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My golden retriever used to have hot spots and I would use Sulfodene. It is great to relieve the itching and sratching. It heals the sores quickly too. We got a good shampoo from the vet and was told to wash the dog a couple of times a week. Also our vet recommended Benadryl or a generic allergy med. Another thing to try is every time the dog comes in from outside, wipe the feet with a wet wipe (non-allergenic, non scented brand). Anything to help relieve the itching. I know it would drive me crazy if I were itching, sratching, and chewing my skin constantly. Dogs can have severe allergic reactions to fleas and it takes time to heal.
I have an itchy Frenchie (no open sores or hot spots) and it really helps. What I like most is it isn't greasy, smells nice and you only apply it down their back from neck to tail.
Thanks for all the great suggestions. She is still itching quite a bit. Thankfully she hasn't developed any hot spots. I can't help but wonder if it's more than a flea allergy.
if your unsure most vets can do both food and environmental allergy pannels, there not cheap but at least your know. it might also be worth changing the protein source (if shes on chicken try lamb, fish, venison, duck ect)
i dont belive a dog is allergic to chicken itself, but the chicken used in petfood is fed a very unnatural diet of corn and soy, both of whihc are common allergens, and you know what they say about "you are what you eat"
timberwolf is a great food so id stick with grain free, but id try an alternate protein source.
also mabe youve changed laundry products? cleaning products? ect...all of which can cause skin issues.
if her skin yeast count is up though that wil definatly increase itchyness...
and generally a skin yeast infection is indicative of an underlying issue, typically an infection/lowered immunity for whatever reason...
sever allergis can end up wiht yeasties...but generally infection, ect is the case...
The tricky thing about allergies is that the itching/licking can cause a bacterial infection, which in turn causes more itching/licking. So you're not sure at that point whether the itching/licking is being caused by the allergy or by the infection.
If the dog had no problems until a certain point, and you were feeding the same food throughout, that would indicate a seasonal (or flea-bite) allergy to me.
smagid: Do you have an animal dermatologist in your area? Where exactly do you live?
My dog has environmental allergies. His itching and licking really increased this past July and then again in October. I held infection at bay during the first episode, but in October he licked his crotch so badly that he developed red sores. The vet gave us antibiotics and antifungals to wipe out the infection, and within about 10 days it had worked. The infection is gone and now the itching has too. I should be in the clear until July-ish. I live in Queens, NY, so we have distinct seasons and cold weather that destroys pollens.
There are many different antihistamines you can try, which will combat the symptoms of environmental allergies. Just keep in mind that (a) they work in only 30% of dogs, and (b) they won't work against a general infection (i.e., if your dog is itching due to yeast). My vet gave me a list of at least six different ones to try. This past summer I tried three different ones but am not sure any of them helped. They definitely didn't eradicate the itching.
Baths help too. Baths for dogs have developed a negative connotation that is unwarranted. Generally dogs don't need baths at all, but for allergy dogs, they're important and can help. You can bathe your dog up to twice a week if you're using the right shampoo. There are a couple of shampoos the vet recommended to me; if you want the names I'll give them to you. A commercial shampoo I really like is Earthbath Tea Tree Oil Shampoo. You'll hear people say things like, "Baths dry your dog's skin out," but it's simply not true. That view developed decades ago when the only shampoos available for dogs were very harsh. Today there are many gentle shampoos available, and it helps to remove pollens from your dog's hair, soothe irritated skin, and fight bacterial infection (for the vet-suggested ones).
Many allergists deem food-allergy tests inaccurate, and blood tests in general as inaccurate. I've been to two different animal allergists who perform the skin test only, citing too many false-positive and -negative results in the blood test to deem them worthwhile. Both vets told me the only way to determine a food allergy is via a food trial. Many vets disagree with this position; just sharing my experience.
The skin test will cost me $965. I haven't yet decided to go that route.
We live in Northern Virginia. I spoke to multiple vets and they all say that she should be past the flea allergy issues as a result of using the Comfortis, baths, DE and Borax.
I rotate her food between TOTW WETLANDS and TOTW HIGH PRAIRE and haven't noticed a difference in the issue. I am thinking about changing her food to another brand to see if that will help. I noticed in the spring last year when I made her dehydrated sweet potato treats that she began having issues with licking her feet until she had sores. I never thought there was a correlation with the sweet potatoes (thought maybe she irritated it somehow but now am starting to think otherwise). I'm thinking its worth a shot to try a food that doesn't have the sweet potatoes. Sure wish she could tell me what is bothering her.
I know there are pet dermatologists here but I don't feel its necessary at this point to do allergy testing. Need to try to get to the bottom of it on my own.
The advantage of seeing an animal derm isn't just for testing -- they focus on allergies, which a normal vet doesn't.
Is the itching/licking only during certain seasons? Or year-round? If you suspect a food allergy, you should switch to something with zero common ingredients to your current food. Switching within the TOTW line likely won't do that, though I've never analyzed the ingredients.
sounds like your going to need to go completly grain and startch free, might be worth trying her on a raw (or pre-made raw) diet if your willing to do the work.
I'm thinking of trying a food with a different starch. When she was a puppy she was on Fromm Gold and we didn't have any issues. I believe that has brown rice and I didn't see any sweet potatoes in the ingredients list.
It has been 2 weeks since I changed Xena's food to the one that she was on when she was a puppy and there doesn't seem to be a reduction in her itchiness. I am finding that she is more itchy/scratching when she is lying around and when kept busy it practically stops. Wondering if this is a boredom thing? She went to our Pet Sitters house for a few days recently and while there (day/night) she said she didn't notice itching/scratching either.
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