Lidocaine in Shampoo

[Donna K & Quincy]

Quincy has a problem with itching, he scratches and leaves little tufts of fur around. It is not a constant thing but it is an every day thing. The vet said he does have some dry skin.Yesterday I bought some anti- itch shampoo at Petsmart, it is called Top Paw and is made exclusively for Petsmart. The shampoo has lidocaine and hydrocortisone as two of the ingredients and it is made in China. Do you think this is a safe  product to use or should I just return it to the store. Here is a link to the shampoo.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3687717&cp=...

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

I'm not very brave when it comes to that sort of thing. I would feed more oils and spray often with lemon rinse if it was me.

[Laura and Ebony]

hi Barb...I was wondering what type of oil and where do i buy it?  would a raw egg do?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Donna, the best shampoo I have found for itchy dry skin is Douxo Calming Shampoo. The key is to leave it on for at least 10 minutes before rinsing.

Oatmeal shampoos can be good, too. There was one I love, Relief, with Colloidal Oatmeal, but it appears to have been discontinued. If you can find something similar, that would be good. It also needed to be left on for 10 minutes before rinsing.

I would not use the one with the lidocaine, etc. That doesn't even make sense to me, it gets rinsed off anyway, so whatever anti-inflammatory or anesthetic properties it contained wouldn't last very long.

And you can try giving Quincy evening primrose oil capsules and/or fish oil capsules if he isn't already getting them.

Also, conditioners, finishing sprays, and other products can add to the dryness, especially if they contain alcohol. Best not to use anything other than shampoo. And don't use a hot dryer on him, let him air dry or use a cool dryer setting only.

Hope this helps.

[Donna K & Quincy]

Quincy already gets the EPO. He already gets 1500mg a day, would adding fish oil be too much.  I didn't notice that lidocaine was an ingredient til I got home and my first thought was that can't be good and made no sense. I don't use conditioners or blow dry him. I only bathe him every couple of months. Would bathing him more often help or hurt.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

If you use a good shampoo that soothes and mositurizes the skin, it might help. I always thought bathing too often contributed to the problem, but JD's allergy specialist says frequent bathing can help them, as long as it's done right. Of course, part of that may be getting rid of pollen, which I don't think is Quincy's problem.

[Donna K & Quincy]

No, pollen is not the a problem. :>)

[Donna K & Quincy]

I need a shampoo I can find locally so I'll just look for an oatmeal shampoo. The itching has started over the last year or so.

[Hazel & Chester Wayte]

I wouldn't want to use a shampoo with steroids. I would be more concerned about the HC then the lidocaine.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Topical steroids don't pose the same kind of risk that oral steroids do. Many OTC first aid ointments that we commonly use contain hydrocortisone.

[Deb, Connor & Simon]

For Connor's itchies, I found the best thing for his bath is Isle of Dogs Evening Primrose Oil Shampoo (it's a concentrate). Also I feed grain-free food and treats with salmon as the protein source. I also give him Benadryl 3x/day. When he started this seasonal itching a couple of years ago, first thing my vet gave him was shot of steroid, which he didn't tolerate well. I would avoid the shampoo w/lidocaine and hydrocortisone because of lack of control of the amount of those ingredients. Topical cortisone and lidocaine can be useful when administered properly, but how much of what do you get in shampoo?

Best of luck in finding just the right combo for Quincy's itch relief. :-)

[Donna K & Quincy]

Thanks everyone, I returned the shampoo with the lidocaine and got an oatmeal one instead. I haven't used it yet, we've been x-country skiing while we have snow and it takes him so long to dry that it's an all day thing. It's going to rain tomorrow so a bath is on the agenda. I also got him some Fish oil caps to give along with his EPO. He is on a grain free food but his treats are not always grain free. He has had some treats that are not grain free lately, maybe that is why he seems to be more itchy. I think I'll stick to homemade treats for awhile and see if that makes a difference.