profusion of dandruffs. A majority of the Golden Retriever are carriers of the gene responsible for the disease. A reliable DNA test can screen stud dogs and brood bitches, in order to adapt matings and avoid birth of affected puppies and spread of the disease in the breed. An incapacitating hereditary disease Ichthyosis leads to a skin disease. The first symptoms appear between 1 and 18 months by multiplying large dandruff visible on the back and belly. The skin looks dirty and scaly, and becomes dry, rough and with a hyper-pigmentation. Increased hygiene measures (special shampoos) should be considered to prevent infectious complications. The breeder or veterinarian can confuse Ichthyosis with the presence of parasites on the skin that may also be responsible for dandruff. A very frequent disease More than 50% of Golden Retrievers in Europe are carriers of the genetic mutation responsible of Ichthyosis. A breeder can mate without noticing a male « carrier » and a female « carrier » and produce a litter containing affected puppies. A dog « carrier » of the mutation will not develop the disease but transmits it to 50% of the puppies. A stallion « carrier » of the mutation which is used a lot for reproduction, spreads the disease through the breed and helps to increase the frequency of the mutation and multiply the number of affected dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 If your dog is still biting at the base of the tail you can be fairly sure he/she still has fleas. A bath will not rid a dog of fleas and you didn't mention that you had given him any medication or a topical spray to deal with fleas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seren Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Thanks persephone... not sure if you remember me; I am Lace's mum... (pup that was hit by car and had to be put to rest in August) I see now.. I have spelt it wrongly and it is quite different in description to the 'itchy dog syndrome'... I only found the term very late last night and was spelling it wrongly Harry's dad is marked as a "carrier"; nothing about his mother (maybe because the sire is shown and an Aust Ch.; the bitch is an unshown pet...) When I bought him nothing was said to me about this condition, I had never heard of it until late last night. I have dug out Lace's parent's photocopies and the term isn't mentioned there but her sire's side on google are 'carriers'. From the description of "ichthyosis" Harry isn't showing symptoms of it. He has itchy spots at the base of his tail and one on his ear. Holly has the exact same itches on her and both are being treated by the Vet with Macrolone. The Vet did skin scrapings and ruled out mites etc... She went over their skin (and I have also) and can't find dandruff or anything and no roughened belly skin or anything. When the Vet was looking she didn't mention anything about ichthyosis but maybe that was what she was looking for. I will ring her and ask now that you have enlightened me.. I wonder if they can do a blood test to see if Harry is a "carrier" or if they can test for him being 'affected' as it seems that being a carrier doesn't mean they are affected. ... I was not going to breed with him but, he will be desexed in the new year and Holly is spayed.. Well, now I know what other questions you have to ask when buying a Golden.. I will be passing this info on to everyone who "Ooh ahh's" over Harry when we are out walking... They already get the lecture about hip scores in the breed... Thanks so much persephone... I am going to continue to google it now but with the correct spelling which I can see now google was trying to auto-correct it is a wonder a big hand didn't jump out of my computer and wack me .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seren Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 Thanks cavNrott, Yes, he has been treated for fleas continually along with Holly (20 month old Lab). I check them every time I see them itching and can't find flea dirt or any sign of fleas. I have them both weighed and give them the proper dose of Comfortis always up to date. The Vet has checked and she is as confident as one can be that it isn't flea related. She has done skin scrapings as well to rule out mites. She thinks it is possibly the grass. But having said that I am not going to blindly rule out anything. Also hubby keeps telling me to put it into perspective, they aren't that bad and are kept really clean etc.. But I could only imagine if I felt so itchy myself so I keep looking for ways to make them comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 LOL @ the big hand wacking you ! itching at the tail base is almost always fleas . Did you know it takes ONE flea bite to set it off ? Most internal flea treatments float around in a dog's bloodstream . a flea needs to BITE a dog to get a dose of poison ;) Don't panic - don't believe spellcheck, and best of luck :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 There is a long thread in this section on using Calendula Tea. It is not a cure but should really help with relief and make your dog more comfortable. You can use in multiple times a day and it won't rob the skin of natural oils. Brewing some up and putting in a spray bottle will make for a days worth of comfort. DoLer "Steve" sells great stuff. http://www.shalarm.com.au/index.php/shop/dogs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverStar-Aura Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Also did you have the vet test for mites? My Poochie had skin burrowing mange mites (dermodactic?) that were revealed by a skin scraping. She used to chew bald patches on her back just at the base of her tail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 try a flea treatment that kills the fleas before they bite the dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Also did you have the vet test for mites? My Poochie had skin burrowing mange mites (dermodactic?) that were revealed by a skin scraping. She used to chew bald patches on her back just at the base of her tail. it is mentioned in the post ;) She has done skin scrapings as well to rule out mites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 He settles on the tablets but when they are stopped he itches again. I have him on a natural diet with Royal Canin kibble. My 20 month old Lab is also itchy. For me those two lines are very important ,you have two dogs that are both itchy ,so what are the two dogs getting that is the same . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 He settles on the tablets but when they are stopped he itches again. I have him on a natural diet with Royal Canin kibble. My 20 month old Lab is also itchy. For me those two lines are very important ,you have two dogs that are both itchy ,so what are the two dogs getting that is the same . True. I missed that bit about both being itchy! In peak Sydney flea season I use Advantage every two weeks. monthly won't cut it. Seren, grass and plant allergy is called a 'contact allergy' and usually starts between toes, and on the tummy and chest. It sounds like what you have is more likely to be a flea allergy reaction and I've had a couple of dogs that want to chew till they break the skin from just one bite. Try the calendula, aloe juice or I've heard a good paddle at the beach can help but haven't tried that myself. If you're not getting on top of it they keep chewing and a secondary infection develops. Wet hair sticks to the broken skin, keeps the skin wet and a local bacteria infection thrives. The first classic hotspot I ever saw was on the rump of a rescue goldie. :) She had a shaved patch to dry out the spot combined with a topical treatment. Nothing will work unless you clip the hair away from around the place they have made raw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSoSwift Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I would be looking at diet and possibly changing flea products. Royal canin can work really well for lots of dogs but there may be something that doesn't agree with yours. Dogs can be allergic to anything we are allergic to. IT isn't always something new as they have to be exposed to something to become allergic to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seren Posted December 9, 2014 Author Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) Wow, thankyou so much everyone.. It has helped to clear my head reading what you have written. I have written the things down Icthyosis - not classic symptoms of it and Holly is itching too Grass - as Powerlegs said, that should start on the feet/belly etc Mites - ruled out by skin scraping Both pups are itching the same way So I have to face it - I would be very silly not to suspect that a flea has bitten them and made them itch. Or as hubby suggested could a mozzie have got to them. But mozzies - ? mainly in the ear area maybe?? So I am going to treat them topically for fleas because it sure won't hurt. I will also go through their diet, that is the other thing they have in common. I am going to see if I can find the list of ingredients in Royal Canin. I read about a grain free kibble that some ppl use that I will google. I trimmed both of their fur away today so I could get it dry in there and get ointment on without it going gluggy. I am going to buy and brew up some Calendula Tea. I will hunt up that thread on it now Yonjuro thanks.. And yes persephone lol I will dodge the swinging hand Edited December 9, 2014 by Seren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bjelkier Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) I would be looking at diet and possibly changing flea products. Royal canin can work really well for lots of dogs but there may be something that doesn't agree with yours. Dogs can be allergic to anything we are allergic to. IT isn't always something new as they have to be exposed to something to become allergic to it. This is very true. My current pack are doing great on RC but my first Samoyed was super itchy on it. I ended up changing him to Nutro Lamb and he was much happier. Edited December 9, 2014 by Bjelkier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Get some Coopex ( residual insecticide ) & go over your grounds if possible. Fleas may be in your grass & soil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Get some Coopex ( residual insecticide ) & go over your grounds if possible. Sold in fodder stores. Fleas may be in your grass & soil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Coopex may indeed get rid of some fleas - also earthworms, ladybirds- crickets ...... a very drastic measure . Fleas are more likely to be inside, as they like warm, secluded spots like carpets, under mats/deep in furniture - that sort of thing - so flea-bombing the house may be sensible . Clipping and application of something really only needs doing if there is any skin damage - skin looks red or mucky . Calendula would be terrific in the case of chewing because of itches . :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Comforts actually works quite well for dogs with Flea allergies even though it is not topical. I agree its not logical but have seen it enough times to still strongly recommend it for dogs with this reaction. I do suggest some environmental management- vacuuming, washing bedding, It might be a stray cat brining in fleas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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