Itching...

[Debbie Bradshaw]

Our year old apricot colored F1B seems to itch constantly. He's on Trifexis for fleas and we don't see any on him so I don't think that's the problem.  He's also on a good quality dog food, so I doubt that's it.  Does anyone have any ideas on a shampoo that might help?  I've been using on with oatmeal in it, but that doesn't seem to be helping. 

[Tammy & Gracie]

Are there any stains or redness to the fur from chewing, usually feet or butt?

[Debbie Bradshaw]

Nope no stains or redness.....

 

[Trudy Harlow]

This is a common problem with doodles.  It's probably inhaled allergies.  Talk to your vet about antihistimines.  I give my 50 lb GD Paddy 5mg of Claritin 2x a day.  It takes the edge off, but it doesn't totally get rid of the itching and licking.  Paddy is allergic to dust mites and mold mites and we live in a humid area in a 50-year-old house, so we can't remove the allergens entirely.  I have good results, though with spraying Febreeze Allergen Reducer (which, I believe, takes the mite allergens out of the air) -- that seems to really help him.  Also, vacuuming often with a HEPA filter in the vacuum.  He also has seasonal allergies in the spring and fall.

My experience also is that facial scratching can mean an ear infection.  Keep a close watch on your dog's ears because doodles are also often prone to these infections, especially if they have furry ear canals (which mine does).  You can tell if there's an ear infection not only by the scratching but also because the ear will develop an "off" odor -- very easily identifiable.

In any case, I'd suggest a visit to your vet to discuss all this.  As Karen likes to point out, true food allergies are rare in dogs, but I chose to put Paddy on a grain-free, exotic protein diet just to remove any possibility of aggravation by food sensitivities.  As one people allergist explained to me one day, allergies are like building blocks -- everyone has them to some degree and the question is, how many blocks can you stack up before it falls over.

Paddy's allergies are a constant source of concern to us, but we do what we can to keep him from suffering too much.

Good luck with this!

[Helen & Kirby]

You might try the homemade lemon spray that Barb posted.  You'll have to do a search for it, but it works great, and might help with the itching.

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

There are so many reasons for itching.

environmental dermatitis

food dermatitis

parasite dermatitis

drug reaction dermatitis

Dogs, like humans can react to a variety of things. You could join the Naturally Living Doodles to see lots of good ideas for minimizing these allergens.

One thing that is reported as uncommon is lice. This is actually under reported. Here, a trip to the dog park can result in lice. Here is a link where you can read about this itchy issue. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/articles/caninelice.htm

 

[Kemp Rader]

Sometimes dogs have an itchy reaction to carpet cleaning products or fresheners such as Carpet Fresh, etc. - just a thought.

[Debbie Bradshaw]

Well -- we may have identified the problem.... we found fleas on our cat today and although we haven't found any on Max, the vet said that those that bite him before falling off could be irriating him... SO big flea kill day at our house today.  Hopefully this will solve the problem.   Lesson learned -- don't take the indoor kitty of his flea prevention..

 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Congratulations for finding the solution!