Yorkie scratching and pulling hair out
 

My yorkie has been scratching and pulling his hair out on the back half of his body. My vet doesn't seem to know what the problem is, any ideas? Murphy seems to scratch all the time, I don't see any signs of fleas. Help please!!!!!

What is he eating? Many times extreme itching may be caused by something in their food. Might be worth a shot to put him on a Limited Ingredient Diet, with a novel protein (duck, venison, rabbit, no chicken or turkey or beef) and grain free. It will take a few weeks to see improvement, but if you do see improvement then it is likely a food allergy. Also be sure to rinse rinse rinse when bathing.

A little coconut oil on his food and rubbed into his skin will also help.

I know that my two are sensitive to chicken, most fish, beef, and grains. It took me a while to figure it out but they are good now:) I hope your baby is feeling better quickly. If there doesn't seem to be a food issue, then a visit to a vet dermatologist would be good. Good luck!

Oh, also if there is even ONE flea that bit him, he could be allergic. Mine are and it's horrible, so I really feel for your little one.

Much itching is allergy related. I assume he doesn't have a rash since the vet isn't doing anything to treat him? Some dogs are sensitive to ingredients in dog food. You may want to try changing him to a limited ingredient food for dogs with sensitivities.

Your sure he doesn't have any fleas right?

I'm going through the same thing. It was a flea allergy the first two times. Now Uni is on Comfortis but she still itches so I don't know. As soon as she finishes her steroids she starts itching again.

Thanks for the advice.

I took Betty Boop in this morning for her yearly checkup. I mentioned the breakouts and itching to the vet. We have had extremely high pollen count in our area lately. The vet said the pollen should be clearing up soon. He seems to think it is related to allergies. Do you have high pollen count in your area? It helps when I wash her feet and wipe her coat with a baby wipe when we come back indoors. Also helps when I bathe her.

Our vet also said environmental allergies and pollen very bad this year, along with the fleas were really bad this past summer. However, Uni's always been an itchy baby. We've eliminated grains, but still the same. Her reaction to the fleas was the worst ever, but still with no fleas she's still itchy. The vet says sometimes they are run numerous tests to find out they are allergic to dust :rolleyes: and you can't do anything about that. Sometimes you have to decide if keeping them on a low dose steroids outweighs the risks, or just have them live itchy and scratch their hair out constantly. I am still trying to make that decision. :( Uni's been off her steroids since mid-Sept, and she's itchy but not breaking skin, so I'm hoping with fall coming soon, it will get better.

OP, have you guys tried steroids shots and meds yet?

My itchy wheaten terrier is a lot better on Grainfree, one protein (fish) food with lots of probiotics to strentghen her immune system, help her digestion and limit any yeast overgrowth. I buy foods that have probiotics included but also give her extra during allergy seasons.

what heartworm medicine is your yorkie using? Trefexis has a side effect of itching, red skin.

I have two yorkies. Turner is three and a half and Annabelle is one and a half. They're full brother and sister from two different litters (allergies can be inherited). Turner has always licked his paws after going outside, but this year he's scratching and chewing everywhere he can reach. They have both been very itchy this late summer-fall season to the point where Annabelle was chewing the hair off her legs. My vet checked for mites and it was negative--some mites are microscopic--though she said sometimes you can get a false negative.

She prescribed a short run of steroids for Annabelle and we're trying different antihistamines on Turner, such as Benadryl, Zyrtec, etc. She said different meds work better for some dogs than others. Benadryl does help him, though it's not 100% and wears off between doses.

She also said that recently she has been seeing dogs for itching 10 times a day every day. It's that bad.

Annabelle is almost finished with her steroid treatment and we're now weaning her off of them, giving her one dose every other day. On the day that she doesn't get one, the itching and chewing come back though not as bad (probably because we are giving her Benadryl).

She said that some dogs get some relief from a cream rinse which we're going to go back and get. Sorry--I don't have the name of it at the moment but she said it's available at some pet stores. I'll post with the name of the cream rinse when I get it if anybody is interested. She said it's about $20 a bottle and applied and left in after a bath. She also said to give Turner one drop of fish oil daily, or a drop of Vitamin E, on his food, and to Annabelle when she's finished with her steroid treatment.

I've never been one to look forward to winter but if it will help them, I welcome it this year.

If your dog does not have any fleas or mites and does not show a rash or scaly skin you could very well be dealing with an allergy. Most airborne allergens effect the respiratory system. Coughing and runny eyes and nose would be symptoms of an airborne allergy.

Some people do get relief for their dogs by eliminating grains but not all dogs have the same reaction to food. The meats used in dog food can also cause reactions. Some companies use low value protein sources and some use meat that contains antibiotics, hormones and steroids. Chicken seems to be one meat source that many dogs have problems with.

We buy dog food from a company that uses grass fed protein sources that have had no injections of antibiotics, hormones or steroids. No pesticides or other chemicals are involved in the raising of the meat sources or any of the vegetables. Some dogs are just very sensitive to what their body has to process and purebred dogs seem to be more prone to sensitivities than the common mix breed.

I have to say that Gracie eats much healthier food than we do but she is very healthy with not itching or allergies.

If it's this bad, I'd get a steroid shot asap. The results of that shot may tell you something diagnostically, not to mention the possibility of giving relief.

If it's allergies, options would be OTC allergy meds or Temaril-P, Atopic, steroid, or allergy testing.

Hopefully the vet did a quick skin smear to look for bacteria? How long has this been going on?

I'm wondering what the results of a steroid shot would tell you diagnostically.

I had a little poodle with very itchy skin. Took her to the dermatologist and it was a food allergy. Put her on a venison based dog food and she cleared up. Check the food you are feeding. Also get a hypoallergic shampoo and conditioner. I use Hy-lyte from my vet. Many dogs are fed food that is loaded with chemicals and not good for them. Believe me I tried lots of different things and finally diet was the problem.