Worried and doesn't know what to do
So, for the past couple of months, Murphy has had some problems with
his skin being itchy and we've been taking him to the vet at least once
a month for the past couple and his yearly check up is in April. Nothing really seems to be working. It's
like once we think its getting better, he starts scratching again. We
can't afford to keep taking him to the vet to have them keep trying to
find a medicine that works when all they can tell us is that it is
something in the environment that he's allergic to. They don't know
anything else. I just want him to feel relief. I am even more worried
now because he has been biting his nub a lot lately. I took a look at
it today and his skin is pink and he has little swollen bumps and I saw
that it was bleeding. I'm just out of ideas and I don't know what to
do. I tried taking a picture of it, but it didn't turn out so great. It
was tough to see it with all of his fur. I can see it much better in
person. I wonder if there is a home remedy that might work since taking him to see the vet is out of the question until April. Please, any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.
his skin being itchy and we've been taking him to the vet at least once
a month for the past couple and his yearly check up is in April. Nothing really seems to be working. It's
like once we think its getting better, he starts scratching again. We
can't afford to keep taking him to the vet to have them keep trying to
find a medicine that works when all they can tell us is that it is
something in the environment that he's allergic to. They don't know
anything else. I just want him to feel relief. I am even more worried
now because he has been biting his nub a lot lately. I took a look at
it today and his skin is pink and he has little swollen bumps and I saw
that it was bleeding. I'm just out of ideas and I don't know what to
do. I tried taking a picture of it, but it didn't turn out so great. It
was tough to see it with all of his fur. I can see it much better in
person. I wonder if there is a home remedy that might work since taking him to see the vet is out of the question until April. Please, any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Alyssa & Chris W. on
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He's been eating Nutro Natural Choice with chicken, Rice and Oatmeal and its for sensitive stomachs because the other food that we had been giving him when we got him was making his stomach upset. The vet had him on Temaril-P which is part steriod and part antihistamine and that only worked in the beginning for Murphy so he told us to try giving him half a tablet of Zyrtec and that seemed to work in the beginning as well, but not so much anymore.
Thanks for your advice. Greatly appreciated.
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Permalink Reply by Ashley and Copper on
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Have you tried anything with oatmeal in it? Maybe aloe? I will try to do some research for you and let you know what I find!
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Thank you!
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I found this website:http://www.houstonpettalk.com/2010/02/09/itchy-skin-bath-products-f...
And this one: http://search.onlynaturalpet.com/search.aspx?avs|Department=Holistic+Care&avs|Holistic+Treatment+Type=Homeopathy&click=5&9gtype=search&9gkw=pet-remedy&9gad=4258811669&gclid=CJbF09ePhKACFRBtswodsHjZmw
I also just read that benadryl helps but you should consult your vet for the dosage. I'm thinking something along the lines of Aveeno oatmeal bath also because Aveeno works wonders! I will find out if it is pet friendly.
This was interesting and good to know!
http://www.dailypuppy.com/articles/home-remedy-for-a-dogs-itchy-ski...
I just checked it out and Aveeno is safe to use on your dog. Stay away from Lanacane. The best Aveeno product is the oatmeal bath and it should help. My boyfriend gets really dry skin and poison ivy every year, never fails. That is the only thing that helps him and when I get dry skin or bug bites or my eczema flares up, Aveeno works wonders! Hope this helped!
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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My thoughts immediately go to the type of food he's eating. He could be allergic to one or more of the ingredients--most probably a type of grain (wheat, rice, etc.) Try changing up his diet and see if he improves. You can find grain-free food at pet specialty stores. You may also try feeding him raw (chicken backs, organ meats, etc) if you have the inclination to do so. :3 There's lots of threads around the forums about grain free and raw foods, so check them out. Diet changes seem to solve itching most of the time, unless the itching is caused by parasites or other nasty things.
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Very informative! Thank you. We'll look into those things. There is rice in his food, that really has me thinking that maybe that's what it is.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Start with eliminating certain foods. Corn and wheat products are often suspect. Also switching to a fish or venison based food may help. If none of these things make a difference you may need to have him allergy tested. We had Sparty tested after about 2 years of trying things for relief. Turns out he is highly allergic to many many things. We now give him allergy shots once a month that does seem to keep it under control. Occasionally he still needs prednisone but most of the time he is fine. Once the testing is out of the way the serum is not too costly.
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Permalink Reply by Cindy P on
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My Aussie was having those same symptoms. He was also getting bronchitis every year. We were getting shots and antibiotics all the time. When I changed his food to grain free he was itch free!! Canidae makes a very good grain free food and it seems to be available at most larger feed stores. You can go to their website to find a store near you. Orijen makes a good grain free also. Salmon is very good for dogs with itchy skin. I think you will be very surprised what a difference the right food makes. Grain free is the way to go for itchy skin. Do some research online and see what you find out. Hank is itchy no more. Good luck.
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Permalink Reply by Sky and Lyla on
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I've noticed with my Aussies that they are extremely sensitive to attacks on their immune systems like the vacs and meds. My corgi of course does better also when kept all natural and healthy, but the Aussies are especially effected by things. That's very interesting! Some big tough farm dogs they are, lol!
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Permalink Reply by Steve on
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Few months ago Steve was itching & licking his front paws raw. Washing his feet, various hot spot spray, benadryl, and other remedies didn't help. One of the last thing I did was switch his food (same brand, different flavor). Within a few days of switching from chicken to lamb his itching & obsessive licking went away. He's always eaten chicken flavor in the past so I don't know if it was that particular bag that didn't agree with him or what but I'm just glad he's relieved of the itching.
I hope you find a solution for Murphy. Itching is no fun for them and for you (the biting and licking noise were driving me crazy!)
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I noticed everyone's concerns about the food you are feeding him. I can say that if all else fails, I have fed both of my corgi's Iams puppy and Pooh Iams weight control for when he was an adult. Never had any problems and you can get a big bag for like 16 dollars.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I would switch foods first. SInce switching takes time and food costs money, I would probably go the whole hog and switch to something both grain-free and chicken-free (check labels, as the particular lamb and rice formula we use does have chicken in it). If that eliminates the problem, great, and then you can slowly reintroduce removed items in the form of treats to see if it causes a reaction. Then, if say the chicken treats don't cause him to itch but something with grain does, you know it's the grain not the chicken and you can widen your scope of acceptable foods. Or if whole bits of chicken make him itch, you know it's the chicken and you can reintroduce grains to see if he tolerates that.
However, like people, there are dogs who are allergic to grass or pollen or other things in the environment. If you can afford allergy testing, it might be a good idea if the food thing doesn't work.
Good luck!
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