Need Help: Scratching!

[Louise and Toby]

Toby has been scratching for a couple of months. He has a fair amount of fur gone from both sides of his face and now he's moving to his head. It's esthetic really - sure don't want the cute doodle look to go away. His ears are perfect and nothing unusual can be seen on the skin. He has not fleas - we've used Frontline on him and he takes Sentinel. I've ruled out shampoos - he's been to two different groomers. The vet checked him last time wwe were there and he said we could give him Benedryl. Don't want to do that. Not sure if it's dry skin, boredom, just a habit . . . . Any ideas anyone??
Thanks!

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

I was going to say Benedryl also....I have done it with a dog I had years ago and it helped.

[Louise and Toby]

Thanks Lori. Could you tell by my typing that I wrote that pretty darn early in the morning?! We just got back from our walk. I am going to try the benadyl - can't hurt and it might rule out some things.

[1qrgkdwnfqccb]

as soon as we turn our furnace on Izzy gets the "hee-b-jee-b's" i can tell her skin is sooo dry, so i put a small amount of olive oil on her food...it not only helps her skin, but her coat is fab-u-lous!!!
but it might not be the dry skin...it could be food allergies? have you ruled out that option...if not ask karen (form karen & jack) she knows a lot on that subject.

good luck!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's the EFA's in the olive oil that help the skin & coat; you can also give it in gel capsule form...Jackdoodle takes evening primrose oil capsules and that is actually enough to calm down his atopy when it's not really bad. There's any number of different gel caps with good EFA's, from fish oil to botanicals.

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

Actually my husband is a heating an air guy and he has installed humidifiers for people for their dogs as well. It helped my neighbors dog...

[2hl9mp3c2fuam]

Or you can buy those portable ones you can just plug in also...??

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Hi Louise, is there anything first growing, blooming, or going to seed in your area right now that would correlate with our "hay fever" season here in the north? Are Toby's eyes red? Any new rugs, bedding, etc.? Scented candles? The Benadryl absolutely won't hurt him, if you want to try it. Don't start playing around with his food unless you switched him around the same time the face itching started.

[Scott Chalkley]

I know you said you ruled out shampoos but we had issues with dry skin before and our vet recommended an oatmeal shampoo and luke warm water. It did the trick.

I like the idea about the olive oil on the food that Amy suggested. I am going to look into that myself. I was going to mention age but it looks like Toby is almost 2 1/2. When they are puppies they tend to scratch more because of having puppy skin and are growing so much.

I am interested to see what it is and what works for Toby.

[Diane Dolphin Rocker]

My poodle has been scratching almost since I started feeding raw, so I was trying all different formulas of protein. Then I just read something that said dairy can be a big culprit. Well duh! I had been adding cheese and yogurt and cottage cheese the whole time! As soon as I stopped, she stopped scratching. Good luck figuring it out :))

[Cam & Oski]

If Toby does well with the olive oil/you end up thinking it's dry skin, you might want to only use a "soap-free" shampoo on him--lots of different companies make shampoo without soap (non-foaming) which doesn't dry out the skin or hair as much as regular soap. Planet Dog has one in peppermint with conditioner that we use on Oski. Here's a link to their page if you want to read some more about it:

http://www.planetdog.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=64010000

Good luck!

[Jenn&Bruce]

I am so glad somebody else is bringing this up! My Bruce has been scratching since he came home. he's been to the vet three times in the 8 months we've had him (twice were routine visits, and the third was for what "looked like" an allergic reaction) all three visits I have asked the Doctor about his constant scratching around his face, chin and jawline. I was also advised to try Benadryl. and it worked wonderful for the allergy attack episode (he was given the first dose as a shot at the clinic), but it did nothing for the constant scratching. it breaks my heart to see him get frustrated, and we have tried everything....benadryl, medicated shampoos, oatmeal shampoo, and I have gone through his coat in the areas he scratches, literally with a fine tooth comb, and there is not a thing to be found. no hot spots, no scabbing, scaling, flaking. nothing.
we have changed his diet once, nothing works. I was like you too Louise, I thought it may be boredom. We do take Bruce out Daily, weather permitting for a run at the park, or a good long walk. he's a completely healthy, happy, curious boy, with an invisible itch.
still looking for the right scratch....

[Tegan]

Kali has had skin problems since she was a puppy. She hasn't been doing too much damage to herself but she does chew on her feet sometimes. Our vet also recommended benedryl (make sure it's just Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride as some brands add tylenol to their allergy pills which can be toxic to dogs). We've been using it on and off for the last month or two. When her skin flares up it really does seem to take the edge of her itchiness. Another product you could try that we have used with good results is earthbath's Hotspot & Itch Relief. It has Tea tree oil, oatmeal, aloe vera, and skin and coat conditioners. We also use a very gentle shampoo and a moisturizing oatmeal conditioner on Kali after shampooing her, which seems to help keep her coat from drying out.