Doggies

[gja1000]

My babies (dogs) are itching/scratching like crazy. They have never had allergies - but for the past couple of weeks, they are scratching like mad!!! When we traveled last weekend, I found some fleas on them - but just a couple - even though they had Advantage on.

They did eat different food while they stayed at my daughter's when I went to Alaska (I took their food over there, but they wanted to eat the food that my daughter's dog was eating ) and I just kept them on that food (dry) because they seemed to like it better than the dry food they were eating. They had been on Solid Gold Wee Bits and now are eating Royal Canin. The ingredients do not seem different at all - but of course, there could be one thing that IS different.

I also changed their wet food as they decided they didn't want to eat the Nature's Variety frozen raw food. I changed to an organic, holistic all natural wet food.

I suppose either of the food changes could be causing the scratching. So, I have gone back to Solid Gold dry to see if that helps (no, they are not happy!).

Rex seems to have a rash on his belly but Rowdy does not and Rowdy is actually scratching more than Rex. Go figure. I have some medicine for the rash that I got for Rowdy last year when he had a similar rash. I put it on Rex's belly last night, but it doesn't seem any better this morning.

I gave both of them a bath day before yesterday in skin soothing bath wash, but that didn't help. I've looked and looked and I can't find any more fleas. They are still scratching scratching scratching!!! ARRGGHH!

[Janet]

I honestly feel bad for the doggies, but boy does all that scratching drive me nuts...lol.

I don't have any advice Gayle...I'm sorry. I have only switched food once and did it very VERY slowly over a week or so and I use the same PetSilk shampoo I always have. When it comes to the dogs, I try to keep everything the same with very little change.

[gja1000]

Janet, that's usually me too, I switch things very slowly! But the dry food got switched at my daughter's, that's been over a month now. When I got home from Alaska (June 22), they wouldn't eat their wet food and my daughter said they hadn't been eating it at her house either. So, I got them this all natural wet food adn they LOVED it, still do.

Hmmmmm, don't know!

[paula1961]

When my little Brutis started scratching really bad a few mths ago..I ended up taking him to the vet and he got a shot of steroids. He hasn't scratched since. Mine are on sentinel for heartworms, fleas and ticks. They eat Taste of the Wild dry food and no wet food. Lordy.........who knows about these kids....it seems it's always something no matter what you feed them or how well you think you are taking care of them.

[judy]

Annie had a rash on her stomach and scratches a lot too. I started putting a little olive oil in their dry food every week or so, and the rash is gone. She is still a scratcher, but not as much.

I feed them Wellness dry and Oma raw.

[DianaB]

I have problems like that with Reuger. Did you happen to have them groomed? I think that they can itch from having their hair cut short. When I last groomed Reuger (and I trimmed him really short) he scratched a lot!!! I don't know if it was the short hair making him itch or what but now that it's grown out he's not doing it anymore.

Also, there are some dog foods that make him scratch. If he gets into the dog food for our airdale he'll bite at his paws which is a sign of food allergies.

Then he also has grass allergies!!!!! You can take them to the vet for an allergy shot. I also have a small bottle of spray for dogs that I got at Wal-mart that's for itching.....it's like benedryl.

Also, there's flea dermititis.....that's where a flea bites them and causes a rash. Since I switched Reuger over to Comfortis we haven't had any more problems with this.....anyway not as bad.

I hope you find out what's wrong......it's so irritating to have them scratching all the time......trust me, I know!!!