Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi folks,

I come to you in desperation, i have a two year old bichon poodle who is the light of my life. Up until the last little while i have never had a concern with her!

However she has recently started scratching herself vegorously and constantly. I have rule out, fleas, mange, lice...etc. She has no marks on her body, no scabs, no hairloss nothing! However the scratching continues....we have given her a deep moisturizing bath...a medicated bath....

if anyone out there has any tips PLEASE email me at mousehouse5@hotmail.com

thank you!
lori

It is most likely allergies causing the itching and scratching. It could be a food allergy or an airborn allergen.
It helps to understand a little about allergies and the environment. The allergens were probably there in the environment but it takes the second time around to be exposed for the dogs to desensitize to them. With your dog being 2 it makes the timing right. While a dog's skin is incredibly durable it is also subject to a variety of disorders... most of which are treatable like allergies. Allergies can come from the environment called airborne pollen or food oriented from a particular ingredient. The allergens cause the mast cells in the skin to irritate which brings on the itching and then the scratch. In the extreme the dogs immune system reacts and produces histimine which causes the dog to scratch more and then hot spots and such arrise. This is why an antihistimine like hydroxyzine is usually prescribed. A trip to your vet to get the antihistimine will be in order. You might try some plain Benadryl but your dog really needs some relief from that itching.
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Bob

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

It's an incredibly tough allergy season right now in my area. Also, food allergies cause the itching and scratching you are describing. Get your poor pup to a vet and have get you the correct perscription for some allergy meds. Also, check your food and make sure the company hasn't made any changes to their formulation- the label doesn't coorelate to exactly what's inside, you must call them.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles