My Dog Dutchey cant quit scratching help

**Mandy49202** · 01-26-2008, 11:24 AM

Dutchey is a 9 year old German Shapherd and i need to know what kind of dog wash will help her with her scratching the vet said that she needed to has steroids and gave her a shot but that is not helping and she is not happy and nither am i. we have a oatmeal wash but that is not doing it for us so any help would be appreciated.

thank you for your time mandy

**Karen** · 01-26-2008, 11:44 AM

Washing too much will make the itching worse. How long ago was the steroid shot? It does take time to work. Did the vet say what is causing the itching?

**Mandy49202** · 01-26-2008, 12:19 PM

it was 2 weeks ago and all the vet said was she had a reaction to something!

**Karen** · 01-26-2008, 12:39 PM

Is it an ongoing problem? Or was this a one-yime deal? Has her food changed recently, or even has she been given a different kind or brand of treats?

Bathing frequently dies out the skin. Is she all-over itchy, or just in one spot? Have you called the vet for a follow-up?

**Mandy49202** · 01-26-2008, 01:14 PM

no we have not done any changing of the stuff around our house or her food or treats the only thing new is some baby stuff but she does not go in the room with the baby stuff. and no we have not gone back to to vet because this is what she did the last time she went to the vet they just tell us to go back to the old things we were using but nothing has changed this time. if bathing her a lot is not a good idea what can i give her to help with the itch?
yes she is all over itchy

**Karen** · 01-26-2008, 03:09 PM

I'd call the vet and ask if they think it is an allergic reaction to something, and whether something like Benadryl will help, or if there's a topical lotion you could apply to specific areas.

**dragondawg** · 01-29-2008, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by Mandy49202

Dutchey is a 9 year old German Shapherd and i need to know what kind of dog wash will help her with her scratching the vet said that she needed to has steroids and gave her a shot but that is not helping and she is not happy and nither am i. we have a oatmeal wash but that is not doing it for us so any help would be appreciated.

thank you for your time mandy

A corticosteroid such as Dexamethasone usually takes 6-12 hours to start working, with its full effect at 24 hours. It may last 3-5 days. Therefore it's not surprising that two weeks later you are back to where you started. The only time a corticosteroid is going to work by itself is if the allergy or allergic event was due to a one time exposure.

You could safely give a German Shepard 25-50 mg of Benedryl (clear gel caps smeared with peanut butter) 2X daily. I use to give my 74 lb Lab mix the 50 mg dose only at night, as it does make them a little drowsy. However your dog may need something more potent such as Hydroxyzine from the Vet. If the skin appears irritated then antibiotics such as Cephalexin need to be precribed in addition to the antihistamine.

From the severity of the symptoms it sounds like the cause is still present. You need to work with the Vet to find the root cause. If the Vet's best try is to guess at possible allergens, or a repeat of previous advice then ask for a referral to a doggy dermatologist. It could be anything from seasonal leaf mold, to demodex mites (i.e. aging or impaired immune system), or a metabolic problem such as low thyroid.