# Dogs - Excessive Itching, Sensitive skin?



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Does anyone have a dog with allergies that manifest itself in itchiness and sensitive skin?

I do have a vets appointment booked for the end of the week, but was hoping to hear from anyone with help / hints / tips / similar experiences.

The last week or two my GSD has started itching quite a bit, she scratches more than normal, but mostly is biting, her feet, her armpits, her back legs and her tail are the main places that seem to bother her.

She has been treated with frontline a month ago and it's meant to last 3 months, but I treated her again last week in case it was that, but that hasn't helped.

Now this week she has developed what I would call "sensitive" skin, or possibly just ticklish patches - her chest, her belly, under her arms, and the back of her neck... when you scratch her, sets of the wild thumping of the back leg that you sometimes see, but I dont even have to scratch it hard, just stroke her almost... and the thumping is seriously vigorous! A few weeks ago I could scratch her all over and it wouldn't cause a problem.

I spoke to a nurse on the phone when making the appointment and she said it sounded like an allergy to something that was manifesting it in the skin but obviously the vet will be able to give a better idea - but will the vet know exactly what she's allergic to?

Or if it's not allergies, any other suggestions? Perhaps she just has sensitive skin.. but it's not something I've come across before.

She is just coming up to 2 years old and experienced no problems at all last summer.


----------



## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

My cat had similar symptoms to an allergy to flea bites. She started getting bald patches and scabs. We couldn't do much exept keep using flea drops which helped a bit, but the vet said that they jump on and bite anyway as it takes a while for the drops to repell the fleas. This was about 6 months ago and she's still got small bald patches.


----------



## LiamRatSnake (Jul 3, 2007)

I suppose it could be mange or scabies. Our dog was allergic to shake n vac with similar symptoms and apparently a lot of dogs are allergic to things like that.


----------



## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

what do you feed her on? shepherds are prone to skin allergies. does she shake her head and get bad ears? my shep has had skin allergies forever and since ive put him on royal canine german shepherd he's actually improved loads.


----------



## Pliskens_Chains (Jun 8, 2008)

some dogs need a special diet as their food is what is actually triggering the itching.


----------



## linda.t (Sep 28, 2007)

vet won't know for certain but will try to work out what maybe the cause by asking if you've changed diet /fleas eg:
may even be a heat rash,i know my friend only feeds her 2 gsd's on arden grange food she won't use anything else because it's also great for the tummies.


----------



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Thanks, it could certainly be food and I'll speak to the vet about that and see about trying out a special diet and see if it helps.

Don't think it's anything like mange/scabies, she's in very good health, the skin itself looks fine, it's just she seems to have this itch and is extra ticklish.

If it was fleas I'm sure my other cats / dogs would be exhibiting similar symptoms & frontline is usually pretty effective, might be the heat though! I've looked very carefully and can't see any bites or flea dirt that could be causing a reaction.


----------



## Vicky12 (Apr 12, 2008)

My little shitzhu gets the same sort of problem. I cant use frontline as it doesnt do any good. 

I use Stronghold on her and it works wonders. It treats for fleas, mange and other nasties, cant remember them all.


----------



## mask-of-sanity (Dec 27, 2006)

have you changed the food in last couple of weeks or dog shamppo ect or has there been any crops being sprayed where you walk him or his bedding being washed in diff powder.. i would of thought if its only started in the last couple of weeks then maybe somethings changed or been changed in that time period


----------



## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Athravan said:


> Thanks, it could certainly be food and I'll speak to the vet about that and see about trying out a special diet and see if it helps.
> 
> Don't think it's anything like mange/scabies, she's in very good health, the skin itself looks fine, it's just she seems to have this itch and is extra ticklish.
> 
> If it was fleas I'm sure my other cats / dogs would be exhibiting similar symptoms & frontline is usually pretty effective, might be the heat though! I've looked very carefully and can't see any bites or flea dirt that could be causing a reaction.


could you try her on a back to basics diet? Tripe (raw) and a plain terrier meal like laughing dog which has no nasty additives.Kibbles contain too many additives and preservatives, even the special expensive vet kibbles do.A very plain diet such as I mentioned might make a difference but it would take a week or more for her body to repel the thing which she might be allergic to. Also has she been walked in a place where weeds had been treated? My firend's GSD got the ithces when he was walked over a field which had been sprayed the week before with pesticides.
I'm interested to see what the outcome will be so keep us nosey beggars posted


----------



## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Vicky12 said:


> My little shitzhu gets the same sort of problem. I cant use frontline as it doesnt do any good.
> 
> I use Stronghold on her and it works wonders. It treats for fleas, mange and other nasties, cant remember them all.


 YEARGH!!!! it isn't shit anything. It's a shih-tzu, pronounced shee tsoo. I have one and get hopping if anyone calls her a shit-zoo


----------



## Vicky12 (Apr 12, 2008)

fenwoman said:


> YEARGH!!!! it isn't shit anything. It's a shih-tzu, pronounced shee tsoo. I have one and get hopping if anyone calls her a shit-zoo


Oops normally I get it right..lol 

Oh I want my computer back so that I use a normal keyboard and dont have to use the kids laptops anymore.


----------



## fenwoman (Apr 15, 2008)

Vicky12 said:


> Oops normally I get it right..lol
> 
> Oh I want my computer back so that I use a normal keyboard and dont have to use the kids laptops anymore.


Lol. I get my dogs called all sorts of things like cheewowow-chihuahua, Rockpiler-rottweiler, laparapsco-lhasa apso, king charles, instead of cavalier king charles spaniel etc.Even saw an advert once for mini datsun puppies, and 'burmese' mountain dogs lol.


----------



## Faith (May 17, 2007)

If the sores are open after all that scratching we were told to use sudacream (for nappy rash on babies) on the dogs sores.
Our shepard x had very bad skin and once we use the cream she stopped scratching and it seems to sooth the area until the vet can treat her


----------



## loobylou (Nov 18, 2007)

There are a lot of things it could be and the vet should be able to test for most things by carrying out some simple treatment and/or tests.
My dog became very itchy a couple of summers ago, very itchy skin, hot spots on his belly and sores on his feet. He had short courses of antibiotics and shampoo (malaseb). Both cleared his skin up but the problems returned as soon as they were stopped. He was treated with stronghold but it didnt help and skin scrapes/ tapes came back as negative. He was already on a hypoallergenic diet so the next thing we did was refer to a dermatologist. She tested his skin for mallasezia and did intradermal allergy testing. He came back with positive allergic reactions to 4 tree pollens, 3 grass pollens, 4 grass pollens, and house dust mites. Diagnosed as atopic and started on an densensitising immunotherapy vaccine. Didnt really work so we keep him controlled now with regular bathing, oil supplements and pulse antibiotics when required. Aso have laminate flooring all through and his beds get boil washed regularly.
The moral of the story (the very long story!!) is that skin conditions can be quite frustrating to treat and you may not see any difference for a long while and may have to try lots of different treatments. On the other hand it may clear up quite quickly and be a one off. Alot of people get disheartened when the vet cant tell them straightaway what is wrong but I know first hand how frustrsting these cases can be so my advice would be to be patient!!
Good luck with the appointment, keep us all posted.


----------



## BADGERS MUM (Dec 5, 2006)

I couldnt log on properly last night to reply,gggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrr,but yes i have a dog that ive spent thousands on and many years trying to solve his itchy skin.

Im betting the vet will suggest steroids,which will work fantastically but there are long term risks,so id strongly advice you to look into the diet,

Go for either the James wellbeloved or Weinrights(pets at home own brand) in the white fish and brown rice(JWB) or salmon and potato (w)
youll need to give it at least 6 weeks to have effect but 90% of dog allergies are food related and often dust/pollen/grass too but are helped greatly by a hypo allergenic diet,
youll need to do it properly,ONLY natural treats and be aware alot of things they claim are natural arent 

go for plain coloured rawhide and james well beloved treats.......more expensive but well worth it,

oh and also the vet will offer allergy tests but generally if theyre allergic to one thing they are allergic to alot and the price of the tests if youre not insured are massive 

i could risk running on and on so if you need any further advice please feel PM me,ill get back to you,with answers..........over 4 years ive learnt ALOT


----------



## toyah (Aug 24, 2006)

My cat had similar symptoms. I just got the vets to do an allergy panel, which told me exactly what he was allergic to. Quite expensive if I remember rightly, but didn't take long and it was good to find out exactly.


----------



## .snap. (Jun 2, 2008)

dont no if anyone else has said this but do u use anything on ur carpet (if u have carpet) as my dog had a weird reaction to stuff we used on our carpet and wouldnt stop itching, we stopped using the stuff and she stopped after a few days


----------



## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

hey badgers mum, hows your little fella doing now?


----------



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

I can't think of anything we've changed lately but the pollen count is definitely up, and they do use a pesticide in the park we have been walking lately, and they've cut the grass recently too.

We are insured so if an allergy panel is covered I will definitely take one.


----------



## vetdebbie (Jan 4, 2008)

Could well be allergy - 2 years is the right kind of age for it to develop. Could still be mange though - perfect weather for insects at the moment and lack of skin lesions doesn't rule it out. With only a 2 weeks history, mange definately needs to be ruled out before spending hundreds on an allergy work up!


----------



## BADGERS MUM (Dec 5, 2006)

basky said:


> hey badgers mum, hows your little fella doing now?


 
Hey, he is brilliant thanks,no more drugs needed AT ALL,its all been done via the diet change,

hows your dog thats itchy?? and your little piggy :flrt:



Athravan said:


> I can't think of anything we've changed lately but the pollen count is definitely up, and they do use a pesticide in the park we have been walking lately, and they've cut the grass recently too.
> 
> We are insured so if an allergy panel is covered I will definitely take one.


 
Be aware the allergy testing connot possibly cover everything




vetdebbie said:


> Could well be allergy - 2 years is the right kind of age for it to develop. Could still be mange though - perfect weather for insects at the moment and lack of skin lesions doesn't rule it out. With only a 2 weeks history, mange definately needs to be ruled out before spending hundreds on an allergy work up!


 
I had mange testing to rule it out,its a good idea for sure


----------



## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

BADGERS MUM said:


> Hey, he is brilliant thanks,no more drugs needed AT ALL,its all been done via the diet change,
> 
> hows your dog thats itchy?? and your little piggy :flrt:


thats good to here, afrika is off the steroids now and doing well with his new diet too. are you using the weinright food? 
grunt is in one today as we had the vet out yesterday so he's letting us know how pissed off he is


----------



## the doc (May 17, 2008)

I have a staffy 10 moths old she has all the same trates vet has her on pritin tryed all the food things took up the carpet where she sleeps about three moths now no light at the ened of the tunel hope you have better luck


----------



## BADGERS MUM (Dec 5, 2006)

basky said:


> thats good to here, afrika is off the steroids now and doing well with his new diet too. are you using the weinright food?
> grunt is in one today as we had the vet out yesterday so he's letting us know how pissed off he is


Im using the weinright one time then the james wellbeloved so they dont get bored,
they do prefer the JWB,of course its like 12quid dearer :lol:
ALL treats are hypo allergenic too and theyve actually lost weight and are looking really good,
ive been giving them raw meat too and trying to go over to the BARF diet a little,glad Afrikas doing well.

Awww poor Oink :flrt: bless him,hope the vet wasnt out for something bad 

ps wheres Belials holiday snaps :whistling2: did you manage to get in his rusk sack :lol2:



the doc said:


> I have a staffy 10 moths old she has all the same trates vet has her on pritin tryed all the food things took up the carpet where she sleeps about three moths now no light at the ened of the tunel hope you have better luck


 
Very common problem with staffs,

I bet theres not a drug been used on anyones dog that i havent tried for itchy skin,

is your staff a toe chewer?? i tried piriton but since its not that sort of allergy it does get rid of the symptoms

go for a strict diet change.............. ONLY hypo allergenic food in fish flavours to start with,
like weinrights and james wellbeloved,the weinrights is cheaper both very good,

try it for 6 weeks,i bet youll see the different,if not you can try low dose steriods but at only 10months old id try to find a better solution

fingers crossed hun, PM if you like


----------



## pam b (Mar 3, 2005)

Can i possibly bump this topic,
Having real problems with my Shepherd (ongoing, why does it seem to be mainly Shepherds in this thread, lol).
Basics,
Changing his food not an option, he will not eat dry food full stop, even to the point of staving himself (someone said to us he'll eat when hungry, no he wont and didnt)
Tripe not an option either, gives him the dreadfull runs and upset tum.
Yes he's been to the vets, just told he has sensitive skin (no skin infections ect), but yes he is prone to ear infections as well.
He gets frontlined regually so we know its not fleas ect.
He gets bathed in an expensive oatmeal shampoo for dogs i had shipped from Aussie land (helped abit but not cured)
Its worse in summer but come autumn (if its same as last year) he'll have bald patches that will start regrowing at Christmas.
Its so frustrating that i cant help him, and its driving me nuts so god knows whats its doing to him.

Any suggestions seeing as many here dont fit the bill?

PS i did a google on the subject, and would you beleive it, found this topic!!!! Small world


----------



## Vicky12 (Apr 12, 2008)

pam b said:


> Can i possibly bump this topic,
> Having real problems with my Shepherd (ongoing, why does it seem to be mainly Shepherds in this thread, lol).
> Basics,
> Changing his food not an option, he will not eat dry food full stop, even to the point of staving himself (someone said to us he'll eat when hungry, no he wont and didnt)
> ...


Have you tried Stronghold instead of Frontline? I know you say its not fleas but my dog hasnt got them either, there just seems to be something in Stronghold that clears her skin. 

Either that or James Wellbeloved Dog feeds, they are dry (yes I know you say he wont eat it) But have you tried making it wet with warm water. You may have to sit and coax him to eat it, I know its pain but perseverance is the best way to go. 

The other option is Hills, they do wet food in tins. Ive never used it so dont know if they do one for dogs with sensitive skin issues.

Ive tried loads of shampoos as well and non of them do any good, just make the dog smell nice.


----------



## Andy b 1 (May 14, 2007)

id say fleas


----------



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Andy b 1 said:


> id say fleas


Thanks Andy, for bumping a 2 month old post with an absolutely useless answer that shows you haven't read anything :lol2:


For everyone else as the thread has been bumped up anyway, she is now on James Wellbeloved large breed as recommended by the vet and it has settled right down, so it looks like it was definitely diet related, and hopefully this will keep it under control. :no1:


----------



## pam b (Mar 3, 2005)

Andy b 1 said:


> id say fleas


Nope not Fleas again confirmed by vet, thanks Andy.



Vicky12 said:


> Have you tried Stronghold instead of Frontline? I know you say its not fleas but my dog hasnt got them either, there just seems to be something in Stronghold that clears her skin.
> 
> Either that or James Wellbeloved Dog feeds, they are dry (yes I know you say he wont eat it) But have you tried making it wet with warm water. You may have to sit and coax him to eat it, I know its pain but perseverance is the best way to go.
> 
> ...


mmmmm Stronghold, no not tried it, and anything is worth a try.
As for the dry food, tried everything hun even that, its like he's phycic, and its not like i tried for days, i tried for weeks untill he lost so much condition i couldnt carry on.
He really is just picky with his food to a stubborn point:whip:
Even tried smothering the stuff in gravy (home made) and basically he just licked it off and left the rest to fester, bad dog!!!!:lol2:


----------



## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

pam b said:


> Changing his food not an option, he will not eat dry food full stop, even to the point of staving himself (someone said to us he'll eat when hungry, no he wont and didnt)


Have you tried mixing it with wet food Pam? You can reduce the amount of wet food over time, it worked with Blaze.


----------



## Vicky12 (Apr 12, 2008)

pam b said:


> Nope not Fleas again confirmed by vet, thanks Andy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Oh dear he really is naughty. What about Hills tinned food, do they do anything that might help?

Just found this on Stronghold.

*Stronghold 

*For the treatment and prevention of flea infestations, roundworms, sarcoptic mange, biting lice, ear mites for one month following a single administration resulting from its adulticidal and larvicidal properties. Not to be used in puppies less than 6 weeks of age.
*Prescription required* 

It might be worth trying.


----------



## pam b (Mar 3, 2005)

Fixx said:


> Have you tried mixing it with wet food Pam? You can reduce the amount of wet food over time, it worked with Blaze.


Yes Ray  he loved it but his tummy didnt, what a mess, and oh man the farts were unbelievable, and reduction in wet just resulted in licking off wet and then leaving dry again.
It seems im damned if i do and damned if i dont. :lol2:



PS, How is ol Stinky doing, havnt had his pleasurable company or yours and Lous for ages.


----------



## pam b (Mar 3, 2005)

Vicky12 said:


> Oh dear he really is naughty. What about Hills tinned food, do they do anything that might help?
> 
> Just found this on Stronghold.
> 
> ...


mm you've convinced me, will give the vet a ring in the morning, see if he'll give me a prescription without seeing him, he's seen him for all the above so may well do and beleive me, they dont want Sabre down there in the flesh unless needed!!!!:whistling2::lol2::lol2:
He hates the vets twice as bad as dry food, muzzel on job and even then they back away.


----------



## pam b (Mar 3, 2005)

And yes before anyone else gets the joke in, i know he sounds an awfull lot like me.:roll::rotfl:


----------



## coopere (Aug 6, 2008)

I have an English Bull Terrier and had others in the past who suffer from chronic atopic dermatitis - itchy skin which develops into blood blisters then burst leaving craters, itchy ears etc. To keep it under control we bath her regularly with malaseb shampoo, feed a hypoallergenic diet and use frontline. Two of the dogs who have since died (not from this) were on a drug called Atopica which has had good results and worked well for them. They had allergy tests and were shown to be allergic to cats, cat fleas, dust mites, storage mites, and various pollen. We had to wash the bedding in nonbio powder, use non synthetic bedding and sometimes had to use antibiotic (antirobe) and steroids. Ears clear up well on otomax but you need a prescrition for that. Sudacrem (as mentioned before) is also good as is a product called dermacton. Good Luck Emma


----------



## basky (Dec 11, 2006)

it won't really help you as your dog won't eat dry food but ive got my gsd on royal canin german shepherd dog food and he's great now. have you ever tried him on this? i work in kennels and whenever a dog isnt eating we give them royal canin and it works a treat


----------



## Vase (Jul 14, 2007)

I know this is a fairly old post (recently bumped) but was your dog on Chudleys or Wagg before?


----------



## loobylou (Nov 18, 2007)

It sounds like a seasonal problem so is probably linked more to environmental factors than the food. If its so severe that you cant control the itching with bathing and medications then the best option is to go for referral to a dermatologist who will do an allergy testing panel and probably sort you out with a desensitising vaccine which is given monthly. My dog was diagnosed as being allergic to 4 grass pollens, 3 weed pollens, 4 tree pollens and house dust mites! He was terribly itchy but calmed down about 80-90% following the vaccine. Its not cheap though but definately worth it if you can find the money.
Its definately something Id discuss with your vet but in the meantime treating with stronghold would rule out flea/ mite/ lice infestation!! By the way if you've seen your vet in the last year they should just be able to sell you the stronghold over the counter.


----------



## repkid (Nov 30, 2007)

My german shepherd bitch has one point under her armpit which sets of the mental leg we call it. She has had it since we got her in Christmas but it doesn't seem to be agitating her at all. 

But we took her to the vet because she had very itchy skin and they recommending putting vegetable oil in her food. Only a tiny bit though. And it worked wonders.

Hope you find out what the problem is at the vets.

Brad


----------



## Vase (Jul 14, 2007)

Athravan changed her dogs food and now he's ok. I just wondered what food he was on before.


----------



## Zoo-Man (Apr 12, 2008)

My Jack Russell Terrier has a skin allergy. It flares up mainly in the summer. He has been to vets on numerous occassions & has had steriods, which did help a bit, but as soon as the course of steroids stopped, he was back to itching& scratching again. So i tried him on James Well Beloved food & he has improved so much! His skin has returned to its normal pink colour & he does not itch & scratch as much as he used to. I'd definately recommend trying it!


----------



## stephen_942 (Jul 12, 2008)

my dog has the same thing so far it has took 6 visits to the vets (not cheap) different injections, antibotics and shampoos and i have to go back to the vet every week just to warn u whats ahead.


----------



## loobylou (Nov 18, 2007)

stephen_942 said:


> my dog has the same thing so far it has took 6 visits to the vets (not cheap) different injections, antibotics and shampoos and i have to go back to the vet every week just to warn u whats ahead.


 
Skin conditions in dogs can be the most frustrating cases to treat. Very rarely do you find a cause or a treatment that works straight away and often animals will need treatment for life.


----------



## vetdebbie (Jan 4, 2008)

Hey guys! Just to let you know it happens to us all, I've just allergy tested my kittie and he's allergic to lamb, beef, milk and house dust mites! Pain in the bottom! 
His symptoms are mostly overgrooming, just recently geting some scabs. So now we're in the middle of a diet change for all 4 (doubly irritating given that one of my other's is diabetic and has been on a high protein/low carb diet for the last 3 years - and all the varied manufacturers of these foods can't garauntee they are lamb/beef free), and he's having steriods until the change is complete. I think the bill so far is £600ish? not including food. Thank god for petplan!


----------

