Itchy dog!

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donkeyyy

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Really hope I can get some advice!

I've got a 11 month old cocker spaniel (god help me!). Probably sounds a bit silly but she is ridiculously itchy and its driving me bloody mad!! She is pretty much constantly scratching, I am really surprised that she isnt red raw from it. Seems to be all over. Its not fleas, we're pretty good with de-cootying. Asked the vet a while ago and she said some dogs are just itchy dogs. Fair enough but it doesnt really help me!! I've tried different shampoos etc.

Was just wondering if anyone has any miracle cures as I cant take much more!

Thankyou :)
 
Rule out an allergy, to pollen (tree or grass) household product (air freshener, carpet cleaner etc - ESPECIALLY anything with pine in it) a bedding, carpet, her food (lots of dogs are allergic to grain, particularly wheat - what is she fed?) allergy to a parasite, (not necessarily fleas) cigarette smoke - anything you can think of.

You can either have a full allergy work-up (£££) or you can do it at home via process of elimination.

She may also be 'hot blooded' and may need a food with a lower protein content.

It may also be an obsessive behaviour - distract her whenever she does it and make sure she has plenty of exercise/training/brain stimulation.

I'd get another vet, that answer just isn't good enough.

For instance - my dog is 'hot blooded' ie can't deal with too much protein, allergic to pine trees (we live in the middle of forestry land, FUN!) and is sensitive to the bacteria that lives on his own skin. He is managed with Malaseb shampoo, antihistamines twice a day and a low protein food with raw meat and bones a couple of times a week.
 
Oh good lord, this will be fun then! Thankyou for your reply.
She's fed Royal Canin something...cant remember...
I dont even know where to start!!!
 
No worries, it can be a minefield :p
If you don't want to switch foods I think RC do a hypoallergenic range, breed specific ranges and low-protein ranges. There are also cheaper hypoallergenic brands available :)
 
Agree that it may be an allergy so personally I would do what CC has suggested and try eliminating different sources to see if anything improves. If it doesn't then you could try feeding a good quality aloe vera gel which can work wonders for the skin. It is antipruritic so will help to stop the itching, reduce inflammation, help to take care of any bugs that may be lurking and help the skin to heal.
 
My new puppy (well six months) does it too - I've just tracked down a supplement that was advertised in H&H a couple of weeks ago. Have just ordered a bag so I'll let you know if it works! If anyone else has tried it (bionic biotic) does it actually make a difference?
 
Ah, Aloe Vera Gel/juice, cures all ills! Rub it on itchy bits as well to remove heat.

I used Bionic Biotic for a short time, found it a wee bit pricey for a small bag but by that stage my lad was in such a bad way, I had to blitz him with the heavy drugs :( to get it all cleared up so took him off everything else and he has been on a level since early this year, thank goodness, so haven't had the need to go back to it.

I do have a couple of friends who use it and recommend it for improving coat condition.
 
CaveCanem

Mine's only the size of your dog's head (I'm assuming from your sig) so hopefully a £10 bag will last a couple of months. Good to hear you know people who've used it successfully though!
 
Agreed with CC - I also have a very itchy GSD to the tune of at least £6,000 (so far) good job she is insured!!!!!!
She had a "patch test" done and is allergic to 46 out of 50 tests - including grass and pollen in summer, house dust mites (bad in winter) and fleas - we have to be uber careful about fleas as it could cause her to be hospitalised (again! Last time it was peanuts she scarfed off someone at a party!) It came to a head when we discovered bacteria in her pressure points on her "elbows" and (I can't quite remember what happened) but cysts came up from her chewing with the possibility of turning cancerous and leading to kidney failure - we were close to losing her but the cysts turned out to be harmless and were removed as well as some of the dead skin harbouring bacteria via laser surgery (a good chunk of the thousands spent!) The referral vet has never seen anything like her and has done a few conferences using her as an example (claim to fame!!)
She is now being managed on every other daily medication - the dosage for a cocker spaniel :) its worked out very well indeed so don't fret!!

The patch tests do cost £££ but invaluable in our case - luckily she isn't bothered by food but has to have a low protein diet because of her dog aggression (another £££ for behaviourist!).

Get some Malaseb shampoo, and there is also a 'grooming spray' for want of a better phrase called Malacetic Acid - it does the same job in between baths.
Rule out foods, avoid washing dogs bedding in fragranced powders or sprays (including air freshener, be careful this isn't going on her bedding or any carpets)

Long term itchy options (I don't mean to frighten you but if it is allergies..) are desensitising vaccines given monthly, or a medication called Atopica (like cyclosporin for humans). Hopefully this will just be a reaction to something that has changed (if the skin gets infected, it may just need steroids and antibiotics) and it will clear up and be managed over time.

ETA - when I worked at the vets, some people used RC Hypoallergenic or Sensitivity Control religiously - I can think of two dogs straight off who if they had another food were seriously seriously poorly and they were a Springer and a GSD (typical!) it is a very good food if a little pricey and contains nothing that commonly causes itchy dogs :) another good food is James Wellbeloved (all hypoall etc) or any natural diet containing no grain.
K x
 
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dooble said:
My new puppy (well six months) does it too - I've just tracked down a supplement that was advertised in H&H a couple of weeks ago. Have just ordered a bag so I'll let you know if it works! If anyone else has tried it (bionic biotic) does it actually make a difference?
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I have just started my dog on this so will let you know, she was prescribed steroids which I didn't really want to give, they made her ill so I've stopped them.

Will let you know if there's an improvement !
 
dooble said:
CaveCanem

Mine's only the size of your dog's head (I'm assuming from your sig) so hopefully a £10 bag will last a couple of months. Good to hear you know people who've used it successfully though!
Click to expand...

Yes, it probably will work out cheaper for you, then :)

NOISYGIRL I also detest using steroids and my vets know this but my fella was bald/thickened/weeping underneath from his throat right back to his inner thighs and was miserable and we needed to bring in the big guns :( and has not had to have them since.
I urge anyone with an itchy dog not to let it get as bad as we were - although on a lighter note ALL the hair is back and he is back to his big bad self :D
 
CaveCanem said:
Yes, it probably will work out cheaper for you, then :)

NOISYGIRL I also detest using steroids and my vets know this but my fella was bald/thickened/weeping underneath from his throat right back to his inner thighs and was miserable and we needed to bring in the big guns :( and has not had to have them since.
I urge anyone with an itchy dog not to let it get as bad as we were - although on a lighter note ALL the hair is back and he is back to his big bad self :D
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Luckily she's not too bad, but as you say I wanted to address the paw licking, from day 1 her personality changed, acting weird, panting, panicing because she wanted to go to the toilet, she won't go in the garden, her routine is my OH takes her out in the morning and I take her out in the evening, she will not go in the garden, she will hold it all day ! I'm going to put a patch of turf where 2 patio slabs were so try and encourage her. She has access to the garden all day because my mum is there so I'm not expecting her to hold it.

Anyway, she had an upset stomach from day 1 and has not improved, I spoke to the vet who thought it was strange for them to upset her tummy as they prescribe steroids for upset tummy's. She couldn't settle and as I said was acting totally out of character.

It wasn't even like normal diorhea (sp) it was disgusting like nearly clear gel almost

I just hope the itching doesn't get worse
 
Sounds lovely Noisygirl - urgh. My pup has had the squits once or twice since I've had him and I know it's not worms, etc. Fed him chicken and rice for a few days and it seemed to clear it up, then it came back again. Friend told me a kennelman had told her to fed natural bio yoghurt for a dog with an upset tummy - I tried it on my boy (after spending a fortune feeding him organic chicken) and it worked within hours - I can't quite believe how well, to be honest.
I used the pro-biotic, natural one from Yeo Valley (something like that, green and black tub). I know your dog's seen the vet but it might be worth a try!
 
dooble said:
Sounds lovely Noisygirl - urgh. My pup has had the squits once or twice since I've had him and I know it's not worms, etc. Fed him chicken and rice for a few days and it seemed to clear it up, then it came back again. Friend told me a kennelman had told her to fed natural bio yoghurt for a dog with an upset tummy - I tried it on my boy (after spending a fortune feeding him organic chicken) and it worked within hours - I can't quite believe how well, to be honest.
I used the pro-biotic, natural one from Yeo Valley (something like that, green and black tub). I know your dog's seen the vet but it might be worth a try!
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Thanks, thats something helpful to know, I spoke to the vet about the tummy he didn't actually say how to help it ! I was asking him about the steroids.

How much did you give approx ?
 
I forgot to come back on here yesterday, thankyou for all your replies! I think I will change her food to the RC hypo stuff, typically I sent my OH out to get dog food and he came back with a bag that is almost as big and probably weighs more than I do...bless him...but we've got to do something.
Do you think food is the best thing to try first?
 
Noisygirl

I wasn't sure so gave him about half a little (normal, pudding-style pot) for breakfast. Cleared his tummy up by lunchtime but I gave him the other half the next morning to be sure. He had his normal lunch and dinner after that and tummy was absolutely fine throughout. He's only very diddy though (about 4kg). Give it a try, it only costs about 50p and is cheaper than visiting the vet for meds! I'm staggered how well it works - my neighbour uses it for her pointers (who have very sensitive tummies) and she pretty much swears by it.
 
dooble said:
Noisygirl

I wasn't sure so gave him about half a little (normal, pudding-style pot) for breakfast. Cleared his tummy up by lunchtime but I gave him the other half the next morning to be sure. He had his normal lunch and dinner after that and tummy was absolutely fine throughout. He's only very diddy though (about 4kg). Give it a try, it only costs about 50p and is cheaper than visiting the vet for meds! I'm staggered how well it works - my neighbour uses it for her pointers (who have very sensitive tummies) and she pretty much swears by it.
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Yes thanks, I tried it last night after another episode when I took her out, and she'd been very panicy in the afternoon because she didn't want to go in the garden. I went to local shop after the walk, I got the huge pot, gave her 2 dessert spoons last night and same this morn, will find out how she's been later

Thanks again !
 
dooble said:
Noisygirl

I wasn't sure so gave him about half a little (normal, pudding-style pot) for breakfast. Cleared his tummy up by lunchtime but I gave him the other half the next morning to be sure. He had his normal lunch and dinner after that and tummy was absolutely fine throughout. He's only very diddy though (about 4kg). Give it a try, it only costs about 50p and is cheaper than visiting the vet for meds! I'm staggered how well it works - my neighbour uses it for her pointers (who have very sensitive tummies) and she pretty much swears by it.
Click to expand...

I haven't been on here for a few days, I just wanted to THANK YOU for this advice, my dog is now back to normal poop wise, I can't thank you enough
 
Was wondering how you'd got on. Glad it's worked for you, it's amazing, isn't it! I have a pot in my fridge, just in case. Can't believe I've owned dogs for 15 years and nobody ever told me til a few weeks ago!!!
 
dooble said:
Was wondering how you'd got on. Glad it's worked for you, it's amazing, isn't it! I have a pot in my fridge, just in case. Can't believe I've owned dogs for 15 years and nobody ever told me til a few weeks ago!!!
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Its amazing, I've owned dogs for 20+ years and have never heard of it, I've now told everyone I know to keep a pot in their fridge, wish it had longer date though. I gave it to her for 3 days, she is now fine. Touch wood, we are now tackling the itchyness.

I think this remedy deserves its own thread !
 
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