Itchy dog

[Marnie]

Hello all, I don't know if anyone can help me. I have a 14 year old, neutered male Westie Cross terrier who is really itchy and has been for years. He is on a daily dose of apoquel (prescribed by vet) and this does help but the last few days he has been really itchy and licking himself more than usual. He is clipped so his coat is quite short (pic below is just before grooming). He is on hypoallergenic, grain free food. He has also had recurring and persistent ear infections but after having his ears flushed earlier this year, we seem to be on top of that at the moment (fingers crossed).

Has anyone got any ideas of supplements or anything else that might help him? I also have his sister but she doesn't have any problems.

Any help gratefully received!

 

[Odyssey]

Yumega or salmon oil are good for itchy dogs. I had good results giving my mum's dog CSJ Resist, which is powdered herbs. It needs to be added to soaked kibble or wet food, or dry kibble with oil drizzled on for it to stick to.

 

[Petmurf]

My parents Westie is exactly the same and is now on Steriods as well as apoquel. they were also given a shampoo to use. It’s a nightmare with them as they will scratch themselves raw but it does calm down but there is always the chance that they will have a flare up. We have tried everything and nothing works permanently

 

[GSD Woman]

Westies are known for skin issues. Maybe try cytopoint injections. They're expensive but work for a lot of dogs. And I wouldn't add anything to the food without running it by your vet first. It could cause a nasty flare up.

 

[DabDab]

Have you ever done an exclusion diet with him? Do you have any idea what sort of things he reacts to?

After many years of playing around with things I managed to sort of pin down what causes a flare up in my westie - not generally grains actually, it is more the protein levels in the food and a bunch load of small ingredients that you find in some kibbles. She does well now on just wet food, and seems to be OK up to about 12% protein.

For whatever reason, I was always fairly convinced with mine that it was something setting her off rather than something she was lacking, so I never tried any supplements

 

[Andie02]

There was a similar thread to this last saturday, see replies on there.

 

[Bellasophia]

Hi marnie..your dog is 14,so you must have a lot of ideas by now as to the triggers for his skin issues..
A few ideas...
westie allergies can be atopic......dietary .....or auto immune..

Did your vet test him for the cause before he prescribed apoquel?( a. Big gun,expensive ,blanket cover for generic allergies)

Does he have a history of diarrhea? If so.. The exclusion diet ,that dab dab mentions is a good idea,to try the dog on a new protein periodically and eliminate it if it causes problems..
With a dog of his age,I’d probably try him on a completely new protein..a fish? Rabbit? Etc..see how that goes,maybe with a bland kibble mixer,or kibble with low ancestral grain/ new protein ...not totally grain free..

I’m looking at his photo...his ears are blackened inside...I would gently wash his ears with a cotton ball soaked in a gentle ear wash,or even camomile tea.. dry well,then use thornit,powder to clear any ear mites and bring up the deep wax that can be wiped out two days after the cleaning.
in a younger dog,I would do a skin punch to see if he has an issue with skin mites.
Alternately,for this old boy,would shampoo him with a shampoo to eliminate mites.

Has he been tested for yeast infection in his ears?..there are shampoos also for this if he tests positive for malessia..

NB,.. the apoquel is damping down his response to something that he is intolerant to..eliminate the source and you may not need this expensive drug.

His dietary and also his environmental intolerances /allergies can be tested by the ELISA blood test..
I tested my second poodle with the alimentary tests ( cost 150 euros) to find she was intolerant to beetroot ( beetroot pulp is a common filler in many dog foods) and removing that from her diet improved her health a lot.

I am not seeing eye stain,often associated with dietary allergies.
.
His skin looks pink on his under surfaces..could this be a contact allergy?
In any case,I would wash his bedding with a gentle detergent and not use a conditioner.

 

[Marnie]

Thanks all for your responses - I have just managed to get back to look at them all. I will have a good read through at the ideas / suggestions.

Thanks again for taking the time to help

 

[DSB]

1/2 teaspoon coconut oil,twice daily.

 

[Ashgrove]

We have a 'something' terrier who is very itchy, we've tried coconut oil with some success, but struggle to get him to eat anything with it in, we're now trying cider vinegar, only been on it for 3 days.

 

[JennBags]

Like DabDab, we found high protein set off our Westie's itching quite badly.