Why is she so itchy?

[Lexi's_Mommy]

Lexi is so itchy, I feel so sorry for her. She eats Chicken soup dog food, before that was eating RC. She does NOT have anyfleas, no red blotches, no hair loss, nothing, just itchy. What coulds be causing this? How do I know if she just has dry skin? How do I get rid of this?

Sorry for all the ?'s but I want her to stop itching...

[JHurtt]

My oldest, who is a Japanese Chin / Poodle mix itches very bad too. We always use frontline and therefore knew it wasn't fleas. Then I read about food allergies in dogs and saw that it could cause itchy skin, so I put him on a duck and potato allergy formulated food, but that didn't help. In talking to the vet, he figured it had to be seasonal allergies seeing as I had already eliminated the possibility of food allergies. Dogs actually can have allergies just like humans do, but rather than sneezing, having itchy eyes, and a runny nose, their skin irritates them. While Gizmo itches all over, the main places that both him are his front feet and his ears. He is now on a fatty acid supplement and children's benadryl. Don't know if this is what is wrong with your little one, but it is worth looking into............ Good luck!

[Thorsmomma]

I heard there was some type of a oil or mineral that you could put on their food to help with this ichiness. Thor has ichy skin and it seems to have been really bad this week. I have also heard about the childrens benadryl but personally I would like to find some 'natural' solutions...I'd love to see what people suggest to you! Good luck with little Lexi!

[JHurtt]

I too would love to hear of what others use. While the Benadryl does work, it is not 100% effective, and of course I refuse to keep him on this stuff forever.

[Lexi's_Mommy]

Thank you so much for responding, I did just call my vet too, and the tech told me that even switching food could take up to 5 months to make them stop itching. Well, I'm not waiting 5 months and hoping it helps. The vet is suppose to call me back sometime today, I will keep everyone posted and still waiting on others opinions.

[Stitches29]

Originally Posted by Lexi's_Mommy

Lexi is so itchy, I feel so sorry for her. She eats Chicken soup dog food, before that was eating RC. She does NOT have anyfleas, no red blotches, no hair loss, nothing, just itchy. What coulds be causing this? How do I know if she just has dry skin? How do I get rid of this?

Sorry for all the ?'s but I want her to stop itching...

Read her food labels. Make sure it doesn't contain corn. I have heard that corn causes itching.

[I luv Miko]

My little guy itches all the time, I tried changing the food, gave him benadryl, don't know what else to do, and I just hate seeing him scratch, I even treated him for ear mites. I've noticed that he has not been as itchy after being groomed on Saturday, I wonder if it's the shampoo, I'm using the CC
systems. For those of you who have given them benandryl how often do you give it to them, I've given my Miko it about 3 times, but not consecutively, I'm scared too give him too much.
Please let me know what else you all cann suggest??

[chachi]

Missing Link supplement helps cut down on the itching. I get it at petsmart.

[JHurtt]

My vet told me that they recommend 1 mg of Benadryl for each pound of the dog. My mix is 14 pounds and a whole children's chewable is 12mg, so he gets the whole thing. He also told me that he could get up to 2 a day. Of course I started him off with 1 a day, but that wasn't helping all that much, so now he gets 1 in the morning and 1 at night. He has been getting them for about 3 weeks now. He has an appointment this coming Monday for his shots and a check up regarding the allergies. Hopefully they have an alternative. I know that there are shots, but all of this has to continue for his lifetime and my poor baby just turned 1. Of course, it is better than him scratching himself all of the time and eating his poor feet!

[blades]

My 8 year old yorkie went through a bout of itching that turned to hives. Don't shy away from the benadryl. It does NOT harm them. I give my little one the liquid benadryl - I'll look up the dosage if u are interested. Also, try a tea tree oil treatment at the groomers. That really did the trick!

[Lexi's_Mommy]

OK, my vet says that it sounds like allergies and to do Benadryl for a few days. He said unfortunately he doesn't think it is going to help much. He wants to wait til it gets just a little colder so we can elimanate most outdoor allergies. Then he wants to do an elimanation diet. We will start her on a diet of fish and potatoes and se if that helps. He says the fish because of the natural fish oil in it.

Now, between now and the time it gets colder, I have decided to put her on Nutro lamb and rice. My husband and I think that she started itching when we went to the Chicken soup, and because it has so many different types of protein the vet says she could be allergic to one of them, or one of the veggy ingrediants. He said it is a good dog food because it's all natural but could also be what is causing her to itch. I am willing to try anything (almost). I'm also going in the morning to get the missing link formula, and a doggy lotion spray from the vet.

[JHurtt]

Another food choice you can consider is Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato food. It is an allergy formulated food with only one carb and one protein source, both of which most dogs have not had before. This is what I used on my pup when trying to figure out if he had food allergies. You also have to remember not to give treats and such. I know that there are duck and potato treats, but I never used them. You can find this stuff at Petco. Good luck and keep us posted!

[I luv Miko]

I use Natural Balance it has many natural ingrediants in it Does anyone else?
I had changed it about 2 months ago, he use to eat Eukenaba. I haven't noticed a change in his itching though. What exactly is missing link?

[cece]

A dash of olive oil mixed around in the dry food is really good for the skin and coat.

Or EFA Z Plus which is an omega 3 fatty acid liquid (available at the vet) which goes into the food too, also helps.

[rrosenberry]

Bailey was also itching like a mad man.. I called the vet also and he suggested the Baby Benadryl ,, which helped instantly.. I only used if for a few days and he stopped. Now its been a few weeks,,and he's starting again,, I will be giving him more today.. it is outdoor allergies with him and I know it comes and goes, but the Benadryl did help him.