Have you got a dog that has itchy skin? Tried everything and nothing seems to work? Been to the vet and tried medicated shampoo – and STILL they get itchy?
It’s not uncommon. I’m not an expert and can’t tell you how to fix it, but I can share a few things that I tried over the years while combatting this annoying irritation.
I had two dogs – they lived in the same house, ate the same food, had the same shampoo, and went to all the same places. Only one of them every suffered from Itchy skin however. Like all humans, and pets – everyone is different, and dogs do get allergies. So maybe it was allergy related, but from what is the million-dollar question.
Some common answers can be environment. Do you have an insect spray dispenser? If so – is this placed anywhere near where your dog sleeps. This might be a trigger.
Look at the food you are using. If it is something in this causing it then it’s an easy solution.
The grass on your property – and also in the areas you exercise your furr-baby. Is there something they are coming in contact with that’s causing it?
Overall – my advice, talk to your vet. Hot spots can be very painful and discomforting, so you need to make sure you don’t ignore it as chances are, it’s not going to go away.
With mine, I had a few options that were usually pretty similar. It was always medicated shampoo, antibiotics, and a cream. Pretty common ingredients, and the recipe just changed depending upon how the irritation had developed to determine the recipe we used. The Shampoo I used was Melaseb. In New Zealand, I was only able to purchase it in 250ml bottles via the vet – and with large boys like our German Shepherds, it didn’t last long. Especially when not only was it used for full baths, but any spot treatment that was required. However – I was fortunate enough to fall across something that worked very well for me, and I could leverage it to my advantage. I found out that you could purchase 1 litre bottles via any pet store in Australia over the counter. So as I was going there for work, and had family that lived there – I took advantage of it, and always stocked up while abroad. I could always justify my trip to visit friends and family, as the savings I made on the shampoo always exceeded the cost of the flights.
With the cream, I always had this on hand – especially during summer. For those unforeseen times when a hot spot arose when you didn’t expect it to. My dog was a senior when he developed this problem and could be fine when we went to bed, and wake us up at 3am with “Nibbling”. Nothing like a good spot bath, and cream to comfort him.
The antibiotics – my advice is if you are given them, make sure you finish them. And it wasn’t always fun. My boy hated them and after day one where they were hidden with food, it was always a battle. So please feel free to share your magical words of wisdom when it comes to this.
So that’s my quick story of a tickling subject. Feel free to share your tips of wisdom as a problem shared is a problem halved, and you never know who you might be helping out.
Certain plants like wandering new always set Dylan off. Vigilance around plants was always necessary. Also if I’m the sea which he loved would mean a bath and thorough drying.
My shitzu suffered with hot spots I rinsed him with diluted Braggs Organic Apple cider vinegar and give !/2 tsp in his meal at night also took him of all beef and grain food K9 Natural chicken is his food and natures goodness grain free chicken biscuits now he hasn’t had a hot spot or itch for over a year now Good luck.
Kira (10yr old GSD) had a sudden onset of severe irritation not along ago. I’d introduced Masterpet dried duck strips, the ones similar to the chicken tender strips. I took her off the duck and the itch started to clear within a few days. It was mostly around the soft skin on her abdomen.
Bear (10 months old) itching his belly, and mouth. Belly is red, and hot. On no medication. He eats Grain Free and has a bath every other day. I’m trying to find the best thing to try, as he did go to the vet 1 month ago and they said feed him Grain Free which we have but is not working. looking for other methods before I have to take my baby to the vet. Worried dog mom, trying anything to fix her itchy baby Bear dog. Any PROVEN tips help. Please and thank you.
Hi, I have a shitzu, jack Russell, poodle cross with a tendency towards very itchy skin. I now feed him jimbos raw lamb and chicken medallions which you can buy in frozen section at Countdown. Also chicken necks cut up, and pilchards sliced frozen and slightly thawed as they don’t like the texture. He is also on a quarter of a steroid tablet from the vet per day which keeps him itch free and is such a small dose it doesn’t affect his health.
The anti-bacterial shampoo I purchased from the Vet is good, but as he is a big boy, a bottle doesn’t go far. With “Hot Spots”, my husband uses an antibacterial cream (for dogs, horses, cattle, etc) called Filta-bac x Vet. Soothing & anti-bacterial – wonderful stuff !
My girl has an allergy to something (never have discovered what) which makes her scratch under her armpits and chew her groin until she breaks the skin and ends up with infections. She has always been on a grain free diet and now we are trying no beef.
The one magic solution for us has been a drug called Apoquel from the vet which is like a miracle cure. One tablet a day and she is completely normal. Unfortunately it is expensive and costs me $107 a month but its a small price to pay to save her the discomfort and both of us the sleepless nights.
I spray a 50:50 mix of cider vinegar and water and rub into her skin