# Itchy Dog!! Help!



## Snoho_Raven (Jul 14, 2014)

Please help with suggestions/ideas!
My GSD/Retriever is SO itchy. No fleas at all. I give him a tbl of olive oil on his food for his skin/coat (have for 4 yrs now). Do not bathe him as he doesn't smell whatsoever. Same food for 4 yrs. He does run through our meadow but I don't hear him sneeze/cough. Allergies? Random irritant?
The poor guy just gnaws on his side and hip, and he's constantly panting.
Ideas????


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## citxmech (Dec 26, 2011)

We've used benadryl for our dog with good results. http://benadrylfordogs.info/benadryl-dosage-for-dogs/


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## Ardie/WI (May 10, 2002)

I'd guess some allergy. Realize, like humans, animals can develop allergies for things at any time in their lives.

I'd do some research on dog foods such as corn free ones. One thing, stop the cod liver oil for a month and see if that makes a difference.


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

Goldendoodles get itchy like you describe after 2 years + on a food product like chicken or beef. 3 different vets (we moved a bunch) told us this. So every 18 mos. we went through changing the feed. Cycled thru chicken (no corn meal in any of the foods!), venison, beef, and then back again. Worked like a charm on 2 doodles over 8 years. Hope that helps.


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## Helena (May 10, 2002)

I would bath him really well with a good quality doggie soap with perhaps oatmeal in it. There might be some fleas hiding from you.I have a cat that had scabs and itched. I actually bathed her in phisohex(sp?) that you can buy at drug store. It is an anti bacteria lotion..in a green bottle. Cost a few $$...but worked on the cat. Also..have you wormed your little doggie. Sometimes worms will cause itching. Good Luck...or make a visit to the vet.
..


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

What do you feed him? 

He could be allergic to something in his food, or contact dermatitis. It could be his bedding or the shampoo you use. Also, allergies add up, if he's allergic to three different things, small amounts of all three of them will equal a large dose of one of them, its a threshold thing. Is there anything irritating in his bedding? Cedar in any form can be very irritating to a dog's skin for instance. The shavings have a lot of tiny slivers and the oil is an irritant. It is commonly used because it repels insects, but that's because its irritating! 

Allergies are often related to thyroid deficiencies, it could be worth a check there.

Skin and coat problems can also be caused by parasites, internal as well as external. 

Those 5 things are the most common cause of itchiness. It can be really hard to find and diagnose what the problem is. Look for unusual plants in your yard - I ran across someone whose collie was allergic/reactive to mesquite!


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## notwyse (Feb 16, 2014)

My snoodle is allergic somewhat to grass. She gets itchy in the summer. It seems that when she swims in the pond she controls the itching pretty well. But if we go somewhere where there is lawn and no dog swim area I at least rinse her off.


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## Snoho_Raven (Jul 14, 2014)

Thank you!!! Will try the calming bath, a small dose of benedryl and give him a couple days. If no change then we're off to the vet


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Also, if your dog has a fair amount of hair, clipping him short and keeping him very clean with non allergenic products might help a lot. Be sure to wash his bedding in a scent free laundry detergent (liquid, the powders have irritating things in them too). I know these things because I have allergic skin. If its clean and I wear cotton, I have a lot less trouble. I can't use scented laundry soap either or anything powdered.


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## SJSFarm (Jun 13, 2012)

Not to hyjack, but I'm dealing with the same issue- first time my older one has had this 

My two dogs, shepherd cross and short haired husky, are extremely itchy and constantly licking. The one is almost bald on the inside of her legs! 

I fix their food; chicken, veggies, and oatmeal or rice. I gave them a bath and there are no ticks. I am afraid they may suffer from mites! 

I used ivomectein pour on on them- 1 ml in the same areas as flea/tick ointment. 

I'm at my wits end with their discomfort! 

I'm gunna try benedryl, but I am hoping for a long term fix for this. 

This one dog is 6 and the other is a 9 month old pup.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Fleas are rampant around here. It sometimes takes a thorough going-over with a flea comb to find the little bloodsuckers.

Our American Bull, Tank, had the most golly awful rash. We didn't find the fleas for a few weeks, kept trying all sorts of things to help the poor guy. 

Of course, the rest of the pets got fleas, too, but Tank was the bellwether. Ugh. 

I hate fleas.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

There again, one of the first things to share with an itchy dog is what are you feeding? 

Also, it is worthwhile to take the dog to the vets and have the problem checked. Dogs can get staph infections, for instance, that will be helped with antibiotics. They can have various parasites, a skin scraping can be really useful. There are many things your vet can either diagnose and treat, or rule out to help you figure out what's going on. Itchy skin is pretty tricky to deal with sometimes. It can be leaky gut, autoimmune system problems, whatever.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

How old is this dog? And when did the itching start? You say you don't bathe him... has he EVER had a bath? Does he have long hair or short? Is he fat or thin? The constant panting makes me think he might have impacted undercoat or mats in his fur. If he's never bathed, he may have some dead hair/dander buildup on his skin that is making him itchy.

Can you take a photo of him?


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

Had a GSD that was itchy, switched dog food and problem solved. The poor dog suffered until we figured it out. He got along well with Sportmix from TSC, Iams dog food made him itch. Good luck.


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## k9 (Feb 6, 2008)

BTW Sportmix is Made in USA.


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## Teddi (Aug 4, 2014)

I had itching problems with my shepherd mixed and was treated by the Vet for allergies. She scratched so much that she had Hematomas in both ears. The vet gave me a cone for her head to keep her away from her ears and scheduled surgery to put drains in her ears for the Hematomas this is after 3 trips and abour $350 paid. After reading some of the stories about these drains I canceled the surgery. I tried some hemorrhoidal Ointment on the Hematomas, rubbing the ointment on them twice a day, morning and evening. After two days I noticed they were getting smaller, and after 4 days they were completely GONE ! I took her to a different Vet and he said she had Sarcoptic Mange he prescribed Paradyne to be applied once a month and after a month she stopped the scratching. He said to keep her on it over the winter. 9 Mos. later it was all gone all her hair grew back and scratching stopped. The Mange was first showed up on the edges of her ears, like a crusty patch of dandruff and progress to licking and chewing her paws and scratching all over. If you are not getting results from a Vet find a new one and suggest checking the dog for Sarcoptic mange. And Surgery as a last resort, and after treating the dog with the Hemorrhoidal Ointment.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Try a good quality grain free food for 4-6 weeks. If it is food allergy related, you should see a change in him fairly quickly, but it can take up to 6 weeks to get whatever allergen he reacted to out of his system. 

Bathe him! He may have a build up of grit on his skin that has irritated it. If he is long haired, trim him first then bathe him. It may also be a flea, even one tiny flea can make my bulldog go mad with itching. I have her on a flea preventive product but that doesn't guarantee she doesn't get them landing on her at times and hanging out just long enough to irritate her. You can use a Capstar oral flea killer one time to see if there are fleas present. Stand your dog on a white towel and give the Capstar pill. Within 30 minutes it will begin killing any fleas your dog might have and you will see them fall to the white towel. That is the fastest way to find out if you have a flea issue.

A lot of vets will have you treat symptoms rather than go the extra mile first off and allergy test. I would not put my dog on a medication for itching if I don't know what is causing the issue to begin with! Benadryl is a good help, but make sure you know what is causing the trouble before you begin giving any medications....you will be able to solve the problem instead of just treating the itching.


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## DoggieWoman (Nov 4, 2015)

aoconnor1 said:


> A lot of vets will have you treat symptoms rather than go the extra mile first off and allergy test. I would not put my dog on a medication for itching if I don't know what is causing the issue to begin with! Benadryl is a good help, but make sure you know what is causing the trouble before you begin giving any medications....you will be able to solve the problem instead of just treating the itching.


I feel exactly the same way (and so does my Veterinarian). Earlier this year I looked up if I was able to give my dog Benadryl, and after a lot of research I found at chart located here http://www.anydogrescue.org/benadryl-for-dogs/ that gave the appropriate dosages for dogs. I printed this out and took it to my Veterinarian. He basically said what you said, that it is fine to give and those were appropriate dosages, but to find the underlying issue. We love our pets so much, even though it's easier to give them some Benadryl, try to find the underlying issue!


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Snoho_Raven said:


> Please help with suggestions/ideas!
> My GSD/Retriever is SO itchy.


Have you had him checked for mange? Pits are notorious for the mites, but other breed can get them too. They are just a mite that burrows into the skin and causes horrible itching and rash.


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## dodgewc (Jul 8, 2006)

If you are feeding her any of the big brand stuff you're killing her slowly, maybe even rapidly


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## Vickivail98 (Sep 26, 2014)

As a long time groomer I have to chime in- if your long haired dog has never been bathed or trimmed I would suggest a bath but DO NOT ever shave down a dog with potential skin infection, mange, mites, or sever inflammation. Believe me when I tell you that you will irritate the skin much more than it already is and if it is an infection it may end up killing your dog or at least completely stressing him out. 
Switch (slowly) to raw food, no grains, have your vet check to see what kind of shampoo you need and then take him to a pro who has all the tools to do it properly. 
Oatmeal shampoo is only appropriate when a dog has dry flakey skin. It will make oily itchy skin, yeasty skin or rashy skin worse! If you are looking for a shampoo without a vet check use a sulfa based shampoo (DO NOT use it on a cat, he will be poisoned). 
I actually use sulfa shampoos twice a year on all my clients dogs because it helps condition for shedding season and it is a very good insect repellant. Plus it's cheap! 
Good luck


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