Itchy dog

[KalamazooMom]

Our dog has been really itchy lately. Scratches himself all the time. I think it's dry skin. When you scratch him you sometimes get little flakes. I've been giving him a fish oil pill every day for a couple weeks now and it doesn't seem to be helping much though his coat is really nice and soft now. I don't think it's an allergy. We haven't changed his diet at all. I suppose he could be allergic to something that's blooming out in the yard now as he does a lot of rooting around out there. Any thoughts on a shampoo or some other treatment that might help?

[Ola_]

It could definitely be allergies. It's prime fall allergy season here and both me and one of our dogs have been dealing with it for about a month or so. You can try some plain Benadryl for it - it didn't work for us effectively enough but it's usually the first thing that's recommended.

[babygirlie]

fleas. My dog has also started itching like crazy. Obviously the dog next door has them and gave them to her She hasn't had fleas in years actually. Poor thing is miserable. Skin of bright red from itching. The only allergy she has is bees and I found a flea earlier in the week grr

[KalamazooMom]

I'm pretty sure mine does not have fleas. They checked him at the vet and saw no sign of fleas and I haven't seen any either. When I separate the fur and look at the skin it's not really red.

[lonegirl]

Discontinue the fish oil capsules....could be an allergy there. Ask your vet about other EFA capsules available.
Bathing too often can exacerbate the problem by drying out the coat. Look for a good conditioning shampoo (dog)

[lifeguard]

Our pup always gets itchy this time of year from seasonal allergies.

[KalamazooMom]

Hmm, it hadn't occurred to me that the fish oil capsules could be a problem. Maybe I'll stop those for a few days and see what happens. I suspect it probably is seasonal allergies. We got him in February so this is our first Fall with him.

[plantnerd]

Originally Posted by KalamazooMom

I'm pretty sure mine does not have fleas. They checked him at the vet and saw no sign of fleas and I haven't seen any either. When I separate the fur and look at the skin it's not really red.

I grew up with a lab with flea bite allergy. It didn't require an infestation, just one bite and he was pulling his fur out in chunks. I second the benadryl idea.

[Mom2M]

My dogs have the same problem and I feel so bad for them! I can't find any fleas or flea dirt but they are bright red from biting and scratching. I want to try Benadryl but don't know how much. One dog is about 40 pounds and the other is about 80 pounds.

Thanks!

[Sarah W]

How old is he? You said you got him in Feb, was he a puppy then?

It could be a corn allergy. I guess it can develop around the 1 yr mark. We eliminated corn and it fixed the problem. It takes a little while to see the results.