Biting his hair off - Scratching all the time
 

I'm reaching out here because I don't know what else to do, or where else to go.

My little guy has been scratching himself constantly and biting his hair off. I've taken him to the vet twice now, the first time they put him on prescription dog food(i/d dry food), and just last month they gave him a anti-biotic and vitamins, still no luck.

I am sorry, but I cannot keep brining him back to the vet at $500 a pop when it's apparent they know no more than I do, and it's quite frustrating!

I hate seeing him scratch, you can see how exhausting it is, and it's got to be painful pulling his hair out.

He usually pulls the hair out on his back legs and his back.

I do not use any new detergents, soaps, or household items.

I shampoo him with hypoallergenic oatmeal shampoo, doesn't look like it helps!


Any advice would be appreciated.


Losing sleep over this(both of us).

Jim & Duke

Why is he on i/d...for the itching? Dogs that have skin allergies usually do well on a grain free diet. I/D definitely is not grain free.

Did your vet suggest allergen testing? If the scratching is severe, they can also give the dog steroids.

My vet told me that the majority of small dogs are extremely allergic to fleas. The fleas may not even live on your dog; they may simply have gotten in a bite or two at some point when your dog was outside. Once bitten, the dog may scratch for weeks.

Dogs also scratch more when they are bored.

I'm sure other members will have other suggestions, but this what my (limited) experience has taught me.

Have you had him tested for mites? You can't see mites...your vet has to test for them.

Have you inspected him closely, and I mean closely, for fleas? We have never had fleas but we do this year after I brought in a little stray that was infested. I was shocked to see how many my girls had...even the vet missed them on 2 visits because my girls have very thick hair and we never saw any on their belly's. I thought Moo had allergies because she was scratching and licking so much but now I think it was just fleas because we've treated them and the scratching and licking has stopped.

Also, you might try a different shampoo...I've heard the oatmeal shampoos can actually dry the skin and hair. If it's just dry skin you can use Dermcaps on his food once a day (you can find them at Petco)...it will ad extra oil to his system and help with dry skin.

Yes, some dogs are actually allergic to oatmeal, so it's not necessarily the greatest ingredient for a dog shampoo.

I agree with the above posters, I would suspect a flea type allergy from discussions my vet and I have had about this very subject. I've got one dog here that even one flea bite will send her into scratching, chewing fits, and it's mostly her back, near her rear and her back legs.

Sounds like your little guys has ALLERGIES. I have been dealing with severe environmental allergies in a little guy I adopted a couple of months ago, so here's what I know.

Skin allergies are very common in Yorkies. The first thing you must do is eliminate the possibility that the allergies are food related, and this means a food-elimination diet. You should also find a reputable canine allergist who can conduct skin testing. The great thing about skin testing is that it is definitive - once they do the testing, they know what environmental allergens are triggering your dogs allergies. From there, you can do allergy shots. Allergy shots are not an immediate cure - they take about 6-12 months to work and have about an 85% rate of success.

In the interim, you have to address the itching. The constant scratching and itching will lead to skin infections (bacterial and yeast), which only make things worse. Here are some things I have been doing with my little guy, Alex, in the interim (Alex has SEVERE skin allergies due to grass, mold, pollen, and trees. He did undergo skin testing and is in his second month of allergy shots. All the things I'm doing now are basically an effort to keep him comfortable while we wait for the allergy shots to work):

- Skin maintenance, which includes washing him down with cool water when we come back inside from a walk (I do this because grass is one of his allergens)

- Diet, diet, diet. Alex gets a pure raw diet with a variety of raw meat, bone, pumpkin, egg, salmon oil, and plain yogurt. The goal is to keep him away from any grain (which can irritate allergies) and ensure that his diet is balanced and natural.

- Oatmeal baths (using pure collodial oatmeal) are done as needed. Sometimes I do these daily, and sometimes every few days. They can provide some temporary relief from the itching.

- Zyrtec: he gets one full Zyrtec every night, right before bed. If you want to sleep through the night, give this as soon as you climb into bed. The Zyrtec makes Alex drowsy and I try to maximize the effect by giving it immediately before we go to bed (because I like to sleep through the night too!)

- Onsies. Yes, I'm talking about the baby onsies you can get in the baby department. Alex wears a 6-month old size. Get lots of them because it is important these stay clean and dry. Alex wears one all day while in the house to prevent him from doing major damage to his skin when he's having an itchy day. Make sure to change it frequently (twice a day) or immediately if it gets wet.

- Prednisone. I do not like giving Alex steroids, but once he was so bad that I did not know what else to do. My canine allergist told me that it is fine to do periodic treatment with 5mg of prednisone per day for three days and then stopping (without tapering). I've only had to do this once, but it was a HUGE help. It is something I will do sparingly because of the negative side effects prednisone has. But nice to have it in my arsenal.

You may find that, for your dog, any one of these things will help, but I would still really recommend getting your dog to a canine allergist. The skin testing is not cheap (about $800-$1,000 at my allergist's office), but it's a one-time expense and will definitively tell you what your dog is allergic to. The allergy shots are surprisingly cheap if you do them at home (which we do). I get a 6-month supply of serum for $130.

Let me know if you have any questions. I definitely know what you're doing through, as I've had many sleepless nights with Alex. But he is so improved compared to when we first adopted him, and it has been nice watching him get better with each passing week. He still has "bad days" but the good days are becoming more and more frequent.

One more thing - make sure they test his skin for yeast overgrowth. That too can make dogs itch. Getting rid of yeast on the skin can be tricky, and it mostly done through treatment with anti-fungals and a completely grain-free diet.

Wow!
 

WOW! Lot's of replys within an hour or two, thank you all very much! And not a single one of you said "take him back to the vet, it is your responsibilty as a pet owner, if you cannot afford it, you cannot afford a dog"! THANK YOU!


I am going to look into the food, it was prescriped to him because he was throwing up, but it has been my belief from day one that he throws up because he keeps swallowing his hair. . . . i've cleaned it up! If this works or helps, I am finding a new vet! :-)

I always check him for fleas, and occassionaly find one that he picks up on our walks, I will be more diligent about watching for them and making sure I am regular on flea treatment!

Hopefully I find a "cure" before having to go to a dermatologist, but will keep this in mind!

Thank you all

In addition to changing his diet (slowly) to grain free, might I add that you try frontline plus. Its safer than K9 Advantix; I use it regularly without any problems.

How regularly do you find fleas on him? I see you live in San Diego, do you walk him on the beach? I ask because one flea bite will literally make Thor itch for three weeks. And while I am not completely sure, I think fleas can still bite your dog even if he is on a flea treatment - they just can't live on him. So if you are finding a flea every two to three weeks, he won't get any relief. If it's frequent, I would suggest finding another area to walk him.

My understanding is that the first step to identifying an allergy is an elimination diet, and then if that doesn't help, testing for other allergens.

I'd also recommend keeping a log. It will help you a lot in identifying the root cause; otherwise, it's probably all going to start blending together in your head. Good luck!

I've also heard that fleas don't like the smell of lavender, so maybe look into putting lavender oil on him. That's one of those folk remedies, I don't have personal experience with it.

I would highly suggest changing the food.

Many dogs (including my Duke) are allergic to corn and the i/d contains corn. If he happens to get a hold of something that contains corn (normally human food) he will go after his paws and legs.

Do you have a pet supply store or dog boutique in your area that sells dog food? If so, I would go there and ask to talk to someone that is knowledgeable about dog food allergies.

I was going to ask the same thing. Holly bit most of the hair off her back too, and the vet and I assumed it was allergies. Now months later we found out it was mites after trying different foods and creams/lotions, because we finally took her to a derm. It might be expensive, but maybe you'll finally find a solution.

Grain free food is a good idea. Petcurean's Now! for small breeds is great for allergies. Believe it or not, I guess chicken is suppose to be one of the #one causes of allergies in dogs. that surprised me when I heard it.
Also, John Paul Pet tea tree shampoo is suppose to be very helpful for "itchy dog syndrome". Hope it all gets better soon. Poor little guy. Has there been any significant changes in the household lately? Vet told me he's seen 'stress' do such things...stress to a dog can be a change of some sort, something we might not even think of as a big deal. Something to consider before a bunch of expensive testing.
Kendra

My Paris' skin and itching cleared up when I switched to Blue Buffalo, not too expensive. No CORN. Check the ingredients. I'd start with diet and fleas. Peppermit oil mixed with water sprayed on helps repel the fleas if you don't want to use the poisons on your puppy.