Saturday, February 6, 2016

Itchy, itchy

Charlie-dog is super itchy. Like, ridiculously itchy. Like, rip the hair out of his butt itchy. Like, gnaw on his tail until it bleeds itchy. Like, lay on the floor and wiggle itchy. It's obnoxious and annoying, but I also worry about the poor little bugger. He groans. He wriggles. He scratches. He bites. He licks. Repeat. Over and over and over and...


He doesn't have an infection. He doesn't have ear mites. He doesn't have fleas. I haven't changed his food. I haven't added any new food or treats. I haven't changed detergent.

I have tried the white powder from the vet for hotspots; it only works occasionally. I've had him groomed; usually that improves the situation, but this time it made it worse. I've stopped giving him treats with red dye in them because I read that can exacerbate itching. I've given him an anti-inflammatory and a pain pill to try to control it, but neither really helped. I've made him wear a sweater at times to protect the red, bald patches that he's created. I've scratched him myself to try to help. I've spanked him for the constant licking and gnawing. I've even had him go out in the snow for a little while to drag his tail around and try to get some relief from the cold.

The last time we went to the vet and I mentioned itching as an issue, the vet didn't really have any solutions for me beyond all the things I've already tried. I've been reluctant to go back to the vet for that reason. Some days, Charlie is just fine. Other days, I'm ready to either kill him or rip the rest of his hair out for him. The next step may be buying a cone so he CAN'T get to those spots. Aacckk! I hate to see him miserable, but I also hate the constant itching and licking.

What do I do next? I've thought about children's liquid benadryl for the itching. I've thought about a cortisone shot. I've thought about buying a cone. I've thought about oatmeal baths. I've thought about adding coconut oil to his food. Do you  have any suggestions if you've dealt with a similar problem? I'd love to hear them. I'm beginning to feel a little desperate here...

14 comments:

  1. I don't really have any suggestions but I wanted to comment and tell you I'm sending prayers your way. It is so hard to watch your fur baby suffer. The one thing you might ask the vet about is some anxiety meds. Maybe he is not really itchy as much as he is nervous/anxious- I know you have said nothing has changed but you know animals have their ways. Hang in there and keep trying. Hugs, KK

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  2. I'm sure you've tried all this but thought I'd throw it out there.... Omega 3/fish oil added to food. I was recommended this brand for my Brittany when he went thru elbow surgery & have been using it since... He's now 14 & going strong. I also use really 'clean' food - Orijen.
    https://www.ascentahealth.com/product-info/pets/canine-omega3/
    Ps... I have no affiliation to any products ... Good luck ... It's sad to see them suffer :(

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  3. Our dog is the same way. We give him Temaril P, it's a low dose prednisone and antihistamine, and we get it from the vet. It really does help. Good luck!

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  4. Our cat is allergic to grains so we had to switch to a grain-free diet. She also does better on canned food vs. dry. Between the grain allergy & dry food, she had dry, itchy skin with a lot of dander. She was also constipated often. This switch has helped her tremendously. I don't know if this would help your dog at all but thought I'd throw it out there! :)

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  5. You may not have changed anything but he may have developed an I tolerance to something in his food. As she got older our dog became super stinky and it depends ends what food she is on. Only grain free expensive food for her. Try switching foods. Also maybe he's missing a nutrient of some sort. Dinovite? And can you try hydrocortisone cream on dogs? I would!

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  6. I have a cat that is allergic to flea bites. We did a course of cortisone shots that cleared up the itching and scratching. He is been fine ever since, although he does have to stay in the house now.

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  7. I've given my 9 lb Maltese mix children's benadryl on several occasions for itchiness and reactions to shots.

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  8. For our itchy Pomeranian the only thing that helped was Chlorhexidine. It is a liquid antiseptic skin cleanser. We got some from our vet initially but have bought more from Walgreens. It is the Chlorhexidine Gluconate 4% solution in the first aid area. We applied it a couple of times a day by dabbing it on the affected areas with a cotton ball. We also used a Chlorhexidine shampoo from our vet called Douxo by Sogeval Laboratories. Hope you both get some relief!

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  9. It sounds like you are talking about my dog, Buster. He has been biting his feet so much that he has to wear a cone at all times. The vet says it is dermatitis. We have tried everything and still haven't found a cure. He does seem better than he use to be once we got him off of chicken. He is now eating can grain-free dog food.

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  10. We had to switch our dog to a salmon based food and he stopped itchy almost immediately. If he got treats or food other things to eat it would flare up again. Good luck.

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  11. Bless his heart, he must be miserable. The suggestions above sound worth a try. Not sure how old he is, but it could be from old age. Animals can get Alzheimer's also I've been told or dementia is probably a better term. Coconut oil sounds like a good plan or try olive oil.

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  12. I would try the fish oil and maybe a bath in Epsom salts or oatmeal? Has it only been happening since the cold weather came?

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  13. Thanks everyone for all of your suggestions! I'm already working on the food angle and will pursue your other ideas as needed. I knew asking for help here was the way to go!

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  14. My dog had a dog version of celiac. She was allergic to cornmeal and whatnot in her food. We switched her to prescription food and put her on prednisone and benadryl. Hope you figure it out soon!

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