Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello everyone.

I ran out of the dog shampoo that I got from the vet. It's called "Relief" and is supposed to help itchy dogs. My vet doesn't sell it anymore and I can't find it locally in the stores. I ordered it from Amazon, but was told that it was back ordered and would take a long time to get.

I've found a shampoo on Petedge that is a different brand, but also called relief. Have any of you tried it? Is it good for an itchy shiba? Do you know of a good shampoo or home remedy for an itchy pup?

I've also found other products on Petedge that claim to be treatments for itchy dogs. Some of them sound good. One is called "oxymed." It claims to stop itching, reduce shedding and control flakes. Has anyone tried it?

Nix has some allergies, but he's much better this year. We stopped doing the allergy shots and saw a huge improvement. We give him a little benadryl when he's miserable, but it's only been a couple of times this year. We got a spray for any itchy spots that he starts over licking or biting. That's worked somewhat. He's starting to look a little naked, so I think he's gone past shedding and now I'd say his hair is falling out. He's not bald, just thin in some areas.

He seemed to feel better when I'd give him baths with the relief shampoo and leave in treatment every couple of weeks, so I'd like to find something that works just as well. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Sorry to say I don't have any advice on this. . . I know some folks give oatmeal baths (not sure if there's a particular project with oatmeal in it), but I--thankfully--haven't had to deal with this. Hope you find a good product that gives poor Nix some relief.

You don't say how many times that you give a Nix a bath but it shouldn't really be more than 2 or 3 times a year. Giving to many baths even with medicated shampoo can break down the natural oils in the coat and lead to dry itchy skin. The only exception would be if this was to be done under the advice of your vet.

From the allergy stand point my Toshi has allergies. Her's are mostly seasonal. It's very important to determine what kind of allergies that Nix suffers from. They could be seasonal or food related. This isn't a guessing game and you can drive yourself nuts trying to find the cause or cure and in the meanwhile you have a dog that will still be itching and scratching.

The only true way to find out is with an allergy test... whether it's done by blood sample or skin test it's the only way to tell for sure. The older way is with the skin test or called.. in vivo. This usually involves shaving a small portion of the dogs fur and allergens are injected under the skin to produce a weal. The newer way is by blood test called... in vitro. This is what I did for Toshi. It's more accurate and more allergens can be tested with a single blood sample. I had Toshi tested for 180 different items in the environment here. The results came back with 3 allergens being borderline and 16 being positive. By removing what I could from the environment and changing her food to Wellness Simple Food solutions her allergies are pretty much contained. She has just started itching which coincides with this time of year and it's mostly controlled by an antihistimine. Only twice in the 7 years I have had her did I have to supplement the antihistimine with a low of prednisone.

As for the products that you mentioned I haven't used any so I can't verify if they do work or not. I give baths twice a year and use Bio-Groom with lanolin. I also try to brush and comb the dogs at least once a week both during and after the shedding.

Hopefully the Relief shampoo you have been using will come in soon. Good luck to you and Nix.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Have you used just a basic oatmeal shampoo before? Also, human "baby shampoo" I have found to be good for Kita. It's mild, gets the stuff off her coat and doesn't dry her coat out. Many times with allergies just the act of getting the allergens off the coat with a mild soap is all they really need.
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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 www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas

Thanks. The baby shampoo bath did the trick. Nix hasn't scratched in three days.