Constant itching

[Sarah]

hello 

I have a 14 week old GD. He is constantly itching and biting himself. He does not have fleas, and no parasites. I brush him regularly, so he’s not matted. We’ve only given him 3 baths with Burt’s bees oatmeal shampoo since we’ve had him because he got dirty. Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue and what can be used to resolve it?? 

Thanks!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Is he doing any damage to his coat or skin with the scratching, biting and licking? 
He is too young to have allergies. 3 baths in 6 weeks (assuming you got him at 8 weeks) could possibly dry out his skin, especially if you are using a hot dryer afterwards. 
This is not related to food, but a lack of Omega 3 fatty acids in the diet or too high a ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 can cause dry itchy skin. What specific food is he eating? 
There are common parasites (mites) that you cannot see with the naked eye. Vets will do a skin scraping and then look at it under a microscope to see if there are mites present. If he seems to be really uncomfortable or is damaging his skin, you should have the vet take a look. 
But some puppies are just itchy. 

[Sarah]

He is doing a little damage I believe to his tail. As far as food, we have the pickiest eater ever, and he has little to no interest in eating, we’ve tried blue buffalo, royal k9, iams, wet food, dry food. Right now he is eating iams smart puppy. But typicall just smells the food and leaves it be. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Sarah, we have a large, very active group here with a list of recommended food brands and lots of information on feeding "picky" eaters. (Hint: no free feeding) None of the brands you mentioned are on our list. Please join us in the Food Group for help with this. https://doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup

Iams is full of corn, by-products, and other ingredients that aren't great for promoting healthy skin and coat. Switching to a food with better ingredients and a better Omega 6:3 ratio might help a little.

Base of the tail is one of the areas that is typically most affected by allergies, and this is also the time of year in some parts of the country when seasonal allergies start acting up. Your guy is really too young for allergies to have shown up yet, but as Laura says, keep an eye on this. It's possible that he's showing some early signs. 

[Sarah]

Thank you! And I will check out the food group, as my poor pup hasn’t eaten in now 4 days and vet can’t take us in until Monday 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Try this:

At mealtime, put your dog's food down for him and sit down nearby. Keep all distractions to an absolute minimum. No kids playing nearby or engaging with the puppy, nobody coming in and out of the room, nobody calling out from other rooms, etc. Nothing to distract him from his meal. Give him ten minutes, and then pick up the food and do not offer food again until the next scheduled meal. He needs to learn that food will not always be available any time he feels like having some, so he needs to eat when the food is available. And to give him a fair chance, there needs to be nothing more interesting than eating, so make sure you eliminate all distractions, and stay near him for company while he eats.

[Sarah]

I will try this! Thank you!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It may take a few days, but a normal puppy will not starve himself. He will start to eat at mealtime. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A couple of suggestions for foods he might like better, and which are of much better quality. Fromm's Puppy Gold would be a good choice. Wellness CORE Puppy would be another one.
Here is a link to our recommended brands: https://doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/recommended-dog-food-brands-a...

[Laura and Angus]

I agree with Karen - you might have overwashed puppy and dried out their skin. Doodles have hair and not fur (or a combo) so they’re more susceptible to dry skin like humans. We started giving our doodle Welactin (can be found on Amazon) as an Omega 3 supplement and that really helped with itching - check package for weight requirements. But frankly, I’d keep an eye on it. Our doodle ended up having seasonal allergies and started sneezing/itching - he now gets Zyrtec (just like his mama lol) all seasons except winter and that finally put a near end to the itching!

[Sarah]

Ok great thank you! I will check out that Welactin!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

It’s important to use a dog shampoo rather than a human one. Is the Burt’s Bees a dog shampoo? It’s also critical to rinse well and almost impossible if you don’t  pre dilute the shampoo— put some shampoo and water in an old bottle with a top that gives you some control - like an old shampoo bottle. Evening Primrose Oil is something you could give a dog to help with skin but I’m not sure if your pup is to young. Karen would know. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You don't want to use both EPO and fish oil in a young puppy. Welactin is fish oil, and that should be fine unless he can't tolerate it. 
Burt's Bees does make an oatmeal based dog shampoo.
However, the very best shampoo for itchy dogs is still Douxo Calm.