Scratching, possible allergy?

[cpatty]

We've had our new tibbie pup a week today. My husband is worried because she scratches quite a bit. I don't know how easy it is to quantify, but can anyone tell me how much scratching is too much? He's concerned that she may have an allergy and that I should take her to the vet.

I did retrieve and kill a flea last Sunday and put Advantage on her Wednesday, the day we went to have her vet-checked. I haven't yet changed her food from what the breeder was giving her: Iams Puppy.

The scratching isn't constant, but it's pretty regular, and it's not in any one location--she seems to scratch around all over, and once in awhile she'll nibble her back leg. I don't see any red patches--maybe a couple of tiny spots that are pinker than the rest of her skin.

Should we be concerned?

Cathy

 

[wookie130]

Well, if she had fleas (and it indeed sounds like she did prior to the Advantage application), she could still be suffering some skin irritation from the flea bites, in other words, a mild flea-bite dermatitis skin condition. I would expect this to improve a lot on it's own now that she's flea-free and they're no longer biting her...the residual itching from the bites should fade in time. To give her some relief in the meantime, you could try applying a hydrocortisone cream to the affected areas, and prevent her from licking it off. Or, before applying the hydrocortisone cream, soak a cotton ball in some apple cider vinegar, dabbing it on the area, drying it off with a dry paper towel, and then apply the cream.

See if this helps, and if in a couple of weeks, it doesn't, then a trip to the vet to check for allergies may be in order.