Itching and anxiety with Harley

[jackie schaffer]

 I have a 5 year old golden doodle that has some issues. I am posting here and not in the food group because food changes have not helped. 

1. for the past two years Harley licks her bum constantly.  She licks with such effort she is panting sometimes when done.  Day and night. She also licks and chews on her paws. No bare spots on bum or paws. 

2. She will itch her face and chin by rubbing on couch or on carpet. She also scratch's quite a bit.

3. Many nights she is anxious for no reason. She will go to a wall and paw at the wall and whine.  Two years ago she developed fear of thunderstorms and our fireplace. There is a gun range near us so she is also afraid of the gun shots.  I know these are common dog fears.  Her behavior during fire/thunderstorms is the same as the anxious nights. 

We have a river rock area on the side of our pool.  Harley will go there and kick the rocks with rear legs.  The rocks are about 4-5 inches in size! She does this when she seems anxious outside.  When she hears the gun shots she goes into the rock area.

What I have tried.

Food - Switched to grain free Buffolo,  then tried science diet from vet for allergy, then (current) Fromm grain free. I am the feeder so no one else is giving food. I also switched to revolution for flee/heartworm in case there was something in the heartwearm.

Treats - depending where I was in the food switching her treats were correct to not add any reactions. No rawhide.  I have withheld bully sticks and no change in behavior. She does like them and I give once a week.

Harley does not eat a lot. She gets 1/2 can of food and dry food 1 1/2 cups a day.  Sometimes it takes her two days to eat her dry food. 

Thunder coat. Seems to help a little. She acts like is almost a punishment she walks away when she sees the coat. I have to hold her to put on the coat. She acts like it is almost like a straight jacket.  Barely moves.

At night when she is anxious for no reason. I get up with  her and go to the couch or extra bedroom and she will calm down sometimes.  I go to the other rooms so as not to wake my husband.

I have purchased books for answers, researched, and consulted with vet.

Harley is a happy dog. We take walks and play lots in our huge yard. I walk her on local trails to avoid yards with pesticides in our neighborhood. I would describe her as an aloof dog with most other dogs.  Our friends dogs she likes to play with and interacts well with them.

Any suggestions on helping my Harley?

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues#ixzz2qUTsTsxQ

[Diane, Baker & Oskar]

Have you tried any Rx for the itching?  Baker licks his paws unless we give him Benadryl...& was licking his rear end quite a bit…to the point where the fur was wet much of the time…when bathing him, my husband noticed his anal glands were swollen…the vet said they will lick like crazy or scoot along the ground when the glands are full.  

Could some of her anxiety be caused by being uncomfortable from allergies?

[jackie schaffer]

Anal glands are not the issue. Ruled out by vet.  Benadryl was given this summer when she was stung by a bee two different times.  Made her sleepy, to be honest I don't remember if she stopped her licking and scratching a the time. After consult with the vet later this month will go from there...may seek a vet dermotoligist. Also looking for feed back from this site.  A combo of information from here and vet care will have a result.  Yes, I imagine her anxiety may stem from being itchy, I know it would affect me and my moods. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Or the licking may be a compulsive behavior caused by the anxiety. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Benadryl is not your best choice of antihistamine for allergies. It's a 1st generation antihistamine that does cause drowsiness. The 2nd generation antihistamines such as Claritin and Zyrtec do not cause drowsiness and are more effective for allergy itching. The GP vets are the only ones recommending benadryl, the specialists go with the 2nd generation drugs. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackie, there is a lot of confusion about allergies and food. Every time someone mentions in any internet forum that their dog is itchy, licking paws, etc., people immediately suggest food changes. It happened to me when JD's symptoms first started. 

Because I have a background in biology and nutrition, I was very surprised and confused by the fact that so many people immediately associate food with allergies. In fact, food allergies are relatively rare in dogs, accounting for only 10% of all allergy symptoms in dogs. So I am glad that you are have decided to investigate causes other than food, because chances are that food has nothing at all to do with it. (And that includes raw food. Raw food doesn't cure allergies, or anything else.) 

Because Harley is not causing herself infections, hot spots, or even fur loss, it's possible that her licking is related to stress rather than a medical condition. It's also not as important to have her checked by a dermatologist as it would be is the licking and scratching were causing damage, as that must be treated. But if you want to pursue a possible medical reason for the itching, scratching and licking, your best option is to consult a veterinary dermatology specialist. 

One thing you might try is adding some fish oil or evening primrose oil to her diet. The Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA from fish oil, and the Omega 6 fatty acid GLA from EPO have all been clinically shown to reduce itching and inflammation. They are also good for the skin and coat in general. Use human supplements, soft gel capsules, and do not puncture them. Give as you would a pill. It may not help, but it won't hurt. (Note: do not give evening primrose oil if your dog is prone to seizure disorders.)

The anxiety issues might be related to a thyroid problem. I would ask your vet to run a full thyroid panel. Very important to ask for a full thyroid panel rather than just testing the T3 or T4, which is what they do in routine bloodwork. 

If that comes back normal, you might consider consulting a veterinary behaviorist. These are vets with DVMs who have a specialization, and not just trainers or people calling themselves behaviorists. 

Our vets are wonderful, but they are not specialists in every field of medicine and cannot possible be experts in all areas. Specialty vets see patients with the same kinds of issues every day, and have much more experience and knowledge in treating them. Where your regular vet might see one patient a month with Harley's issues, a veterinary dermatologist or behaviorist sees dozens. 

I also think that Harley may be associating the thunder shirt with the things that scare her. If you are only using it when there is thunder, she sees the shirt and knows that every time you get that out, bad things happen. It's important to try to use it when nothing is going on that scares her, so she doesn't associate its appearance with scary occurrences. 

[jackie schaffer]

Karen you made some very good points.  In my gut I think it might be some type of allergy and the stress of her itching is stressing her out!   I will add the fish oil to her diet. I will ask for a thyroid panel at the vet.  I did check and we have a vet dermo about 45 minutes from me. 

Well duh on my part for only putting the coat on when she is already scared.  I should have known better. Will start using the coat with good things right away!

Thanks you for your advice. I know not to just believe a doctor for myself but do my own research, how much more valuable it is to reasearch and not take the vet at their word and seek a second opinion.   So happy I found this group!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackie, here is an excellent article Joanne posted in the Anxiety and Mental Health Group this week; excellent overview and resource: http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/mentalhealth/forum/topics/canine-...

You will want to join that group if you haven't already.