itchy skin

[odies_mama]

do yorkies have generally itchy skin? because odie sure does scratch alot and i know he doesnt have fleas..so i was wondering if maybe his skin is just dry?!

what about your babies?

and if he does have just normal dry itchy skin, is there a certain type of moisturizing shampoo or even a skin lotion i could use on him?

[4doggiemama]

I have never used it but oatmeal shampoos are mentioned for itching. It may be the food your furbaby is on. My Pommie, Snowboy, is allergic to corn, wheat, and eggs. The Canidae food that I am using doesn't have these products. He still bites around on his legs but not near as bad. The next thing I will eliminate from his diet if his itching gets worse is chicken. But I'm waiting to see. My other Pommie, Cassie, may she R.I.P., was allergic to grass. Her feet would get so sore. Tried to keep her off the grass especially in the spring and summer. Bathing too often causes dry skin. Just some ideas. There's also allergy testing.

[Ellie May]

What are you feeding?

[ldenise]

check the ingredients in your dog food.... I have one that has an alergy to anything that has corn in it. she also has an alergy to misquito bites.
if you dont' get the shampoo rinsed really well or the kind of shampoo you use ... that could cause itchy skin. there are a number of reasons for itchy skin.
I even have one that will itch and lose hair around his eyes if he has peanut butter.

[romeos mommy]

my york gets dry skin. i give him medicated baths 1x @ month and skin supplements. also..check his food for corn..it's known to make them itchy. (royal canin)

[mapetty]

Summerlin wouldn't stop itching, so the vet prescribed her temaril twice a day for five days, and then once a day for five days followed by 5mg of zyrtec once daily. After a couple of weeks, she is almost scratch free The vet believes she may be allergic to the flea saliva, so she takes comfortis monthly and advantage every three weeks, to keep those bad boys away!

[odies_mama]

for those that asked, i feed him lamb meal and rice formula...and the only thing i could find on the bag as far as what all the ingredients are, is lamb and rice. i use the Nutro Natural Choice Lamb Meal and Rice Formula Small Bites

so i dont think there is anything in it that he could be allergic to.

[SgtPeppersMommy]

Are you bathing him too frequently? I know if you don't give the skin time between baths to build up the oil again it will dry them out pretty quickly.

[shelbys_mom]

There is also a possible grain allergy (to the lamb and rice). Just a thought, has your pup always been itchy? Is that the only food you feed?

[shelbys_mom]

Dick van pattens potato and duck formula is grain free as well. It is an allergy formula.

[Ellie May]

If the allergy just started, it could be environmental. I'd change foods anyway though (and wait at least 60 days to decide if their is a change in itching after changing). Here are the ingredients to Lamb and Rice Puppy:

Ingredients
Lamb Meal, Rice Flour, Rice Bran, Ground Rice, Rice Gluten, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Soybean Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Natural Flavors, Menhaden Fish Oil (source of DHA), Sunflower Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Potassium Chloride, Dried Kelp, Dried Egg Product, Taurine, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Choline Chloride, Biotin, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Manganous Oxide, Garlic Flavor, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Glucosamine Hydrochloride, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Chondroitin Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid.
Nutro supports the safe, ethical and humane treatment of all animals.


dogs can be allergic to lamb and rice and poultry (and why don't they name the animal that they get the fat from?) and egg and soy. These are all POSSIBLE allergens but some dogs do well on these foods. I'd go to a Natural Balance allergy formula or Wellness if you want to stick with kibble and see how that works. Nutro has also been making some animals very sick.

[odies_mama]

hes always been this itchy since the day i got him. and i assumed it was fleas but i know it aint because i can see his skin lol

then my next thought was , its just the Florida weather. because one days its hot as hades and then the next day its freezing..and the average humidity is like 80%..so i was thinking the weather could be messing around with his skin.

and sometimes he'll scratch himself to death and he'll end up cutting his skin and it will scab over but the cycle just keeps going because he just keeps scratching at it

so im at a loss.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by odies_mama

hes always been this itchy since the day i got him. and i assumed it was fleas but i know it aint because i can see his skin lol

then my next thought was , its just the Florida weather. because one days its hot as hades and then the next day its freezing..and the average humidity is like 80%..so i was thinking the weather could be messing around with his skin.

and sometimes he'll scratch himself to death and he'll end up cutting his skin and it will scab over but the cycle just keeps going because he just keeps scratching at it

so im at a loss.

Hmm, I'd still switch foods but if he is making himself bleed, I htink he needs to see a vet. I don't like steroids but if natural remedies won't work, you might have to go that way. Scratching the skin open like that can cause very serious infections. Ellie does that too her ears and I use Panalog on the scabbed areas.

[lorna pickett]

buttons is still scratching and ive tried everything, now shes back on steroids, dont want to give her them, but thats the only comfort she seems to get

[Stella's mom]

Originally Posted by odies_mama

hes always been this itchy since the day i got him. and i assumed it was fleas but i know it aint because i can see his skin lol

then my next thought was , its just the Florida weather. because one days its hot as hades and then the next day its freezing..and the average humidity is like 80%..so i was thinking the weather could be messing around with his skin.

and sometimes he'll scratch himself to death and he'll end up cutting his skin and it will scab over but the cycle just keeps going because he just keeps scratching at it

so im at a loss.

We've been dealing with itching for the last 3 months, latest trip was yesterday and we are now on the steriod spray and a immunosuppresant.
She has been on anti-biotics for 2 weeks and was prescribed another bottle yesterday with a higher dosage. They can get infections from the broken skin. I would suggest going to the vet, all allergies are not food related and your furbutt has to be miserable.