ITCHING

[MEDIC]

MAXS HAS A PROBLEM WITH ITCHING HE DOES NOT HAVE FLEAS HE IS ON TOPSPOT AND HIS FOOD IS NUTRO MAXS PUPPY ANY ONE HAVE ANY IDEAS?

[Don]

I've got your answer! Mites, causes mange. I'll bet you $100. They are very common for some reason this year. Your dog will have to go to the vet to get treated. You will probably need to dip him along with shots, one a week for at least 3 visits. You will notice improvement after a few days of the first shot. Is your dog itching more and more? Can't seem to stop? I'll bet you anything. You can thank me later. The darned things are very difficult to detect unless your dog has a severe infestation like mine did when we rescued her. She literally itched 24 hours a day. The first vet missed it. The second vet tested for it by ear scraping with a blade and put the sample under a microscope. Good Luck.

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Brina's mom

[CarolineS]

And if the mites don't check out, look to the dog food. If I remember correctly, you recently switched your pup to Nutro Max. I'm not 100% sure, check the label, but I think the protein source in that is chicken. A lot of dogs have an allergy to chicken.

[rottie_mama]

Well, Brina's mom is right. Mange mites will certainly cause itching, but here is another possiblity. Perhaps it is allergies.

I knew a Great Dane that was allergic to everything - even his food! He had allergies to corn, rice, and wheat along with pollen, mold spore, and just about anything else that grows here in East Texas. We had to order special allergy vials every 3 months for him. Of course, most dog's allergies are not as serious and a shot from the vet will usually fix 'em up. My female usually has to have a couple during the summer because of 'scratch induced' hot spots.

Go to the vet. Have your dog checked out. He/She can do a skin scrape to check for mange and other possibilities. I certainly hope it is not anything serious!


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Rachel aka rottie_mama
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/7900

[DNeff]

I think food allergies are a strong possiblity. But, if it does turn out to be mange, I would be very careful about going through with dips. The dips that they use to kill the mange really do a number on your dog. My friend had a series of dips done and it took his dog months to recover from the dip. Personally I would take a much more natural approach to treat the mites. I would get some tea tree oil and mix it a few drops to a pint of water, and rinse him with it. (make sure not to get in eyes), repeat for three days. I would also start to supplement his diet with flax seed oil, vitamin C and E and kelp. I also add some egg and canned pink salmon. Lots of times mites are caused by a compromised immune system. The dip really doesn't solve the problem of how your dog got the mites, it just gets rid of the ones on him already. By boosting his immune system naturally he can fight them off effectively himself to prevent a reoccurance in the future. Good Luck!
Dawn Neff
dawn.neff@jcnordt.com
dplantier@aol.com

[katheyt]

Aveeno bath works great. I had a horse that was allergic to a certain gnat and rubbed his tail and mane out. I gave him Aveeno baths and the results were great. I've used it on my dogs when they seemed itchy and it cleared the problem right up. It's an oatmeal bath and leaves a beautiful coat also.

[Don]

If it is mites, you have to kill them with strong insecticide, given several doses over a period of time. Don't fool around with it. It will only get worse. I tried the tea tree oil. It can't kill mites. I thought it was food allergies, grass allergies, etc. at first also. Remember, the mites don't always show up at the first ear scraping. sometimes the vet has to be really diligent to find them and some vets treat for it even if they don't find the mites because they are that elusive. I just know,if left untreated, the dog will be absolutely miserable and will also give it to all other pets in your house and yard and eventually give it to the humans as well.

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Brina's mom

[MEDIC]

WELL HE WENT TO THE VET LAST WEEK SO I DO NOT THINK IT IS MITES IT COULD BE CHICKEN BUT I DNOT KOW HE GETS A BATH WITH TEA TREE OIL SHAMPOO . IT DOES NOT HELP EITHER.THANKS FOR THE HELP. I WILL KEEP TRYING.

[rottie_mama]

Does his skin look irritated and red? Is the excessive itching causing him to get sores? Is he losing hair? What did the vet say? Did he prescribe him anything or give him a shot?


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Rachel aka rottie_mama
http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/7900

[Vingaard]

Look at the places your dog seems to scratch the most... Has your dog scratched them raw? Your dog may be having "hot spots" and has itchy places that he just can't stop scratching. Mine did this, I changed his diet and got him off corn and did what I could to help keep him cooler in this God aweful heat.

[MEDIC]

WE WENT TO THE VET THIS WEEK AGAIN HE SAID ITS THE CHICKEN SO NOW WE ARE ON LAMB AND RICE HE ADVISE THAT IT TAKES 10 DAYS FOR THE PROTEIN TO GET OUT OF HIS SYSTEM. SO MAYBE THAT WILL WORK THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP .