Itchy, Scratchy Doodle!!

[Michelle & Oliver]

Help! Oliver will be two at the end of the month and the past month or so he has been so itchy! He is biting his legs, scratching his face and side. He even made the top of his nose and leg bleed.

I give him his anti-flee monthly and he is on expensive food that I get at a specialty dog food store, so it's definitely not his food.

I have given him benadryl, which seems to help. Should I bring him to the vet? Suggestions please! :)

I am assuming it's allergies, but this is the first dog I have ever owned! 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, you're in my area, so  we're past the season for pollen allergies. The worst times are August through October. Other common inhalant allergens are molds, dust mites, and storage mites, and he is the right age for allergy symptoms to start, but there's no way to know what is causing the problem without having a veterinary dermatologist do skin testing under anesthetic, and it's too soon for that.

I'd have the vet take a look to be sure he doesn't have mites...they are invisible to the naked eye. The problem is that most vets are quick to diagnose all itching as a food allergy, and food allergies are relatively rare. Is his food grain-free, and does it have a good fatty acid content? If he is causing himself damage, hot spots or skin infections with all the scratching, the vet may recommend a topical product and/or  steroids

Claritin or Zyrtec work better for most dogs than Benadryl. You can also try giving him one 500 mg evening primrose oil capsule once or twice a day, and/or adding fish oil to his food or giving a fish oil capsule every day.

Brushing and frequent bathing help, too. Use a good allergy shampoo...I use Douxo. Leave the lather on for at least 10 minutes before rinsing, and don't use a hot dryer setting. Wash his bedding and keep his areas as dust free as possible. You can buy anti-itch sprays at most pet supply stores. If you have a forced air furnace, change the filter every month. There are lots of other tips in the Health & Medical group.

 

 

[Donna K & Quincy]

Quincy all of a sudden started to get really itchy and I was convinced he had fleas  but that wasn't the case. I switched him to a grain free food, started him on EPO and Fish Oil and cut all wheat out of his diet. He is much better and now. I do give him a healthy grain food sometimes and he is ok with that. He is on Fromms food.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Bella has always been an itchy dog and I knew from DK it wasn't a food allergy that young. She turned two in July. They get good food, and I home cook and make all their treats, it only lessened with good shampoos and EPO. I will never get ahead of the dust mites in Arizona, but her environment is as clean as possible and she gets 1000mg of EVO a day. She is bathed at least every two weeks although its more about how she feels or looks to me than scratching because it really doesn't seem to matter anymore. I feel I've done all I can to keep it at a minimum.
I've stopped worrying about it. It's less annoying when her collar is off, which is all the time unless leaving the house now. As long as we keep it manageable and shes not bothered by it, im good.
Murphy isn't a scratcher, he's a licker. He has caused much more harm licking than Bella ever has scratching.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

As long as you can manage it so that they aren't doing themselves damage, no need to do more. It's when they are infecting themselves that there's a problem. And when the itching is so bad they are trying to tear their own skin off!

[Michelle & Oliver]

Thanks! I am going to buy EPO tomorrow- do I have to go to a vitamin store or can I find it at the grocery store? 

Yes... taking the collar off is much less annoying otherwise he wakes up my baby when he scratches! haha

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

I got EPO online from www.puritan.com  They usually have "buy 2 get one free" deals of some sort. I could not find it at a grocery store but I'm sure they would have it at a vitamin store.

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

I use Puritan also. I get the buy 3 get 2 free option. They each get 2 capsule a day. Just put whole, in food. Every once in awhile murph might spit it out but I just wrap it in cheese then. Bella never refuses anything tho!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I do the same. Calla gets 3 capsules Luca 1. She has been scratching a little bit more lately too. I'm wondering if it isn't from the heat being on.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My local Safeway store (Dominick's) sells EPO in the vitamin section. But the Puritan website is a good deal.

[Michelle & Oliver]

Thanks for the responses!

Oliver uses Fromm as well.  We have a 6 month old, so therefore, Oliver has been slightly neglected. I did give him a good brush tonight, which seemed to help. My husband also changed the air filter (it hasn't been changed in quite a few months! eeeeek). 

Where do you buy that Douxo shampoo? I used to wash him a lot since he would love to roll in mud at the prairie we go to, but we don't go very often now so I am only bathing him once every 6 weeks or so... should I been doing it more frequently? How often do you brush your dog? 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

When they're very itchy like this, it helps to bathe them every week if possible, and brush every day, it helps them feel better. I order the Douxo shampoo on-line http://www.entirelypets.com/docash6floz.html

[Kimmy & Chewie]

Chewie had an itchy phase at around 7 months. The skin on his legs were a bit flakey too.

Then I start giving him fish oil and all is well within a few weeks.