Weird persistent scratching - YorkieTalk.com Forums

TakeAChance · 06-19-2011, 02:52 AM

My wife and I don't know whats going on. Jade is now a year old and this has been going on for six months. It started for the first time when she got back from the vet when she got fixed. She started scratching her chin and muzzpe quite frequently, however mostly at night. We kinda just thought it was a normal dog otch and that the problem would alleviate itself but it hasn't. Sporadically throughout the day and frequently in the early
morning Jade scratches her chin and muzzle. This is not light scratching. She sleeps in bed with us and it wakes us up every time. She is on monthly worm medication and the scratching seems to localized to be flees as it is found mainly around her face area. We considered dry skin but wouldn't that be all over her skin? I have examined the spots she always scratches and I believe I found a scab or two, but I am unsure if these are hot spots or just a result Of her scratching. She has no noticeable hair loss either. Otherwise she is a perfectly happy dog. We are thinking of giving her some fish oil on her food as well as picking up some flea medication on monday as a just in case measure. Have any of you had any issues like this? What purplexes me is how localized the scratching is.

Wylie's Mom · 06-19-2011, 06:03 AM

I would ask your vet to do a skin scraping of that specific area. She could have a staph intermedius (pyoderma) that's coming forth, but it likely would have spread by now. Did her itching increase when the pollens shot up w/ spring?

If your vet is not the best w/ skin issues, I'd def recommend seeing a Vet Derm - they're more $, but extremely effective in the long run.

This link on approaching allergies may help too: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/die...tart-here.html

kjc · 06-19-2011, 06:27 AM

What type of bowl are you feeding her out of?

Plastics can cause a contact dematitis with symptoms like you describe. Switch the food and water bowls to a high quality stainless steel (made in the USA) or food safe ceramic.

TakeAChance · 06-19-2011, 06:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjc

What type of bowl are you feeding her out of?

Plastics can cause a contact dematitis with symptoms like you describe. Switch the food and water bowls to a high quality stainless steel (made in the USA) or food safe ceramic.

We actually are feeding her out of a plastic dish for her food, and a stainless steel one for her water. On Monday I will pick her up a new dog dish.

I put fish oil on her dry food today as well, so hopefully that will help alleviate her symptoms. I also contacted a friend of mine who is a groomer at the vet here and she recommended an oatmeal dog shampoo and a conditioner with aloe vera in it. I will also look for that Monday. I did however very thoroughly clean her plastic dish yesterday as I read about the dermatitis risk with them. I am going to try to eliminate this as quickly as possible for all of our sakes.

kjc · 06-19-2011, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TakeAChance

We actually are feeding her out of a plastic dish for her food, and a stainless steel one for her water. On Monday I will pick her up a new dog dish.

I put fish oil on her dry food today as well, so hopefully that will help alleviate her symptoms. I also contacted a friend of mine who is a groomer at the vet here and she recommended an oatmeal dog shampoo and a conditioner with aloe vera in it. I will also look for that Monday. I did however very thoroughly clean her plastic dish yesterday as I read about the dermatitis risk with them. I am going to try to eliminate this as quickly as possible for all of our sakes.

The problem with plastics is as they break-down, they release chemicals (normal aging process with them). Some dogs are more sensitive to plastics than others. I'd feed her off a paper plate or a cereal bowl till you can get her a new bowl. I don't believe any treatment is necessary, bc as soon as the plastic is gone, she will begin to heal. Wouldn't hurt to check with the vet though... they may have something to speed the healing along.

I would not make too many changes at one time. Remove the plastics, wait for the problem to resolve. Making too many changes at once may confuse the issue, and it will be difficult to know what is working, or if something else newly added, is causing the problem to continue or get worse.

I've heard of some pups being allergic to the oatmeal shampoos, so this may not help the problem, especially as she may be allergic to the plastic. I would just use anything you have on hand that you know she's been okay with...

TakeAChance · 06-19-2011, 05:51 PM

We couldn't wait until Monday. We felt so bad. We went to our local pet food store (45 minutes away) and bought Jade a new stainless steel bowl, and Natures Variety Instinct Lamb food. I figure this would be an excellent place to start. Change up the crappy grocery store food (I was shocked when I looked into this) and got a premium quality food. This one has minimal ingredients and Jade has had no exposure to lamb to my knowledge. Here is hoping it is a simple fix

. Thanks for all of your support and please keep thinking of Jade!

kjc · 06-19-2011, 06:48 PM

Glad to hear that you were able to get a new bowl... Keep updating and I'll keep Jade in my thoughts and prayers....

Patti · 06-19-2011, 06:54 PM

Glad you switched her bowl and food. If that doesn't stop the scratching I would have the vet check her out. My Cali had the same type of scratching you describe. I did the food elimination diet and allergy testing and nothing could be found that was causing the scratching. After trying various medicines they put her on Atopica and it made a major difference. Hopefully, Jade will be fine after the food and bowl switch.

TakeAChance · 06-20-2011, 03:32 AM

Last night she was up again at about 4 am scratching for about an hour and a half. Poor thing. Woke up this morning and she was licking her paws. She has not yet had her new food or bowl (I threw out the old one last night but she had already had her meal) so she is starting on her new stuff today.

Charlies Mamma · 06-20-2011, 09:51 AM

My Charlie has scratching issues but it is due to air borne allergies I had the vet check him cause I was afraid it was fleas, When we notice him having issues we use 1/2 of a CHILDRENS allergy medication. (its like a generic bendryl) it works wonders, and he doesnt have to take it all the time only when the scratching starts up. we use the fish oil ALL the time though because yorkie skin is so dry, keeps him moist and his hair shiney

kjc · 06-21-2011, 09:38 AM

Just wondering how Jade made out with her new stuff?

TakeAChance · 06-21-2011, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kjc

Just wondering how Jade made out with her new stuff?

To early to say yet, she has only been on her new food for a full day. She (and us) had a MUCH better sleep last night tho. She still scratched a little bit but nothing like before. I am hoping that as time passes so to will her symptoms. Apparently it can take a month or so to get the allergens out of her. But so far so good.

TakeAChance · 06-21-2011, 09:31 PM

It is currently about 2:30am and Jade was up since 1:30 scratching her ears,chin, and muzzle again. My father in law slipped her a couple chicken cat treats this evening which is what I believe set her off tonight. I just replaced the comforter on the bed and she has since found relief and is happily sleeping. Ugh I have a feeling this is going to be a tricky allergy to pin down. My wife is going to get some some allergy medication tomorrow to give to Jade at night so she can hopefully find some relief. Last night was a much better night for her.

NOTE: please excuse typing mistakes I am currently typing from an ipod.

SueBee8569 · 06-22-2011, 12:53 PM

My Roxi is almost 3 years old and does the EXACT same thing! I have tried everything for her, she rubs her nose and mouth on the carpet throughout the day and night. Her groomer suspected it was a type of fungus problem, and after much researching, I have just started her on coconut oil. This is only her 2nd day on it, but I've only seen her scratch once today. Good Luck, and I'll keep you posted about how things are working out here.

Macystar · 06-23-2011, 08:19 AM

How much of the coconut oil do you use? I have 2 Yorki's that bite at their feet just in the summer so I think it's grass when they go outside. I'm not sure if the oil would help but I have put it on their feet. I do know you are supposed to feed it to them but I wanted to see if it helped.

06-19-2011, 02:52 AM	#1
TakeAChance Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Charlottetown, PE, Canada Posts: 26	Weird persistent scratching My wife and I don't know whats going on. Jade is now a year old and this has been going on for six months. It started for the first time when she got back from the vet when she got fixed. She started scratching her chin and muzzpe quite frequently, however mostly at night. We kinda just thought it was a normal dog otch and that the problem would alleviate itself but it hasn't. Sporadically throughout the day and frequently in the early morning Jade scratches her chin and muzzle. This is not light scratching. She sleeps in bed with us and it wakes us up every time. She is on monthly worm medication and the scratching seems to localized to be flees as it is found mainly around her face area. We considered dry skin but wouldn't that be all over her skin? I have examined the spots she always scratches and I believe I found a scab or two, but I am unsure if these are hot spots or just a result Of her scratching. She has no noticeable hair loss either. Otherwise she is a perfectly happy dog. We are thinking of giving her some fish oil on her food as well as picking up some flea medication on monday as a just in case measure. Have any of you had any issues like this? What purplexes me is how localized the scratching is.

06-19-2011, 06:03 AM	#2
Wylie's Mom Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 35,889 Blog Entries: 2	I would ask your vet to do a skin scraping of that specific area. She could have a staph intermedius (pyoderma) that's coming forth, but it likely would have spread by now. Did her itching increase when the pollens shot up w/ spring? If your vet is not the best w/ skin issues, I'd def recommend seeing a Vet Derm - they're more $, but extremely effective in the long run. This link on approaching allergies may help too: http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/die...tart-here.html __________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann \| Pfeiffer \| Marcel Verdel Purcell \| Wylie \| Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨°

06-19-2011, 06:27 AM	#3
kjc I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 18,866	What type of bowl are you feeding her out of? Plastics can cause a contact dematitis with symptoms like you describe. Switch the food and water bowls to a high quality stainless steel (made in the USA) or food safe ceramic. __________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity

06-19-2011, 05:51 PM	#6
TakeAChance Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Charlottetown, PE, Canada Posts: 26	We couldn't wait until Monday. We felt so bad. We went to our local pet food store (45 minutes away) and bought Jade a new stainless steel bowl, and Natures Variety Instinct Lamb food. I figure this would be an excellent place to start. Change up the crappy grocery store food (I was shocked when I looked into this) and got a premium quality food. This one has minimal ingredients and Jade has had no exposure to lamb to my knowledge. Here is hoping it is a simple fix . Thanks for all of your support and please keep thinking of Jade! Last edited by TakeAChance; 06-19-2011 at 05:52 PM. Reason: General Edits.

06-19-2011, 06:48 PM	#7
kjc I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 18,866	Glad to hear that you were able to get a new bowl... Keep updating and I'll keep Jade in my thoughts and prayers.... __________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity

06-19-2011, 06:54 PM	#8
Patti Donating YT 30K Club Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Illinois Posts: 35,509 Blog Entries: 6	Glad you switched her bowl and food. If that doesn't stop the scratching I would have the vet check her out. My Cali had the same type of scratching you describe. I did the food elimination diet and allergy testing and nothing could be found that was causing the scratching. After trying various medicines they put her on Atopica and it made a major difference. Hopefully, Jade will be fine after the food and bowl switch. __________________ Cali Pixie Roxie : RIP Nikki; RIP Maya;RIP my sweet Dixie girl 1/17/08 http://callipuppyscastle.bravehost.com/index.html

06-20-2011, 03:32 AM	#9
TakeAChance Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Charlottetown, PE, Canada Posts: 26	Last night she was up again at about 4 am scratching for about an hour and a half. Poor thing. Woke up this morning and she was licking her paws. She has not yet had her new food or bowl (I threw out the old one last night but she had already had her meal) so she is starting on her new stuff today.

06-20-2011, 09:51 AM	#10
Charlies Mamma Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: With CharlieBrown of course! Posts: 1,403	My Charlie has scratching issues but it is due to air borne allergies I had the vet check him cause I was afraid it was fleas, When we notice him having issues we use 1/2 of a CHILDRENS allergy medication. (its like a generic bendryl) it works wonders, and he doesnt have to take it all the time only when the scratching starts up. we use the fish oil ALL the time though because yorkie skin is so dry, keeps him moist and his hair shiney __________________ Mom to Bug and Charlie-R.I.P my sweet Charlie 2021

06-21-2011, 09:38 AM	#11
kjc I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 18,866	Just wondering how Jade made out with her new stuff? __________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity

06-21-2011, 09:31 PM	#13
TakeAChance Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Charlottetown, PE, Canada Posts: 26	It is currently about 2:30am and Jade was up since 1:30 scratching her ears,chin, and muzzle again. My father in law slipped her a couple chicken cat treats this evening which is what I believe set her off tonight. I just replaced the comforter on the bed and she has since found relief and is happily sleeping. Ugh I have a feeling this is going to be a tricky allergy to pin down. My wife is going to get some some allergy medication tomorrow to give to Jade at night so she can hopefully find some relief. Last night was a much better night for her. NOTE: please excuse typing mistakes I am currently typing from an ipod. Last edited by TakeAChance; 06-21-2011 at 09:34 PM. Reason: Grammer

06-22-2011, 12:53 PM	#14
SueBee8569 YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: dayton, ohio us Posts: 5	My Roxi is almost 3 years old and does the EXACT same thing! I have tried everything for her, she rubs her nose and mouth on the carpet throughout the day and night. Her groomer suspected it was a type of fungus problem, and after much researching, I have just started her on coconut oil. This is only her 2nd day on it, but I've only seen her scratch once today. Good Luck, and I'll keep you posted about how things are working out here. __________________ Roxi & Sammi

06-23-2011, 08:19 AM	#15
Macystar Yorkie Talker Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Woodruff SC US Posts: 11	Question How much of the coconut oil do you use? I have 2 Yorki's that bite at their feet just in the summer so I think it's grass when they go outside. I'm not sure if the oil would help but I have put it on their feet. I do know you are supposed to feed it to them but I wanted to see if it helped.