My dog has itchy skin. i have tried all kinds of shampoos. any suggestions of what else i can do?

My dog had itchy skin and was very itchy, licked her paws, scratched her belly, scratched her mouth and ears. It was getting so bad that she was bleeding due to her scratching. I went to the vet and they thought it could be the food that I was giving her, so i changed her diet, but she still kept on itching. After a few months on trying different shampoos, i then decided to see a vet who dealt with dogs with skin irritations. He was able to do tests on her, and we found out that she was itching due to different types of dusts in the air. Like when we get irritations we take medication to de-senistive ourselves. So now she is on medication, every 1 month she has a injection to "de-sensitive" her skin,if she has a flare up of a irritation, i have tablets ready to give her. It sounds like your dog has the same problem as mine. It was totally frustrating to find the problem, but now she never scratches and its fine now.

My dog has itchy skin. i have tried all kinds of shampoos. any suggestions of what else i can do?
some dogs have allergies and shampooing all the time can make this worse.


i would go the vets and see if you can get him on some meds to try and help.


i mean itchy skin is not nice and it can lead to infection.


best thing is to find out what is causing the itchy skin and go from there!!!
Reply:overbathing can cause dry itchy skin





flea bite dermatitis is another culprit..





bacterial skin infection can occur if itching goes untreated.





how about a vet visit to rule out skin issues..





MALASEB shampoo ( www.1800petsmeds.) as directed may provide some relief,, but you MUST find the underlying cause.





FOOD ALLERGIES are also quite common
Reply:Stop washing him: My guess is that he is suffering from dry skin.





Try adding oily stuff to his food. If that doesn't work, ask a vet for suggestions.





Now, I did just have a thought: Olive oil is edible. And it is also a good moisturizer for human skin. So I don't think it would hurt your dog if you try to massage it on him. But you'll want to do this somewhere that you wouldn't mind getting messy.





Good luck!
Reply:make sure you have a veterinarian dermatologist approved flea preventative on your dog (frontline / advantage / advantix / revoltuion) to ensure your dog does not have a sensitivity to flea saliva or flea allergy dermatitis. you can also try giving your dog diphenhydramine (benadryl) 1 mg per pound to try and relieve some of the itching. your dog may also have food allergies, so you might try switching to a limited antigen diet like brown rice and salmon or venison and potato. best of luck to you, allergies can be frustrating.


oh, one more thing, give your dog 3v fish oil capsules, those are excellent for the skin and give your dog extra nutrients.
Reply:As long as the vet has ruled out the most obvious causes, I would bet it's food allergies. They sometimes take a long time to manifest. Don't overshampoo, and use a gentle shampoo used for allergies. Try switching his food to something with no know allergens, such as corn, wheat or soy. I am going through the same thing, and would recommend switching to a raw food diet. There are many great products out there. Good luck!
Reply:An oatmeal base shampoo should work. Try a humidifier to put more moisture in the air and maybe change his dog food. My dog suffered the same thing and the vet suggested that I wash him weekly (and really scrub) with a natural oatmeal based shampoo, get a humidifier and changehim from Purina to Nutro Natural Choice and it cleared up!
Reply:try adding a teaspoon of olive oil on his food. don't add too much or you'll have a mess on your hands. or you could feed him some sardines (yum) but again, start out with small portions.
Reply:How often do you bathe your dog?


Bathing too often may be drying out the skin.


And if you aren't getting all of the shampoo off when rinsing, that can cause skin irritation afterwards.


Itchy skin can also be due to allergies (to fleas, other insects, pesticides, a plant, or something in the food)


Poor quality food can also lead to poor skin and coat.
Reply:My dog has had a chronic itch for over a year. I had tried everything but nothing helped until about 2 weeks ago. I started giving her Brewers yeast tablets twice a day (I bought them from the pet store). Now at least you can pet her without her scratching herself. I think I finally found something at helped.





Brewer's yeast is often used as a source of B-complex vitamins and chromium. The B-complex vitamins in brewer's yeast include B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), and H (biotin). These vitamins help break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which provide the body with energy. They also support the nervous system, help maintain the muscles used for digestion, and promote the health of skin, hair, eyes, mouth, and liver.
Reply:check the food intake of your dog, maybe shampoo is not needed, the itchy skin can be caused by the reaction of the dog to some of the food it eats.
Reply:What kind of food does he eat? I know alot of dogs are allergic to corn and other grains in their food. I would stop feeding him food with grains in it. Also biotin is a good supplement to give them. You can get it online or bigger pet stores carry it. Add it to his food once a day and you will probably notice a big difference. My golden used to have very dry skin and between the biotin and making sure she didn't have corn and other fillers in her kibble did the trick. It also helped with ear infections. She usually had 1-2 a year and now she never gets them. If you bring your dog to a groomer they should have products that would help also.
Reply:It sounds as though your dog may be suffering from allergies. There are several different reasons for allergies, but the majority of them result in skin irritation, itching, hot spots etc.





You can find out about the different kinds of allergies in dogs, and how to figure out which is bothering your pooch here http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/dog-a...





It's quite often a dog food that is causing the problems, and switching your dog over to a food that's especially designed for dogs with sensitivities or allergies can make a big difference. Find out more about dog foods that are especially designed for this reason at http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/dog-f...





Meanwhile, there are a lot of products on the market that can help relieve the itching and discomfort that your dog is feeling. Shampooing often makes the situation worse by drying out the skin more. Using a shampoo with hydrocortisone (to reduce inflammation) or a hypoallergenic shampoo may help if a bath is necessary.





There are many lotions, sprays and salves with hydrocortisone that can help calm down the itching. Also dietary supplements that contain omega three fatty acids help to reduce skin problems from the inside out. You can find a great selection of these products at http://www.the-puppy-dog-place.com/canin...





best of luck, hope your dog is feeling more comfortable soon.