Itchy dogs but no fleas

[ReadingMama]

We adopted a lhasa apso/shih tzu mix 3 weeks ago. Bob has had itchy skin the entire time. He's been on Advantage Multi since he was rescued in March and his skin looks clean and healthy. But he chews on his feet and legs and sometimes his hip a lot. My lab/border collie mix also chews and licks her legs sometimes, and she's healthy too. I've noticed that when I take the dogs out in the backyard late at night, I come in with little bites around my ankles that itch. And my son has several little bites on his legs too. Any ideas?

[EarthRootsStarSoul]

food allergy? Or environmental allergy?

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

hmmm... I don't know what they are really called, but we have tiny bugs, "no-see-ums" that are almost a pale orange (which makes them really hard to see) and they tend to make me extrememly itchy. I don't know if they are biting me or if they just excrete some kind of yuck on my skin that gives me tiny itchy bumps. Maybe you guys have some of these guys in your grass?

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

I google just about everything, and I just found out that no-see-ums are a national bug problem and are called NSU. (They are really small sand-flies which usually live near water. "No-see-ums are tiny mosquito-like insects which feed off the blood of humans, mammals and reptiles." Wild! Their bites result in anything from small bumps that go away rather quickly to pea-sized whelts that can last weeks to rashes.

So, could be that. Good luck mama! I will as I am interested in what others think this could be.

[MsVyky]

What kind of food is the dog eating? If it;s a grocery store brand, the high corn/grain content can cause itchy kin. Are the insides of the dog's ears red or inflamed?

[Ola_]

I agree, look at the food and possible environmental allergies. What are they eating? Does it appear to be seasonal for your lab/collie mix? Is the Advantage product topical? You could try something else in case it's a reaction to it. Are they getting a lot of baths that may be drying out their skin?

Also, I'd consider a fish oil supplement which will help their skin and also act as a natural anti-inflammatory. The usual dosage is 1000 mg capsule per 30 lbs of dog's weight, but you can go up to 1000 mg capsule per 10 lbs of weight. Just keep in mind that you should slowly work up to that dosage as fish oil is a fat so will cause loose poops if you give to much at once. We get ours at Costco but most pharmacies have fish oil, you don't need a special product for dogs. Just make sure it has 180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA, if it's not strong enough you'll need to use more.

[ReadingMama]

They both eat Canidae Chicken formula. But they do get other foods like carrots, peas, green beans. And they get a few store-bought crunchy treats every day. I never really noticed my lab mix chewing on her legs until maybe 6 months ago, and she's 8. Our new dog scratches all over, so it's not confined to his legs or feet--but that's where he chews the most. My lab mix hasn't had a bath in a few months, but the shih tzu mix has had two since we adopted him 3 weeks ago. I figured bathing him would help remove allergens from his fur. And I read somewhere that shih tzus often have itchy skin (although he's a mix).

But my son and I are noticing little tiny itchy bumps on our ankles too, and that's not the norm for us. Could it be chiggers or some kind of mites? Do dogs get scabies or lice?