Itchy..Itchy...Paige is so Itchy!

[angelaT]

OKay all you dog people out there, Paige has been scratching up a storm pretty much ever since I got her, although I figured it was the new collar at first but since she hasn't stopped itching yet I figured it was time to ask advice.
I have bathed her twice since I got her and after her bathes she gets real flaky and her coat gets real dull so I figured it's probably dry skin. How do I get it to go away?
I know that some people swear by Tuna fish to keep their skin oily and their coats shiny but Paige is 12 weeks old is that to young for diet tricks?
I've also heard of eggs being beneficial, but raw eggs or cooked eggs? I have alot of questions and confusion to just start doing something without asking your opinion on this matter.

Oh and by the way .....No she doesn't have fleas....I already checked for that.

[RSbunny]

If you don't want to alter her diet you can get some plain omega oil (should be able to get it from your vet) and put a little bit in with her food. If her skin is dry then my guess is that it's the dryness that is bothering her and a bit of oil in her diet should stop it! I had to do this for one of my rabbits once and it worked a treat!

[Jade]

You might check out this thread: http://www.paw-talk.net/forums/showt...threadid=15023

I'd mention it to your vet when you go in for her next set of shots or just give them a quick call. They may want to do a skin scrape to be on the safe side too.

[Deja]

What brand food are you feeding her? Is she itching all over her body or in specific places?
When you bathed her what kind of shampoo did you use? I find most shampoos to be rather harsh especially on tender puppy skin.
And, gosh I am so sorry but I can't remember, what Kind of dog is she?
There could be many, many reasons why she is scratching. You mention that her skin is flaking - do you notice any redness, whelting or even tiny minute red dots anywhere on her skin?
It could be anything from an allergic reaction from just one flea bite - or an allergy to something in her diet or environment - or just a simple case of dry skin due to her diet or the shampoo used to bathe her.

After determining the cause and ruling out anything systemic (Jade's suggestion about the skin scraping would certainly rule out any pathologic problems) changing her food may cure it.
I've mentioned this lots of times and everyone is probably sick of reading my standard dry flakey skin remedy a drizzle of Olive Oil on the food once a day has totally taken care of a dull dry coat and flakey skin on my Golden Retriever and transformed it into a shiney, healthy coat with supple no flake skin.

I'd forgotten about that thread - and I was the one with the question!

It's frustrating, I know I hope you get it figured out and Paige stops itching and scratching :bfly:

[Jade]

Paige is a chihuahua, Deja.

[Candycane]

If you haven't already, I would cut out all corn and by-products out of her diet.

[angelaT]

Okay guys she is on Eukanuba small breed Puppy food.
The first time I used puppy shampoo on her and then when I noticed she was itching so badly I used my daughter's baby shampoo on her thinking it might be more gentle.
She doesn't have any redness but her itching is mostly around her neck area. When she had her first shots they looked at her skin and said her skin was clean and as for coming in contact with any fleas after that it would have been impossible, she doesn't go outside at all she is too chicken and she isn't around any other dogs. As for our house it hasn't had a dog in it in almost 4 years.

Since it is mainly around her neck it could be a reaction to her collar? ya think? It's a woven purple kitty collar! But maybe since it is dyed purple it has to much dye in it?
Do you think a plain leather collar would be better?
Are Chihuahua's prone to alot of allergies? I read alot of articles that said that they can be, but it depended on the parents, I don't know if her parents had any allergies.

Oh and yes she is a Chihuahua and she is 12 weeks old.

[Jade]

Eukanuba Small Breed Puppy:

Ingredients
chicken, chicken by-product meal, corn meal, fish meal (source of fish oil), chicken fat (source of Vitamin E and Citric Acid), ground whole grain sorghum, ground whole grain barley, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), natural chicken flavor, dried egg product, brewers dried yeast, flax meal, salt, potassium chloride, choline chloride, ferrous sulfate, marigold extract (source of lutein), vitamin E supplement, DL-methionine, zinc oxide, ascorbic acid, maganese sulfate, copper sulfate, beta-carotene, B12 supplement, thimaine mononitrate (source of B1), niacin, riboflavin supplement (source of B2), inositol, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of B6), vitamin D3 supplement, potassium iodide, folic acid and cobalt carbonate.

Guaranteed Analysis

Crude Protein: not less than 32%
Crude Fat: not less than 21%
Crude Fiber: not more than 4%
Moisture: not more than 10%
Vitamin E: not less than 140 IU/kg
Omega 6 Fatty Acids: not less than 3.35%
Omega 3 Fatty Acids: not less than .45%

[kittygurl823]

Awww I'm sorry to hear Paige is itching so much.. Everyone gave some great advice. One more thing I was thinking. This happened with Jasmine a few months back, itching and scratching and shedding like crazy. I talked to my vet and she said it was possibly an allergy to something (outside, etc.) and I could give her some benadryl to help with the itching and the discomfort. As it turned out, I didn't give her any b/c she got better the next day, it was weird. Anyway, you possibly might want to try some children's benadryl, liquid formula or the children's chewables. What is Paige's weight? This is what my vet said to give Jasmine, she is 6 lbs.
1/2 tsp liquid 2-3 X a day
1/4 of the childrens chewable tablet, 2-3 X a day.
I might give the vet a call on this thou, myself. Hmmm. I don't know if it could be a reaction to the collar? Did it seem to start when you put the collar on her?
I hope she starts feeling better soon.

[Jade]

Just FYI, the doggie dose for Benadryl is 1mg per pound. With her being SO small though as well as so young, I would talk to your vet before giving any OTC meds.

[kittygurl823]

Yes, that's what I was thinking as well, Jade, after I suggested it. I know Paige is so young and small and and I would call the vet on it, too. Ohh, is that not the right doggie dose? I just copied what my vet had written down for me. hmmmm...

[Micki]

Quote: Originally posted by angelaT Since it is mainly around her neck it could be a reaction to her collar? ya think? It's a woven purple kitty collar! But maybe since it is dyed purple it has to much dye in it? Do you think a plain leather collar would be better? Are Chihuahua's prone to alot of allergies? I read alot of articles that said that they can be, but it depended on the parents, I don't know if her parents had any allergies. Oh and yes she is a Chihuahua and she is 12 weeks old.

Is there any itching or redness on her feet or chin? Does she stop scratching if you remove the collar?

Usually food allergies are manifested as redness and chewing/licking the feet and redness on the chin and chest. I know this all too well with all of Chester's allergies.

I think you should remove the collar for several days and see if she stops. If she does, buy another collar made of leather and see if it starts again. She may simply hate the collar. Chester HATES his collar, and scratches at it constantly.

Personally, I don't care for Eukanuba/Iams, but food is a very personal decision make it. But IMO there are much better foods out there for the same $.

[Jade]

Quote: Originally posted by kittygurl823 Ohh, is that not the right doggie dose? I just copied what my vet had written down for me. hmmmm...

I'm sure it's an accurate dose, it's just often easier to know the exact dose of 1mg per pound, so that you can figure it out based on what kind of benadryl you have handy. Trying to convert a dose for 6lbs based on 1/2 a pill or whatever into a dose for another dog can be painstaking and often inaccurate. So we give a mg/lb dosage just to make sure it's accurate when recommending it to clients over the phone at work. I didn't mean to make it sound like you were wrong, I'm sorry!

[kittygurl823]

Ok whew thanks Jade! lol! I thought I was saying the wrong dosage! I see totally what you mean now Now that I think about it, my vet always said that, too, per pound. I just had the card next to me where she wrote that down for benadryl for Jazzy. Thanks Jade :bfly:

[Candycane]

I'd toss the Eukanuba and opt for something else. For the same price, you can get a good food without by-products or corn...two ingredients that commonly cause allergies. Good luck. If you need any suggestions, I'd be more than happy to help. Your vet will probably suggest Hill's if it is a food intolerance but from experience, I think you would be better off with a high quality dog food.