Why are there so many itchy dogs ?

[Penny Less]

One of my dogs appears to have itching due to environmental causes, and the other dog now itchy who has never been an itchy dog.
House and dogs been very well treated for parasites, and one dog been ruled out for diet anyway. Most of the dog walkers I speak to seem to have itchy dogs. I know pollen has been very high this year but anti histamines not done any good, and vet says they only actually treat itching caused by histamines and don't affect other itching causes. Is it something actually in the air causing it.
In my case there is nothing I use indoors that they come into contact with that could cause it.

 

[{97702}]

In my experience it is due to a high protein content in the kibble they are fed - not my own dogs, my mothers dogs, she fed Royal Canin having had dogs for many many years and found this was the result? I would strongly advocate a raw diet if at all possible, ****** all the hype that goes with it, my dogs loved it. had fabulous glossy coats and produced 1/10th of the waste....

 

[burge]

One of my dogs appears to have itching due to environmental causes, and the other dog now itchy who has never been an itchy dog.
House and dogs been very well treated for parasites, and one dog been ruled out for diet anyway. Most of the dog walkers I speak to seem to have itchy dogs. I know pollen has been very high this year but anti histamines not done any good, and vet says they only actually treat itching caused by histamines and don't affect other itching causes. Is it something actually in the air causing it.
In my case there is nothing I use indoors that they come into contact with that could cause it.

I have long held the belief that implanting a foreign body (microchip) permanently in a dogs body might cause it's system to react to it in some cases?

 

[galaxy]

My youngest dog is 14 months (and has always been fed top quality grain free food, currently Eden) and seems to come out in a rash when he comes into contact with wheat. The rash appears in his armpits and inner hind leg where he has very little/thin hair. In his body areas of hair covering he is not affected. Difficult to avoid wheat in walks in this area.

I have bought him the new product from Equafleece called the 'Summer Suit'.

https://www.equafleece.co.uk/store/summer_suits.html

He looks perfectly ridiculous but it's working a treat!

 

[Clodagh]

In my experience it is due to a high protein content in the kibble they are fed - not my own dogs, my mothers dogs, she fed Royal Canin having had dogs for many many years and found this was the result? I would strongly advocate a raw diet if at all possible, ****** all the hype that goes with it, my dogs loved it. had fabulous glossy coats and produced 1/10th of the waste....

I can't be doing with raw, but I do agree with your post about protein. Most dogs only have very low levels of exercise and are on hugely high protein feed. In Australia where I lived for years low protein was the way to go for a pet dog. I think it is like horses, people tend to feed for a high work load when they get ridden maybe for an hour a day.
The protein levels in food can cause so many behavourial problems with excess energy let alone the body not being able to deal with the excess. I believe - having been told by a vet in Oz - that your dog will not burn the lawn if it isn't excreting excess protein through its kidneys. We never have a mark on the lawn here, and three bitches all pee in the same spot every morning. My brothers bitch is on some rocket fuel food and they have replaced theri whole lawn with artificial grass having had the whole thing die off.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Feeding, environment (household chemicals etc) and in my own breed, genetics

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Surely raw is the highest protein food out there?!

I was thinking about this today. Zak has an issue with his right ear occasionally. It was considerably worse, head literally dragging on the floor one weekend. We tracked it back to the neighbour feeding him grain free treats! Weird. I asked her to use our treats instead (she pops in to let the out when we're at work, 3 days a month max) and boom, sorted.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Not really...I just compared a ready made raw meal for working dogs (minced meat and bone)...14.8 per cent.
The dry food I have my own dog on is 23.5 per cent.

 

[PucciNPoni]

I was speaking about this once to a long time dog owner/breeder/groomer friend of mine. Her theory is that dogs never used to live so closely with us (ie in the home, on the sofa, in our beds) and that they're allergic to us and our environment. She'd always had dogs which were raised eating old fashioned kibble and table scraps and never had the skin issues that you see today.

My own theory sort of runs along side that one. Because dogs didn't live so closely with us in the home, they were scratching back then but we didn't notice it like we do now!

 

[Aru]

Genetics has a massive role to play! for example I have yet to met an australian or newzealand westie with a skin condition...in the uk and ireland it was rare to meet one without at the very least the classic brown stained fur and not uncommon to see them with full blown atopy(severe skin dermatitis due to undeterminable or multiple allergies)

Food intolerances make up around 20 percent of skin cases ...I like food intolerance dogs as they are the least frustrating to try and treat!once you identify the issue its easier to manage them.
Envirnment etc can sometimes be a factor....but its more certain enviornments cause irritation to sensitive dogs rather then the envirornment always causing the issue imo. Definately have heard of dogs moving house and suddenly recovering but id tend to have been blaming and environmental allergy in those cases...
And as always some dogs like people are unfortunate individuals and unlucky....just like humans with allergies.

Good weather also tend to have people bring their dogs out and about more so they are more likely to meet and react to the new things like pollens during hot summer times as instead of the walk around the block they are going to parks beaches etc..

I do remember a collage lecturer of mine discussing a theory that by treating parasites so often we may be making autoimmune disease more common...as our bodies were looking for things to react to...i think it was to do with people in poorer countries been less likely to have immune related disease but tended to have parasite burdens....but thats a difficult one to get to grips with due to the massive differences in testing and health tx...and as farm animals who are treated with antiparsitics regularly rarely seem to come up with immune related issues...its hard to know if its entirely true.
Bar sweet itch we also rarely see itchyness in horse so that also makes it a bit questionable.

Skin issues are very complicated tbh and very often there are multiple factors and reactions within the body at play.the secondary infections from rhe self trauma of scratching the skin and breaking down the bodies defensive barriers
also complicate things as it can be a mild itch but the infection as a result very serious.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

house dust mite allergy is quite common, then often they are fed the same food for years-good way to lead to intolerance/allergies, too high protein as mentioned, central heating. Ex OH did a fair amount of work for dogs belonging to the homeless, he said they were among the healthiest when it came to skin/weight even if they had fleas and worms.

 

[EQUIDAE]

We have a GSD with extremely bad skin - before me and my partner got together she was on a very expensive hypoallergenic brand. Now she is on standard dog food - the only difference is that she lives outside during the summer. Her skin has healed and the fur grown back. I think a lot of the issues are caused by overheating.

 

[Snuffles]

I did wonder about the overheating thing, dog is on raw diet anyway. He had very bad skin when he came first, due we think to parasites initially but has been clear . He has no visible rash or anything or dry skin. Other dog has never been an itchy type but suddenly started. Will be interesting to see if things calm down in the winter when pollen is low to non existent.

 

[Honey08]

I think the pollen is high this year. Our allergic dog, who we can normally manage, has suffered a bit since June. While camping at Bramham this year even I showed a lot of hay fever symptoms, when I've never suffered from it in my life before. I've also got a horse that's itching this year, when she usually doesn't.

 

[EQUIDAE]

Our mastiff x sharpei gets hay fever - managed with a piriton daily and an extra one on days he is still symptomatic

 

[pippixox]

I agree it is a number of factors.
My GSD, who we got 3 years ago as a rescue, had terrible skin and was underweight. His ears were bright red and he was about 7 kg underweight and very itchy, with red skin under his belly and scab patches.
He was being fed WAG- full of wheat, and was allergic too it and simply had not been fed enough either.
took a while to find a feed that worked. he did have raw for a while, but struggled with limited storage as we have only got space for a small freezer and no local suppliers (except tiny packets from pets at home that cost a fortune) He is now on millies wolfheart kibble and doing well as whole (no bright red ears, healthy 40kg, no sickness and decent poos)
However.... he is still quite itchy at times: does seem to be linked to time of year- he has a big molt in the spring. If he has been running in long grass he seems to be itchier- so pollen related I guess, and the last week with the hot weather, he has been very itchy again- despite trying to keep him as cool as possible.

You can read into diet a lot, and it my dogs case it has a big effect, but actually I also think some dogs are just more sensitive, like some humans.

 

[gunnergundog]

At this time of year check dogs thoroughly for harvest mites.