TxVicki hes not taking anything. The drs never suggested any meds. I have just changed his food numerous times and hes only used creams for his rashes where he scratched.

I would certainly ask your Vet about the Apoquel, it works wonders for the itching. I can't believe that a med has never been suggested.

Have you had a skin scrapping done? TempP is great stuff and will help with allergies because it is an antihistamine with a very low dose Prednisone. The vet suggested that I also use Malaseb Shampoo

Bathed every 3 days. You lather up and then let it sit on the skin for 5 minutes. I like to wrap her in a warm towel because they get cold from being wet and standing in the sink. We also use Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein food . None of the pet store brands worked for her.

Since that food has limited ingredients and an uncommon source of protein, probably not a food allergy. Also, you didn't mention ear infections or constant paw licking which seem to go hand and hand with food allergies. The food you are feeding is salmon based which is an excellent source of omega fatty acids. I have heard that coconut oil can help with various skin problems and even flea allergies. This article states 1/4 tsp. per 10 pounds of body weight twice daily. I think I would try the other posters recommendation of coconut oil since he is already on a fish based diet. Hopefully, the coconut oil will work long term and you can just try the Benadryl for a short time until the benefits of the coconut oil kick in.

The Health Benefits Of Coconut Oil For Dogs

We tried every store food on the market with LI and none worked for Pebbles. The hydrolyzed protein breaks down the food in such a way that the allergens are not recognized. I need to disagree that Coconut oil is doing to do anything more than possibly offer a more shiny coat. Holistic medicine is not based on science and articles like the one you linked from Dog Naturally need to be read with that in mind.

As I said previously, if the itching has continued to increase a skin scrapping needs to be done to see if the source of the scratching might be from either bacterial or fungal infection. :)

I am definetely going to ask about the Apoquel. He hasnt had any paw licking but he most scratches his behind. Thats where he always attacks. What is a skin scrapping by the way?

The vet scraps the skin with a microscope slide and/or 10 blade to look at under the microscope to see if there are mites, fungus or bacteria. That's how they decide how to treat the skin. Pebbles recently had this done because she began to scratch more and more over time. I thought it might be her food was no longer working on her allergies so I talked to my vet who wanted to see her. After looking at the slide she said that there was a very small amount of fungal infection. Since it wasn't bad she RXed Temaril-P and bathes. She is much better and is not scratching at all any longer. Some people have an aversion to steroids but they are very helpful for immediate relief. I would think that any good vet would do a scrapping first before jumping to Apoquel or other drugs to figure out the root of the issue. :)

Hmmm i have never heard that. No dr has told me about that. That seems like a great idea. About how much is that to get done?

You need to figure out if this is allergies, which can be year round. Read more about allergies here, http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/die...tart-here.html.

Also, the vet needs to do a simple skin scraping of the area where he is breaking skin via itching...it's quick and cheap and will show any bacteria or fungus present.

It's maybe $50 if that? When I took Pebbles my total bill for the visit, scrapping, TemP, 3 month HW and a large RX bag of food was just over $200. She had a full body inspection looking at her skin everywhere.

Ok thats not bad. Does anybody have a coconut oil product to recommend? I would like to get it ASAP.

You can also use the coconut oil topically on the raw parts or his hotspots. Just look for any organic virgin oil. Most major supermarkets carry them now. Even Tj maxx and Homegoods.

Sorry to hear about your itchy sweetie:(
My Bailey went through an itchy period and it was not fun... for him or for us seeing him scratch and bite so much. He bit most of the furr in his hind area. He looked like he was wearing mukluk boots. Funny aside, when I did take him to the vet, they gave him an anti-histamine shot and meds. to take home. In a short while he was not itching and, to date, it has not returned. It has been over a year! Fingers crossed that you find a cure for yours.

Pretty much any basic grocery store now carries a few diff options of coconut oil, so I'd either just try one of those and/or go to Whole Foods or Traders or something. Many people prefer virgin organic cold-pressed etc...

I get organic Coconut Oil, is pretty easy to find now, and organic yogurt. My pets have dry food out all day, in the morning I mix about 1/2 tsp with the yogurt…its clumpy..and put it on the dry food. Both of my dogs gobble it up with no bad side effects. Usually around 3 - 4 I give Sunni 3/4 of a small can of Royal Canin and add in another 1/2 tsp of coconut oil. I take it myself and it is palatable:) its just greasy if its not mixed with something else. Some people are adding coconut oil to their coffee now a days, lol. Truthfully, I had many more problems with Sunni's digestive system until I started regularly adding yogurt. Its not a lot by any means and it does get her to eat first thing in the morning. It works for us, I give the same to my human son, lol. Its great for skin, hair and nails. You can do the same externally, but I think it would be very hard to rinse out the coconut oil..but if you didn't mind a greasy dog, maybe try rubbing a little into her skin on her butt or a place thats not so aggravated..wait a day or so, and if it seems to help, maybe try that.
You would know if you have a water softener because you have to add salt on a regular basis. I know when mines running low, because my own skin starts to get dry.