ITCHY ITCHY BITING! Driving me nuts!

[Emily]

My second doodle is only 18 weeks. He is ALWAYS itching! He has had his shots. He is on grain free Zignature Lamb food. He doesn't have fleas or mites per the vet. I have been keeping his coat short and bathing him in Tropiclean Oatmeal per the vet. My 5yr old doodle isn't scratching or itching.  The vet says it's the winter and it's normal to have dry flakes.  Suggestions?  I did see the posts about Primrose oil and Fish Oil. I am going to get some tomorrow, our stores are closed right now. What shall I do?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

From the article:

Give Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. You want the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish. You can also give GLA in the form of evening primrose oil supplements. In both cases, use human softgel supplements. 

If you feed dry dog food, check the Omega 6:3 ratio. You want a ratio of 5:1 or less, the lower the better, and the Omega 3 content should come from fish.

Give antihistamines. Different antihistamines are more effective for different dogs. Typically, you want second generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, like Claritin, Zyrtec, Atarax, etc. rather than Benadryl.

Use OTC anti-itch sprays on the affected areas. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Wipe the dog down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to the feet. Brush the dog daily.

Keep the indoor areas where the dog spends the most time as clean and dust free as possible. Wash bedding weekly, wash food & water bowls daily. Vacuum as often as possible.

Keep dry foods in air-tight storage containers and don;t buy more than you can use in a month unless you can freeze it. 

If the feet are affected, you can soak them in tepid water with epsom salts. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.

Bathe the dog often, weekly if possible, with a shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. (I like Douxo Calm). Do NOT use leave-in conditioners or other grooming products. Use a cool dryer setting or air-dry. 

As much as I hate doing it, keeping windows closed really helps with pollen allergies. Run the A/C in warm weather especially, the allergy symptoms are exacerbated by humidity. Use a furnace filter with a high allergen rating and change it monthly. 

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/some-basic-facts-about?gro...

[Emily]

Thanks Karen. I'm happy to say I do most of the things you mentioned especially the cleaning and food storage! Yay!  There really isn't any specific spot that is bothering him. Every time he itches it is a different place except paws. I had to chuckle about the comment about the windows. We haven't had our windows open since last September...It's freezing here! Maybe it's the dry heat. I will definitely look into the shampoo you mentioned & I already have a dog dryer.  Thank you for taking the time to respond! I appreciate it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I will say that it would be very unusual for a puppy to have allergies at 18 weeks. The Omega 3s and the Douxo might be all you need. And maybe try Zignature's trout & salmon formula, it has a much better Omega 6:3 ratio than the lamb. 

[Emily]

I will try the salmon recipe next time. I bought a liquid omega 3 oil to squirt on his food....boy does it STINK and give him stink breath! I will have to give him that before bed so we can tolerate it. I am not a fish eater and can't stand the smell so it's a me problem not a product problem. Lol

[Emily]

Karen
I bought the Omega 3 supplement from the pet store, it was a liquid. One small pump per his weight. I also got the primrose but I am very worried. He hasn't stopped drooling. When I went to him first thing this morning, he was drenched. Not vomit..just saliva. His under beard chin hair is drenched like he played in water. Why is he all slobbery? Even after drinking, his beard was never like this. I'm nervous.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Did you give him the primrose oil? I haven't heard of either fish oil or primrose oil causing a dog to drool like that, but primrose oil (and many other oils from herbs) can lower the seizure threshold, so if you did give it to him, I'd stop.

As I mentioned above in my first post, you really want human softgels for the fish oil. In general, human supplements are better regulated and of better quality than those made specifically for pets. The softgels are less stinky and messy, too. I like Nature Made Minis.

I wonder if the oil is contributing to his beard being wet.

[Emily]

i tried to give him the fish oil tablet, he wouldn't eat it. I don't feed people food to my dogs but I did try some yogurt. No go. The vet said to try the oil on the food and the primrose in the form of a tablet so I would only have to fight him to take one tablet. The only other thing that is new is the Seresto collar. We live in a very high tick area. I don't see the drool falling from his mouth, his beard is just drenched . Could it be teeth?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I've never heard of evening primrose oil in tablet form. I've only ever seen them in softgel form. 

Many dogs will eat the softgel if you coat them with something and place them in the food bowl with their food. I use mashed sweet potatoes because Jack is on a restricted diet. If he wasn't, I'd try liverwurst. Peanut butter might work, too. Otherwise, you do have to put them down the throat. 

The Seresto collar could definitely be the culprit. Can you ask the vet for some other form of flea/tick preventative? 

[Kamela & Beckett]

Karen, I thought I saw somewhere that you recommended a particular spray (for itch relief) but I'm not able to find it now. Could you share again, please?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The best one I've found contains Praxomine and Colloidal Oatmeal. Mine is from the dermatologist but there are several similar sprays available on-line. This is the one that I use:

http://www.bayerdvm.com/show.aspx/relief-shampoo-crme-rinse-and-spray

I've seen one called Praxoderm on-line, and another one made by Davis called Praxomine Anti-itch spray, both look very similar to mine. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

All great advice from Karen and she is our allergy expert.  Just wanted to toss this out there as it worked for me.  Our AnnaBelle was an itchy puppy.  She didn't really chew on herself, just scratch scratch scratch ... drove me crazy.  I reached out on FB and Carole Rhoads told me about this shampoo bar.  I bought it and problem was solved.  I don't use it any longer, but it solved the problem back then.  She is fine now.  http://www.dermagic.com/DERMagic-Organic-Skin-Rescue-Shampoo-Bar_p_...

[Emily]

Wow, thank you for chiming into the conversation. I appreciate it and am very interested in this product! You know when babies get cradle cap? A wise elderly grandma gave me some advice and I followed it...one application...never returned! Miracle cure after trying all the internet remedies and all it took was some GOLD Dial liquid soap and tooth brushes. I am looking forward to trying your suggestion too and it seems like the ingredients will make it smell good. Did you only use the shampoo bar or the conditioner bar too?