Puppy scratching like crazy

woz2b

I have a 9 month old King Charles.  In the past couple of months she has been scratching like crazy.  She bites on her legs & scratches herself by rubbing all over the carpets.  It gets so bad she makes herself bleed & she cries.  We have tried benedryl, some steriod plus topical (sp?) treatment.  Most recently Claritin daily.  I give her oatmeal baths about once a week.  The antibiodics helped for a while but now that they are out of her system the scratching has started again.

Now the vet suggest we change her food.  She is currently on Blue Buffalo puppy.  She asked that we change to a grain free & different protein source.  I was looking into TOTW Prairie Puppy.

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the pups scratching like crazy & any advice to help her.  Also, any experience with food allergies.

I'm really hoping changing her food solves her itching.  I feel so bad for her! Sorry this is so long.

Caz1221

I think there's some good info on allergies in the FAQs (on the top right side of the board).  I would avoid oatmeal baths because if she has a grain allergy, the oatmeal might actually be making it worse.  I also agree with your vet that the first thing I would try would be a grain-free food.  When we adopted our second dog, he had terrible skin issues (bald patches, thinning fir, red/inflamed skin, super itchy, etc.).  We switched him to a grain-free food (Wellness Core), and he started improving immediately.  Now you can't even tell that he had skin/coat problems.

Salmon oil also helps promote skin and coat health, so you might want to consider supplementing the grain-free food with a squirt of salmon oil.

If switching food doesn't help, it could be an environmental allergy (something outside like grass or even something inside your home such as a rug that has been treated with some type of chemical - we had this problem and got rid of the rug, which completely fixed the issue).

ellekaywhy

So sad for your puppy! I have known dogs with food allergies before, and just be aware that it takes TWO MONTHS of a new food before you know if it's working or not! The reason for the long delay is that their bodies are still holding, processing, and reacting to the allergens after they've stopped consuming them. It's a long and difficult road to be sure. My friend's dog had to take Claratin AND Benadryl and was still pretty itchy. Remember to be conscious of the treats you feed your dog as well! Your best bet is to use pieces of their dog food as treats just to keep their diet stable until you figure out what works. Good luck to you! 

Sanderso39

My jack russell has sensitive skin and it used to be so bad he would keep me up allll night scratching and rolling his back on the carpet.  He has been on Proplan sensitive skin and is now on science diet sensitive skin.  I know people don't like science diet but it worked miracles for him.  I used to give him benadryl and it didn't do anything for him.  He loves the science diet and we haven't had a skin issue in years.

jewelsdvm

Has your vet checked for skin mites?  Demodex is very common in puppies and can cause the symptoms you're seeing.  Your dog is a little on the young side for food allergies, but it is possible.  Even if they don't find the mites (they can be hard to find sometimes), it can be ideal to treat for them and see if the dog responds.  I'd do that before changing the food.  Good luck!

closapio

If your dog is allergic to grains, don't bathe her with an oatmeal shampoo (that's another grain you are slathering all over her skin).

 

fl4lovers

closapio:

If your dog is allergic to grains, don't bathe her with an oatmeal shampoo (that's another grain you are slathering all over her skin).

 

 

This x 10.

 A lot of "all-natural" shampoos contain oatmeal.