Itching and Dandruff

Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any input or experience with this...we recently got our Corgi pup and she started biting herself excessively, like she has an itch, and we notice a lot of dandruff around where she bites. It's also different spots, and if we start playing with her she forgets about the itch. No sign of any buggies, so I'm wondering if she just has dry skin? Is this common, and if so, can you recommend any shampoos? I haven't seen anything like bite marks or fleas or ticks, so I'm less inclined to think this is the cause, but I don't know if I should have her taken to the vet or not. Any advice is welcome!

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Permalink Reply by Linsey & Grissom on August 10, 2009 at 7:55pm

Dogs can itch for a million and a half reasons.
Could be food. Allergies to grain, corn in particular, are incredibly common. Allergies to chicken and other poultry are not common, but not unheard of, either. Could be worth taking a look at.
Could just be dry skin. You can try adding Fish Oil or Flaxseed Oil to her diet. Capsules or the bottled oils with a pump are fine. I know a lot of people that skip the fish oil but will supplement their meals with canned mackeral or sardines twice a week and have even better results.
Could be shampoo. I but John Paul Oatmeal shampoo. It sounds really gimicky as it's made my Paul Mitchall, and I don't even buy that kind of stiuff for myself. I got a sample of it at a doggy expo and used it. I'll never buy anything else. It cleans very well, and rinses easy. The rinsing part is important to me as my Shepherd has an incredibly undercoat in the winter that's terribly hard to rinse properly.
Could be environmental. Unfortunately pinpointing environmental allergies is not only really tough, but incredibly expensive, and therefore the easiest fix is Benedryl, unless you really want to pay for the skin grid tests. I don't see a point in putting them through that, though!
I'd say could be fleas, but you already said there's no bugs, so you're clear on that one. :-)
Take a look at her "itching pattern." Does she itch more at any particular time of the day. After a bath? After a meal? Morning?
You may want to wash her bedding with a mild detergent as well. (no dryer sheets)