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Can someone help me? My dog had worms a few months ago, we fixed that. Then he had began having grain allergies, so we cut grains out of his diet. Due to his allergy his skin had broken out a little so he had some dry/itchy areas on his back that he would chew and bite on endlessly.
Like I said, we fixed that problem. Then this rainy season the fleas got really horrible (like I'm sure you know.) he had his monthly drops but it hasn't really helped. He still is getting fleas and this makes him freak out on himself and chew like he was before. I've had to keep him in his cone for far too long and it's stressing him out as much as it is me.
We don't have a lot of money right now, so we're doing what we can.
But I need help or advice on how to get him to stop chewing himself raw.
He gets baths and I put dog lotion on him. But he's just flipped a switch as of late and every little touch or brush against something makes him freak and just chew and chew on his back. I've considered it may have something to do with his breed, which is frenchbulldog/pitty/collie mix. ( I suspect it may be the pitty or french. But he's never had an issue before the last few months with any obsession hurting him or anything else. (Other than his tennis ball obsession) Thanks
Check with vet on some of the new pills. We went to them years ago and ended flea problems. If he has kin allergies then flea can make him lick; scratch any area bitten.frnakly I never had any real luck with drops but pills did the trick ;never see a flea.
Stop giving him baths and stop with the lotion. His skin may be sensitive enough from the previous issues that the bathing is further drying out his skin, and/or he may be having a reaction to the products you are using.
I would rinse him very gently only with cool to cold water to remove any residue from the products you have used, pat the water on him, no rubbing, and pat dry, no heat, no warm or hot water, no blow drying.
I know money is tight, but he really should be seen by a vet. A round of prednisone may be needed to help him over this cycle of itchiness or it may be something else altogether.
Along with ^^^^^ good advice, consider spending the money for Dinovite.
I've never seen anything like it. I had two dogs that were 90lbs and 130 lbs that developed itchy skin after we moved to the Tennessee Valley.
Along with changing them to a no grain dog food, I added Dinovite to their diet and they never itched again. One was a Lab/Sharpei, the other a purebred Rottweiler.
Sentinel is the way to go. The topical flea treatments are much less effective than oral, and Sentinel prevents heartworms, intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks. With all that prevention in one pill, it's very cost effective, especially considering all the baths and lotions you're using. I've enclosed a link with pricing for Sentinel from a pet pharmacy I've shopped at before. (Getting it through your vet is usually much more expensive than online). And Sentinel won't cause skin irritation, a big plus since your dog has sensitive skin. I agree with the others; cease and desist the baths and lotions as it only makes already irritated skin worse. You need to be sure the home doesn't have fleas before starting him on it. Putting the dog on Sentinel in a flea infested home won't do him any good, because it doesn't help in a flea-full environment. It does prevent them beautifully if there are no fleas in the home already.
I understand being tight on money. I had my dogs on the topical flea treatments for a few months but was able to get them all their shots and a heartworm test with a deal through Living Social for just $35, so look into something like that if you can't afford a regularly priced vet visit. Tractor Supply Stores also have low cost vaccination clinics frequently. Also, many local humane societies offer reduced price vet care for dogs and medications, and you can also buy dog medications cheaper through your local human pharmacy. I hope this helps!
While it's good that you removed grain from his diet, it could be that he's allergic to the specific protein in the food. Try to switch up the protein profiles if you can -- if he's currently doing chicken, try phasing him into beef instead. Remember that if he has a food allergy, you have restrict all sources of that allergen. So if he is sensitive to chicken and you switch him to a beef food, any cookies or treats you give cannot have chicken in them either.
Also, go for the highest quality food you can afford.
If you have fleas in the house, you can try using FOOD-GRADE diatomaceous earth. Sprinkle it into the carpets and along the baseboards, let it sit for a couple hours and then vacuum. Repeat as necessary. Some cautions: You must use FOOD-GRADE DE and not pool-grade, as the pool-grade DE has added poisonous chemicals. Also, DE is a very fine powder that can be injurious to your lungs. It's safe to use, but you want to minimize inhalation. Some pet-owners who use DE for pest-control also sprinkle it onto their dogs. I'm not sure that would be a good thing for your little guy, if his skin is already dry.
There are some food additives/ingestives that can help fight pest infestation. Garlic is one I often read about, but I'm not sure I'd advise that one, as garlic is also supposed to be toxic for dogs in too high of a dose. However, brewer's yeast is claimed as having antiparasitical qualities. Also, you could add apple cider vinegar to his drinking water.
Could be the itchiness is due to seasonal allergies. A cheap solution is to add LOCAL HONEY to his diet. Go to your local farmer's market or to the most "organic" grocery store in your area. The honey you purchase needs to come from hives within a 20 mile radius of your home. But this is a great way to combat seasonal allergies -- and it works for humans, too.
However, I agree with others that you should address the underlying issue with a change in diet and flea/tick topicals. And, yes, for the love of God, stop bathing him!!
I had very similar issues with one of mine. Finally figured out it was an allergy issue, and got that taken care of.
Agree to stop the frequent baths, and to just rinse with nice cool water.
But to help in the short term, when she would get an attack of the itches and would start to just chew herself raw... I would give her a small dose of benydryl to help break the cycle. I also had some cortisone spray that I put on and rubbed in well. Google benydryl doses for dogs... it will tell you how much for what size dog- FOLLOW THE DOSAGE DIRECTIONS!!!!!!!
It was just enough to give her (and me) a break in the chew cycle and allow that area to dry and heal. Just a couple of days was enough.
Another helpful hint for dogs that get hotspots- you must clip the hair away from the area and then clean it throughly. Get a teabag and put it in a cup of hot water just like you were making tea. When it's good and wet, allow it to cool then put it on and hold it on the hot spot for 5 min, or so. Do this a couple of times a day and you will begin to see the hot spot dry up and heal. But you must, must, must get the hair off of the area first!!!!
There are a lot of things you can do at home without running to the vet or to take care of things before you can get to the vet. Remember, these are for small ouchies, nothing serious! And if ever in doubt- call the Doc.
I didn't see what kind of dog you have. Some dogs, like Shar-peis, are well known for skin disorders which when chewed raw can cause infection and they can die from it or they have to be put down. I had a Shar-pei with a severe problem with this and had to give her injections I got from the vet.
Check your breed for common disorders and speak to the vet immediately about this problem. If he/she is chewing themselves raw there is a high risk of fatal infection
My dog (GS) gets a flea pill once a month, bath ONLY if needed, hopefully once or twice a year, daily brushing, and an egg or couple tbsps of cooking oil once a week If she bites or scratches she gets a couple Benedryl pills (recommended by vet) and in 15 to 20 minutes the scratching and biting are gone. Don't know what she is allergic to for sure because when I bought the expensive grain free dog food she still did that.
The Benedryl and infrequent bathing and daily brushing, and adding an egg or oil to her dry dog food once a week have worked for me.
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