Dealing with the ITCHIES!!
Sugar lived here 2.5 years with little and no itching. Then all of a sudden (or so it seemed!) she was itchy head to tail and nose to toes. She whimpered and cried when she nibbled, and you could see hair flying out as she scratched. Her hair thinned out terribly. Sugar was miserable. I "think" I have finally, after 10 months, identified the problem, and I am addressing it. It is the laundry detergent; I am washing EVERYTHING! At the end of 5 days of laundering, Sugar's itchies are down at least 75%. I "think" she is only itching the already "in" hot spots, at this point. I have lots more washing to do.
Dogs with itchies are SO frustrating to manage. Is it a parasite or medical issue? An allergy? If an allergy, is it environmental (indoor OR out), or a contact allergy? Or is it food related? ( About 15% of dog allergies are food related).
Parasites: the most obvious is fleas. Treat with flea shampoo, and flea topical treatment. Advance cases may need a vet visit; young pups can become anemic from flea bites. There may be other parasites to address. Vet visit may be required.
Do you use a topical flea treatment and if so which one? Hartz products are known for causing reactions. If you use ANY Hartz products, I recommend you stop them. I use Frontline Plus, and Interceptor for the heartworm monthly pill.
Medical: dogs can get a yeast infection, which is an infection of the skin. This makes the dog itch all over, and redness and scabs are apparent. Similarly, a staph infection may also be skin based. Either type requires a vet visit, for proper antibiotics. Also regular baths with oatmeal shampoo, and an oatmeal crème rinse.
If the dog has either type infection more than once, the dog is prone to that type of infection. Yeast feeds on carbohydrates; the dog needs grain free food and treats, and most likely this will be for life.
Contact allergies. One item to consider is laundry detergent. Many people and pets are allergic to Tide. Use a detergent marked "free" as it is free of dyes, preservatives and so on. Wash anything the dog comes in contact with: pet beds and YOUR bedding, right down to and including the mattress cover, and even the pillows. Do you have a cover on the sofa? Wash it. Dog sits in your lap? Make sure you start washing your clothes in it too.
Food. I have tried SO many things! Common dog allergens: wheat, corn, grains, chicken.
I am feeding a grain free food, Taste of the Wild High Prairie. You can get a list of the grain free foods on here:
www.dogfoodanalysis.com
Click on Reviews at the top. The 6 star ones tend to be grain free.
My other bichons responded well to this food, but Sugar is still itching like crazy. Friend suggested she may be getting too much protein, and I should try adding a low allergen grain. Next step, I add in oatmeal and barley (I buy them at the supermarket, this is nothing specially made for dogs, not costly at all). On Day 5, 3 of the other dogs develop itchies and hot spots. So no grains at all for them. Meantime, Sugar seems to be doing better. So I keep adding for her bowl, but not for the others.
If it is a food allergy, it is a lot of trial and error and yes it makes you crazy! Keep a written journal as you WILL forget which day you started what, if you tried this or that brand, etc.
NOTE: you need to limit TREATS if you limit food. Using a grain free food, and then using a treat with wheat in it, you are not going to see a result!
Also, if you use peanut butter even just to give a pill, think about whether the dog is allergic to peanut butter! I have one bichon can't have any peanut butter, he breaks out in a red rash.
Things Which Help the Dog be comfortable while you try to find the cause
1.To help relieve the itch, you can apply Gold Bond Medicated Powder. This is NOT a cure. It is addressing a symptom, not the underlying cause.
2. Things that will help: Vitamin E helps the skin and coat. You can add Vit E to the diet: sunflower seeds (raw), broccoli (just use a bit of stem and florets chopped fine, about 1 tablespoon per day), and olive oil - add a teaspoon. Cod liver oil is a great thing for their coat. I buy it at a local drug store, and just add a teaspoon daily to the bowl. And add an egg daily to the food. Egg yolk is high in Vit E. Either raw or scramble it up quick if you prefer. Dogs can get salmonella from raw eggs, but they are not as susceptible to it as we humans, so raw is OK.
3. Bath Time: use an oatmeal shampoo, and creme rinse, every 2 weeks. This helps soothe the sore skin. I buy online from Pet Edge, and this is what I use with great results:
Shampoo
http://www.petedge.com/product/Groom...1110/45322.uts
Conditioner:
https://www.petedge.com/catalog/prod...riantId=117612
Talk it Through. If you had the dog for some time before before the issue kicked in, think back, can you identify ANYTHING you changed? A new carpet in the home? A new baby so now you have formula, diapers, etc. This is how I hit on the laundry detergent. At the time Sugar developed her itchies, my washing machine died and I bought one of the new front loading ones. So I had to switch to an "HE" detergent (high efficiency) I had always used Tide, so I just got their HE formula. This is HIGHLY CONCENTRATED. When my friend and I were talking all this came out in the discussion. I didn't realize the "HE" detergent is a LOT stronger than the regular stuff. So I recently changed to a "free" detergent as I explained above. It is making a difference for her, and funny enough, I am not using so many tissues myself!
Allergy shots. Finally, I will tell you I took one of my cats to the vet dermatologist, this was 3 years back. Once we got the info, I gave him his shots here at home. Did that for one year and it was enough. He is now a happy healthy boy, no itchies, no scabs. Yes it cost me a fortune caring for him prior to and to the dermatologist. But it was SO worth it, he is doing great ever since!
