Dog constant scratching

[mctraill]

Hi can you help me. My dog is a Lab mix, and she scratches all the time, we have checked her out for fleas she doesnt have any, we use the advantage on her every month.
Her coat looks very healthy and shiney, and she doesnt have any dandruff, so we were wondering what it could be.

We dont bath the dog as she is terrified of water, so we use these towels that we bought from the pet store to keep her clean and smelling fresh. We dont brush her very often either as she doesnt like it, we are working on both of these problems with her.

I changed her food a couple of months ago to Eagle pack. Anyone have any clues what could be wrong with her?

Thanks

 

[Buddy'sParents]

allergies? mites? have you gone to the vet?

 

[mctraill]

Yes the vet says there is nothing wrong with her and I could try giving her some oil with multi vitamins in, which he gave us, but it doesnt seem to be helping.

I have only just thought, becuase she just came in covered in grass.She rolls in the grass quite a lot in the yard, which is like straw, we have only just moved into the house which is a new build and the grass is half dead.

 

[Debi]

if it were me, I'd stop using the towels you bought. it could be an allergic reaction to them, OR the grass. my Ham seems to be allergic to straw, nothing that you see..he does scratch when around it, tho. otherwise, if your vet has checked for mites and ruled out fleas, then give it more time on the oil & vitamins. not sure where you live, but I also notice that my dog will get dryer skin in the winter (I give fish oil and it helps, but without it...he scratches) hope it gets better.

 

[mrsgrubby]

Sounds like allergies to me. maybe a food allergy? What food did you used to feed? Are the main ingrediants the same as what you feed now? Did both use the same meat sources like chicken, did both have corn or wheat in them?

 

[Oski]

I was going to ask the same thing about the food. I am not really familiar with the food that you are feeding you dog, but check the ingredients for corn because I have heard from a lot of people that their dogs scratched a lot due to the corn allergen. Dogs have a very hard time digesting corn and many are very allergic to it which might be causing this mysterious itch. Good luck to you and your pooch.

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Could be environmental allergies.

 

[Saje]

Could be any kind of allergies. Dry skin. Fleas? I'd stop using the towels as well and add fish body oil to his diet as a start.

 

[misticaleclipse]

I was going to say the same thing. Try to stop using those towels and once in a while give him a real bath.

Then take a look at the diet as well. I would probably wait a bit before stopping the towels since you just switched his food, and see if that works first. When dealing with things like allergies its best to look at one thing at a time so you can eliminate the actual culprit.

 

[mctraill]

Hi everyone
I changed her food about 3 months ago after reading what they put in dog food on this forum. I changed to the Eagle Holistic, which is suppose to be all natural, which again I was told about on this forum, she seems to be much happier on this food. The food she was on before was Purina Dog Chow. The only other she eats is Mother Nature biscuits around 4 a day, which are all natural ingredients, we dont feed her anything else.

I am going to stop using the towels, we have tried to stop her rolling in the dry grass outside and I guess the next thing is to give her a proper bath, we have managed to get her in the bath, with a small amount of water running, so hopefully we can progress from there.

I did think about the Fish oil which some of you have mentioned, so I think that will be the next thing.

many Thanks for your help

 

[DoggyLuva1128]

Maybe it's allergies. Try bathing your dog with shampoos/conditioners that contain oatmeal and instead of using the towels to dry your dog try using a blow dryer (make sure it's not too hot!!).

 

[Oski]

lol...yeah the blow dryer is great, my guy loves it and it really makes their coats look nice, he might try to go after it at first though and look at you like you are crazy.

 

[vandynole]

Just a warning that if you use the fish oil, slowly introduce it into your dog's diet. I bought some for my very itchy dog and gave him the full 3 pumps recommended on the label. Not long after, he puked up all of his dinner. I've since given him a couple of squirts a day, split between his brekfast and dinner, and he's kept it down.

I haven't been at it long enough to tell whether it helps the itching, though.

 

[Oski]

How is your dog's itching problem doing??? It seems like my guy is now itching non-stop and I can't figure out what it is...I m thinking that it might be from the dry weather, but it is hard to tell.

 

[TopShelfPets]

How is your dog's itching problem doing??? It seems like my guy is now itching non-stop and I can't figure out what it is...I m thinking that it might be from the dry weather, but it is hard to tell.

I was actually thinking of starting a post about this. I noticed earlier today Jager was scratching his elbow. He's not a constant scratcher, and sometimes dogs just get itches, like people do. But i was wondering, because elbows/ankles/knees are such dry spots on humans, are they on dogs? And what can you do about dry dog skin?

I just use body butter when my elbows get itchy, but i don't see that working too well with fur...

 

[Oski]

I was actually thinking of starting a post about this. I noticed earlier today Jager was scratching his elbow. He's not a constant scratcher, and sometimes dogs just get itches, like people do. But i was wondering, because elbows/ankles/knees are such dry spots on humans, are they on dogs? And what can you do about dry dog skin?

I just use body butter when my elbows get itchy, but i don't see that working too well with fur...

Body Butter is the best!!!! But yeah that wouldnt work to well on all the hair :lol-sign: . I noticed that he is itching and licking at his legs a lot too, so it probably is the weather, I am hoping that it isn't something else because I can't seem to figure it out.

 

[TopShelfPets]

Body Butter is the best!!!! But yeah that wouldnt work to well on all the hair :lol-sign: . I noticed that he is itching and licking at his legs a lot too, so it probably is the weather, I am hoping that it isn't something else because I can't seem to figure it out.

Someone needs to make Doggy Lotion. Seriously.

 

[tinies12]

Sasha is doing the same thing. Scratching and biting at herself. She has two large soars at the top of her tail. I checked for fleas she has none. She's on a flea protection from the vet.

The vet told me to feed her lamb and rice food. But it is not working. Any suggestions??????????

 

[Oski]

Sasha is doing the same thing. Scratching and biting at herself. She has two large soars at the top of her tail. I checked for fleas she has none. She's on a flea protection from the vet.

The vet told me to feed her lamb and rice food. But it is not working. Any suggestions??????????

I also switched to California Natural, lamb and rice formula and it doesnt seem to have fixed the problem...he still is itchy and has doesnt have any fleas either when I have checked. Plus it has been really cold for the past 2 months and I didn't think that fleas could live when the dog is going in and outside during the day. I am very puzzled with this itchiness

 

[mctraill]

Hi Guy's
Sorry I havent been posting but I have been in my bed really ill with gastric flu, not a pretty sight.

I have been giving my dog this vitamin and oil thing the vet gave me, I have now noticed that on her under belly she is covered in white flakey bits now, the vet says its the time of the year, the weather is colder and dryer, I have to say I have noticed that my skin is dryer this year.
Any way, he says to stay with the oil and vitamins and I have given my dog an allergy pill which has helped with the scratching.

One thing we thought it that I walk my dog in the park and her under belly is always wet from the dew on the grass, although I dry her I dont wash her and I was wondering if this could be the problem.

Hows everyone else getting on with the scratching?