Why is my Yorkie scratching all the time
 

Hi everyone! I'm a new Yorkie owner! His name is London and he is almost 7 months! I just got him last week! I was giving him his food from the breeder: Fromm but he was not eating it, a friend of mine recommended me Royal Canin and he eats a little bit but I'm not sure he likes it that much.... Also, he is scratching a lot and I'm not sure if it's because of the food? I don't know what to give him so that he eats his food and stops scratching. Help?? Also, he tends to shake a lot, is it normal? We dont have children or other dogs, our place is very quiet, he used to live with 8 other dogs...maybe he just needs more time to adjust? We took him to the vet and told him about him scratching and he said "oh maybe just allergies" but did not say anything else he did not seem to care....

This may not be the problem but I have recently discovered a few of our Yorkies are allergic to potatoes including sweet potatoes. When we eliminated them from their diet the scratching & toe licking stopped. I would never have guessed that was the case except that in talking to a person who worked in a pet food store and he mentioned that among other things his dog was allergic to potatoes.:eek:

I've heard good things about Fromm, so I don't see a reason to switch his food just yet. Do you have any Nutrical available to keep his blood sugar up? I think the stress of moving could be bugging him.

Definitely get his itching checked out by another vet. If your vet won't take the time to go over causes/explainations, then IMO, that's cause to find a new one. Not sure where you got your lil guy from, but it could be anything from mites, skin allergies, stress, diet... Hard to tell unless your vet checks him out.

Good luck and welcome to TY! :)

I really think that sense your vet showed no care I would switch vets. I am sure that the change is really hard on him. Have you tried soaking the fromm in hot water letting it sit for a few minutes then draining it and giving it to him? Could he have fleas? Food allergies are much rarer then environmental allergies so it could be that. Maybe until you can figure out whats wrong wipe his paws every time he comes in from outside.

Is London shaking randomly or at certain times? How long does it last? Also, have you check the posts on food? If not, I'd strongly recommend you do. I don't think RC has the best rating...

If it is allergies, maybe you could ask your vet for some benadryl? It could be a seasonal thing... I agree with Faboosh. Find a new vet to get him checked out and ask all questions you can think of.

Generally, dogs don't develop food allergies before the age of one year. I would look at other things first, but was he also itching on Fromm? What type of shampoo do you use? Joey's breeder said that the mistake most owners make is not rinsing enough, and she said that you should always use a conditioner, because it conditions the skin as well as the hair. Sometimes they shake because they are nervous, and sometimes it's because they are cold, but it could also be a sign of something more serious. Where is he scratching, all over or mainly his feet? Is he scratching his ears? I personally like to find a vet who will take the time and explain all my concerns to me. Itching one or twice a day for a moment, is normal, but if he's itching more than that you need to find a vet that will give you some answers. Is it possible he has fleas? Here are some things that can cause itching. http://www.cesarsway.com/skincareawa...rgic-Reactions

BlueBelle, what kind of food do you feed your Yorkies?

Thank you Faboosh! :) I bought the Nutri Cal but he doesn't really like it! I will definitely take him to another vet and hopefully this one is better... I got him from a breeder, he is healthy and got all his vaccines.. I'm starting to think it's because we switched his food... he was not scratching before we switched it, I'm going to get him back to Fromm and see how it goes. I have never had any pets before, he is my first one so I'm new to all this! I just want to take really good care of him. Thanks again for your help!:)

Thank you Lovetodream88!!!!!! You just made my day! I actually did what you just said and he ate the whole thing! I'm so happy! I had to drag him to his bowl at first but he seemed to like it! Hopefully is not a just one time thing... I will do it again tomorrow morning and see if it works again!
I also took him to the groomer and he is fleas free! yayyy! I also wipe his feet every time I take him out, I try to keep him clean all the time! Thank you so much for such a great tip about the food!

Magnus, he shakes randomly!....Sometimes he is just sitting doing nothing and then all of a sudden starts to shake, and there is no reason for him to be scared, no noises no nothing,,, I don't know why he does it... I will take him to a different vet...

Nancy1999...I don't think he was itching when he was on Fromm... I am going to switch him back to Fromm again. I have not bathe him yet I have to buy a shampoo, I took him to the groomer and they bathe him in there... which one do you recommend? He is scratching by his neck and sometimes his face and I have checked for everything but he doesn't have any fleas, the vet and groomer checked him as well and he has nothing.. Thank you for your post and link!

My Tibbe didn't like Royal Canin GI much and had to be encouraged to eat it, and within less than 15 minutes, he was scratching like crazy. For hours - couldn't stop. I've tried him on it two different times months apart with the exact same results each time. I know that it is apparently a really good dog food company and product lines but my dog is just apparently allergic to the GI formula. As soon as I switch back to his normal food, he eats readily with no scratching. Sigh. Stuck with a big bag of it and just had to give it away to a friend whose GSD eats anything without any allergies. Many on YT really love RC but like probably any food, some dogs can be allergic to the kind of RC you are feeding them. Tibbe might be able to eat a different type of RC but as I know the Hill's I/D GI and I/D Hepatic do work and he doesn't itch on them, I'm keeping him on that for a while yet.

She has not said any signs of him showing hypoglycemia. Nutrical is pure sugar and shouldn't be given for every little reason. Out of all my fosters I have rarely ever had to give it.

But I do agree, sounds like time for a new vet! Is your puppy breaking skin? Breaking off hair? Did you check carefully for fleas? My Uni gets a bad reaction to fleas. Even if she has one bite, she will scratch so bad her she will break skin and bleed. So I have to make sure she gets her flea meds on time every month.

Has he been checked for earmites?

nanahas3, no I did not ask to check for earmites.. I will ask the vet the next visit.

Now I'm scared for what you said about RC, I'm switching him back to Fromm and see how he reacts... I will also take him to the new vet next week and check that everything is ok with him. Thank you!

I would have the vet check him out

Tibbe was on the RC Gastrointestinal formula and likely something in that was what he was allergic to. But his scratching was so bad that once he was diagnosed as a probably MVD-sufferer and put on a hepatic diet, I was scared to use the RC brand just in case there was some ingredient in all of the food formulae. I just couldn't take the chance as his scratching was really bad.

A vet does need to see your dog, told of his food, treat ingredients and a video of his scratching sessions to help figure out what is causing the itching and to give him something to help relieve the severe itching. When Tibbe was ill and having his itching, we were at the vet repeatedly and he was checked out thoroughly each time but thankfully his problem was solved simply by just changing his food back to his old brand and staying with Hill's when we needed to add the hepatic formula. I hope your dog's problem is solved as simply as Tibbe's was.

It's more of a just-in-case suggestion- not a substitution at all, since she said he's not eating. If he's not eating, his sugar is susceptible to dropping, in which case nutrical would be a good thing to have on hand. I'm glad she has something available in case that should happen :)

Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good input and things to look for--finding a new vet being on the top of the list. I would recommend finding one that is well versed in dealing with little dogs.

We got Hot Rod at 15/16 weeks and he was so itchy. The skin on his ears would literally flake off. It was terrible. He was on RC. Long story short, the first vet wanted to treat for ringworm, well after seeing my 2nd vet, she had us try a medicated shampoo and conditioner. That helped quite a bit. We then worked on switching foods.

In the long run we finally figured out he is allergic to chicken, which most puppy foods have. It's a challenge trying to find treats as most foods and treats have some sort of chicken ingredient. Could be chicken or chicken broth. Fortunately I found some salmon and cod treats at Petsmart that both of mine are just crazy about. They are also low in calories, win-win. As for nutrical, the few times that I've had to give it, I had to smear some on their mouths. They usually take it after they've tasted it. Learned that from having to give cats hairball stuff.

Good luck with your little guy. Hope you can figure out what's going on with him.

Yes, since the itching it around his neck and face this is a good suggestion. Ear mites can cause intense itching and head shaking. Dog Ear Mites ? Dog Otodectic Mange Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatments