Itchy Doodle

[AliandShooter]

Anyone else experience an itchy doodle before? We haven’t changed his food or done anything different the weather has been warm except a little bit more rainy. He’s 5 months old and started itching it started with his ears so I cleaned them out and that seemed to fix that but now he’s licking his paws scratching his shoulders bitting his legs and close to his tail. I know it’s not fleas as he’s on trifexis and I’ve looked at his skin and see nothing. But I do notice when he scratches sometimes some hair comes it and he’ll whine. When we go outside he scratched his face on the wet grass or trampoline. I bathed him and figured maybe because this is the longest he’s gone without a bath (over a month). 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, he's pretty young to be starting with allergies, but what you are describing fits the pattern of seasonal allergies perfectly, and it's the right time of year. And they are VERY common in doodles, because Labrador Retrievers are the #2 breed affected, with Goldens also over-represented. 

Here is some information, including what you can do to help keep him comfortable. He is too young for allergy testing, but that's something you will want to keep in mind for the future. Ignore anyone who tells you this is related to food, and resist the temptation to change his food, unless you are feeding something with a poor Omega 3 content or high Omega 6:3 ratio. You may also need to change the way you store his food, as discussed in the link:
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

[Trudy Harlow]

Allergies. He’s young, but it sounds like seasonal allergies. Many doodles suffer from them. Karen can tell you dosages of OTC meds that he can take at his age. If it continues, you might try fiddling with his diet, which is what we ended up having to do with our GD.

[Ann Kendig]

My LD, Duke, was scratching and chewing on himself along with repeated ear infections by the time he was 4-5 months old. Vet said he was too young to have allergies.  I shaved him down a couple months after I got him as he was getting so matted from chewing.   I believe there are exceptions to the belief that a dog is too young to have allergies, like my boy.  Don’t know how often it happens to a young pup, but it happens.  He has food and environmental allergies.  I give him an allergy shot every week.  He’s on two different vaccines and I rotate them.  The shots have helped him tremendously!  Seldom does he ever get skin infections anymore.  I’m not saying your pup has the same issues as Duke but I agree with Karen.  If he continues to have issues you may want to look into allergy testing in the future.  Good luck and enjoy your sweet pup!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

I think Luna started hers just before she turned a year old.. .vet said it seemed early to be starting seasonal allergies but that's what it was (bad ragweed allergies).  It would have started earlier most likely but she was born in August and ragweed season here goes Aug-Oct so it didn't show up until she was 11 months old.

[Laura and Angus]

Agree with everything said - our vet said that you can give a benedryl for pups or we give our pup 2 Zyrtec pills a day - I believe it's 10 mg per 25 lbs. I'd double check with your vet on the dosing, but that's what we do! We also gave our pup Welactin, which is an omega 3 supplement and that definitely helped too (see link below). Washing your pup more frequently during high allergy times can also help.

Welactin: https://www.amazon.com/Nutramax-Welactin-Canine-Softgel-Caps/dp/B00...

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You definitely want second generation antihistamines like Zyrtec rather than Benadryl; they don;t cause the sleepiness that Benadryl does and are more effective. 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I would definitely talk to your vet.  One of my Doodles has seasonal allergies that are worst in the Spring and Fall.  My vet prescribed Apoquel and it has made all the difference for him.  The best part is that he can be on it when he is showing symptoms....you can stop and start it without a problem, unlike some of the other meds.

[AliandShooter]

Thank you everyone! What type of OTC do ya recommend and how much of it? He's 5 months old and about 45 pounds now? It just breaks my heart to see him scratch so much. We woke up this morning and as soon as I took him out if his crate he was scratching we went outside to potty brought him back in to eat and then he pretty much hanged out with me while I got dressed for work, but the entire time he was just sitting there scratching started from his face then to his back and legs and then the licking of the paws. Its driving me bananas

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ali, I have all that outlined in the link I gave you: antihistamines, fatty acid supplements, topical sprays, etc. Other tips on controlling itching such as wiping them down, etc. It's all there at the end of the article in the link. 

[AliandShooter]

Thanks Karen I will look into it

[Laura and Angus]

I would start by giving him a bath today to at least help remove pollen (just like people when you should wash your body at the end of the day) and you can try Zyrtec - if your pup weighs 45 lbs, you can do 1.5 pills of the reg 10mg pills - but I would definitely call your vet and just double-check; they should be able to answer this question about OTC allergy med dosing over the phone.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is good advice about the bath. Also, the very best shampoo I have found for allergic dogs is Douxo Calm. This was recommended by Jack's dermatologist and I know many others here have had good results with it. You can order it online. I brought it to Jack's groomer each time he went there.
Whatever you do, do not use human shampoo (the Ph of dogs' skin is different from ours), and DO NOT USE CONDITIONERS, especially the kind you leave in. The more grooming products, the more pollen and dust will adhere to the coat.