Itching

[Liss]

I am at a total loss. Atticus, my 4 year old male has this severe itching problem. He is constantly scratching and rubbing everywhere, even his face. He has always had allergies and sensitive skin but this is driving him crazy. I had him to the vet, had him treated, bought a topical spray, bathed him in special shampoo, and after antibiotics, he is on 2 benedryl tabs every 6-8 hours, but they only help so much. I am worried he will develop staff again.....he has had this twice and needed treatment. I have not changed anything, soaps, foods etc. Nor have I had carpets cleaned or anything. Is there any suggestions ya'll may have that could help? I know he doesnt have fleas, just really dry skin, especially just above his nub on his lower back.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Liss

[RottiMomCT]

Has the vet ruled out the food, special shamppos or other topical stuff that could be causing the itching??

Have you changed laundry detergents or any other cleaning supplies in the house?

[macho rottie]

Try Tavist. (2mg for a 90 lb. dog-2X a day) If that doesn't work someone I know gives their dog Chlorphenarimine. You get that at the vets.

[StephanieandToby]

Do you live somewhere where the weather is changing rapidly? Toby always gets dry and itchy in November....I also have electric heat which makes the air dry...if that is compounded with allergies it could make for one unhappy, itchy pooch!

[JJsRiley]

maybe a little baby oil migh help.
when my youngest was little we had a time potty training him..we were giving him bathes quite a bit and to help with his dry skin we'd put a little baby oil in his bath water..it helped him.
I agree,it maybe the dry heat of the furnace..if you're using it now...
Good Luck ...hopefully you find the culpret of his itching problem.

[rottie relative]

does licking mean itching???or can the licking mean nerves?

[moondog]

If his allergies have been going on for a long time and nothing is helping, you should think about having allergy testing done and find out what he's allergic to. It's really hard to sort out, especially if the allergies are environmental, without testing. Poor guy, it must be miserable to itch all the time!

[Liss]

Thanks All,
Atticus has had the skin allergies since he was a puppy and they are seasonal. He goes through this every year at this time when the weather turns cooler and the (gas) heat comes on. He gets hot spots from the scratching and has had them turn to staph a few times. Right now, I have him on benedryl and I am putting polysporin on the worst areas, but he is sooo misreable!!! I feel so sorry for him and am just praying we dont go through the staph again, thats at least 200$ a visit.
Thanks again.

[BostonRott]

I would definitely be sure you have a new filter in your house heating system. Have you had his thyroid checked before? Recently?

I agree, the allergy testing would be a good thing to do, so you know what his specific triggers are.

[Judi W]

For dogs that don't do well with the dry heat of winter, a humidifier is excellent and it is quite appropriate to add an extra bit of oil to their diet.

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally Posted by Judi W

For dogs that don't do well with the dry heat of winter, a humidifier is excellent and it is quite appropriate to add an extra bit of oil to their diet.

We've done this with great success. Julius had quite a bit of crazy itching last winter & we solved it by bringing a humidifier into the house & also having all of our heating vents cleaned. Worked well & Julius has been itch free ever since.


Brooke

[Lorrie]

Poor pup .. sounds like you have quite the allergy issue on your hands.

Aveeno baths have always worked well for any of the dogs I have had with skin issues. It is made made 100 percent pure colloidal oatmeal, and a 15 minute soak will do wonders to soothe the skin.

[Liss]

Lorrie,
Thanks so much, I have been through the new filters in the furnace,humidifier, allergy meds, shots, testing, shampoos and sprays via the vet, I havent changed anything and his thyroid was tested last summer. All is well, but for the itching. He is extremly sensitive to everything, even allergic to beef! (which he does NOT get) LOL I hadnt thought of the Aveeno oatmeal bath though, I will try it tonite! Cross your fingers!
Thanks Again, Liss

[SonnyRott]

I found this page to be very interesting. I only read this page, not the entire site. Maybe this will help.

http://www.aztecanimalclinic.com/allergy.htm

[Liss]

Thanks SonnyRott,
This was an interesting read. I know he is highly allergic to fleas, and I treat him for them from late winter well through the first frost. I did give him an oatmeal bath tonite and between that and the benedryl, he is sleeping like a bump on a log right now :) We go through this every fall but for some reason, this year just seemed so much worse then in the past. Hopefully he will start to get better now that we are expecting a good hard freeze here. Ill keep ya all posted and Thanks to everyone again! If he goes back to major scratching over the weekend, I plan to see our Vet on Monday.
Thanks,
Liss