Any products I can use to stop my yorkie from itching?
 

Originally, I gave Britney Royal Canine, but last Saturday, I switched her to Canidae because that doesn't have any corn in it. I am not sure if this makes any sense, but how long does it take before the new food "takes effect?" Any type of conditioner I could use?

She itches SO much.. and it seems to come in phases. She is messing up her fur by scratching it so much!

Ps. It's def. not fleas.

Thanks!

Sophie has seasonal allergies so she has to take benadryl. It wasn't her food. Maybe you could check with your vet and see if this is an opption for you.:)

You can try an oatmeal shampoo or a hydrocortisone shampoo. I think you can leave the hydrocortisone shampoo on for a few minutes before you rinse it out. Just be certain you rinse any shampoo out. If the itching is just in a few spots you can use a hydrocortisone spray for a few days to give your yorkie some relief. It could just be allergies and not just the corn. Good luck.:)

Tanya is right. The children's liquid benedryl is easy to use with a dropper. :)

OK, I'll ask the vet and see what he says. I'll also, look into those two products. Thanks for responding so quick, guys! :D

Cali has the same problem, Benadryl didn't help unless I gace her a lot and then she slept all the time. I am going to take her back to the vet for more options. She do is sctatching her hair into mats that have to be combed out and then thre hair comes out to. I will post if I get any other suggestions.

Great, thanks.

Charlie was itching
 

and I took him to the vet and he said he had a contact allergy. He scraches on both sides of his nose till its red and missing hair.
I had him on Benedryl for a week and it didn't seem to help.
I took him back to the vet and had him on prednisone.
These pills were quartered very small, 2 pills a day for a week, then 1 pill a day for a week and now he is being weaned off the pills by having one every other day till gone which looks like about 2 wks. worth. I did not want to put him on this steroid as I know it can affect the liver, however the vet said short term he would be fine, well it did help until yesterday, now itching again and nose red. I put "hot spot itch relief spray" by veterinarians best on him tonite, it contains tea tree oil and aloe and it seems to have helped atleast temporarily.
This is a frustrating problem and I can't help but notice that it seems to be quite common in the yorkies.
I hope you can find relief for your little one and you cuz its hard on both of you I know.

If you find a solution please post it as I would be very interested.

God Bless

Shylah was on the puppy formula of Royal Canin and itched constantly, I took her off of that and put her on Nutro. Her skin is so much better now and the vet even said to add some olive oil to her food which has helped to.

Can anyone recommend a good brand of shampoo, esp. an oatmeal kind?
Thanks!

All the advise above are great! Jazzie had chronic itching for so long I finally found a veterinary dematologist and had her tested for allergies.

She's allergic to (in order) CATS!, Dust Mites & Pollens. So we took out all carpeting and laid tiles. I was my bedding & her bedding weekly, switched her food to Natural Balance Duck & Potato and use Earth Bath Oatmeal shampoo.

If you want to really learn about how diet can affect your babies itching read this tread I posted a little while ago:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43979

Wow, dogs can be like people and allergic to cats, pollen, etc. too? That's amazing.

The only oatmeal shampoo I've seen is at Wal-Mart. I can't tell you how good it is, but it's worth a try.:) I recall only seeing one there, so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

Yup they sure can... But the Cat thing threw me for a loop. I had to ask the doctor if she was joking!

That is exactly what Sophie was doing but the Benadryl helped her. She hasn't had to have an allergy shot this year. Her's is seasonal mostly in the spring.

I didn't think about it before, but I was reading about a little yorkie on petfinder that had "the itches" pretty bad and they got some special shampoo from their vet and said it was working. You could check with your vet to see if they have anything they would recommend. This is the "pricey" shampoo that I read about on petfinder:

ETIDERM® is a gentle, antiseptic and keratoplastic shampoo for use in dogs and cats of any age.

ETIDERM® SHAMPOO
Virbac
Antidermatosis Shampoo
Antiseptic Shampoo
Active Ingredient(s):
Contains: Chitosanide, ethyl lactate 10%, benzalkonium chloride, lactic acid and propylene glycol in a shampoo base also containing TEA lauryl sulfate, water, diethenolamine, benzyl alcohol, fragrance, hydroxypropyl cellulose, methyl paraben, and propyl paraben. Chitosanide and ethyl lactate are present in encapsulated (SpherulitesR) and free forms. Benzalkonium chloride is present in encapsulated form.

Indications: ETIDERM® is a gentle, antiseptic and keratoplastic shampoo for use in dogs and cats of any age.

Directions: Shake well before use. Wet the coat with warm water and apply sufficient shampoo to create a rich lather. Massage ETIDERMR into wet coat, lather freely. Rinse and repeat. Allow to remain on hair for 5 to 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Frequency of use: Initially two to three times a week for four weeks, then reducing to once a week, or as directed by your veterinarian.

Caution(s): For topical use only. Avoid contact with eyes. In case of contact, flush eyes with water and seek medical attention if irritation persists.

Available through licensed veterinarians only.

Warning(s): Keep out of reach of children.

Discussion: ETIDERM® contains SpherulitesR, an exclusive and patented encapsulation system developed by Virbac to provide slow release of ingredients long after the shampoo is rinsed off.

ETIDERMR also contains Chitosanide, a natural biopolymer creating a protective film on the skin and hair.

Presentation: Available in 8 oz, 16 oz, and 1 gallon containers.

http://www.petstruly.com/2856.html

Anyone know of any home remedies for dry skin? If they are from natural products, I am sure remedies intended for people would work to. I am wary of buying most oatmeal kinds because they seem cheap and noneffective.
Thanks!

My yorkie, Hobbs, had really dry, itchy, flaky skin. We changed his food from Pro Plan to Chicken Soup and we tried all different shampoos and he was STILL itching! :( So, someone on here suggested Missing Link supplement. We tried it and his dry skin cleared up right away! We took him off it for a couple of weeks when we got our new puppy bc it was messing up her tummy, and his dry skin came right back. That is how we know for sure that this stuff works like a charm! AND my two LOVE the taste. I sprinkle it on their food and they lick the remnants from the bottom of the bowl :p

Here is a link that tells more about it. It is all natural.

http://www.designinghealth.com/produ...ucts_main.html

You have to keep it in the refridgerator and it goes bad in 3 months. This is the only place I've found where you can order a 1/2 lb (8 oz.) bag, which you should be able to use in 3 months. All the other websites I've seen only sell 1 lb. and 5 lbs. bags. If you got these, you would end up throwing a lot of it away after 3 months. Here is the link:

http://www.designinghealth.com/cgi-b...7&catalog=Dogs

Hope it works as well for you as it did for my yorkie! :D

Great! I will look into getting some of that.

In addition, do you use any special shampoos, conditioners, cremes, etc. or did just the supplement work good enough on its own?

I just use a random oatmeal shampoo from Wal-mart and Head & Shoulders Conditioner. The supplement works wonders on its own without having to spend a lot of money on fancy hair products. Hobbs dry skin is completely gone now.

OK, thanks. :D

Dosage?
 

I hope this is only a spring summer thing, then Charlie can get some relief.
May I ask how much sophie weighed when she was on benadryl and the dosage? Maybe I wasn't giving a large enough dose.

Oatmeal shampoo and conditioner
 

I purchased oatmeal shampoo and conditioner online from Dr. Fostor & Smith they seem to give some temporary relief.(their own brand)

I also purchased natural oatmeal shampoo by perfect coat from petsmart but it didn't seem to work as well.

The conditioner I think is key as you leave it on for atleast 3 minutes before rinsing.

;)