Allergies, driving Lilly AND I BOTH nuts!
 

I wasn't sure where to post this but I guess it can be moved if it's in the wrong spot. :confused:

I've changed Lilly's food so I'm almost positive that isn't the problem or maybe it is, I don't know. I feed her Wellness Super 5 Mix Small Breed or something along those lines (can't remember the exact name) but keep in mind, I've only been feeding this for a week maybe a tiny bit longer.

She's STILL itching. Hardcore itching. It happens more after I bathe her than it does closer to the time when she needs a bath again. Like, I just bathed her this past weekend and she's itching pretty bad but up closer to her bath time again it's like her skin doesn't bother her as bad. I'm almost 100% positive her shampoo is irritating her. I use Crazy Dog in the Rainforest scent.

What do I need to bathe her in? I noticed whenever I used my grandmother's dog's shampoo on her she didn't itch that bad but then again she wasn't itching really bad over there to begin with. :rolleyes:

Any ideas as to what could be causing this? :confused: Do you think it's something in our house? If you recommend a shampoo, please be specific and give the exact name and kind.

TIA! :p

Edited to add: If at all possible I'd like it to be scented even if it's just a light scent.

Oatmeal shampoo is very soothing. I know other members will have specific recommendations for what brand to use. I only bathed Miko in oatmeal when he was having allergies to something else. I food processed about 1 cup of oats and then filled the tub with cool to lukewarm water and stirred it around with my hand a bit. Then, I put Miko in and just poured the "oat water" over him. This was purely for soothing purposes though, not for bathing/cleaning purposes.

Make sure that when you bathe, the water is not too warm because if your baby is having allergies, the heat irritates their skin.

If the food is causing allergies, it will take a few weeks after changing the food for you to see a significant improvement.
An allergy formula might be good for her like Natural Balance allergy formulas (duck & potato or fish & sweet potato) or California Natural because of the limited ingredients.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: Great advice. If she is having a particularily rough day- children's liquid benedryl works great for Layla. i try and limit when i i give it to her to only when we are desperate-and it works great.. makes her drowsy though.

Itching
 

I have owned Yorkies for more than ten years and right nw I have three of them....best breed EVER! I love my babies, but I went through a lot of trial and error with shampoos in the beginning. If one of the two I had back then did not get itchy, flakey and irritated from the over the counter shampoos the other one did. Then I found out about Coathandler products; they have no perfumes or other "gunk" in them, rinse out easily and my babies look and feel great when they are done but can only be purchase on line. I now have three little dustmops and one of them is soooo oily, so fast [in days] after bathing and this is so gentle that my little "Oil Slick" can be bathed once a week if need be. When I adopted her, her skin and coat were just awful from neglect and a poor diet; she was all flaky, dry and itchy but after I used my shampoo on her and started brushing her on a regular basis it made a tremendous difference. I did see the post about oatmeal shampoo...if it works then stick with it as oatmeal is great for the skin and very soothing but if the problem does not go away give the Coathandler shampoo a shot. I have to buy a gallon f the concentrate for three of them and have mixed some for friends dogs and they love it.

Do you take her outside and in the grass often?

My three, particularly Britney, get very itchy after playing in the grass. It's usually resolved after a bath.

Thanks so much for your reply! Yeah, I understand that the food takes a little bit to show improvements, that's why I wanted to make it clear that she's only been on it for a week. She was on the Natural Balance for allergies before this food :( and I changed trying to get her on something better AND get her allergy problem fixed.

I definitely keep the water lukewarm, I make sure it's not too warm because I'm afraid of it hurting her so I don't think that's the problem either.

See, when I was at my mom's and used my grandmother's dog shampoo it was "Fresh 'N Clean" or something with oatmeal and baking soda (I think it was BS:confused:).

Thanks for all the great advice though! :thumbup:

No :confused:, she RARELY goes outside. Where I live, dogs roam around constantly and not only am I afraid of one getting her, I'm also afraid of what type of icky stuff they leave behind in my yard. Great advice though :thumbup:, I could understand the grass bothering them, it bothers me - if I touch the grass I have to wash my hands or I itch like I'm nuts.

Also, if you can buy it online that's even better as I live in the boonies aka BFE!

I switched to Spa Scents Revitalizing Shampoo. (NO conditioner is needed) I sell it on my website too.

ProductDetail

I have found that my babies skin have improved. Rogan had some flakes and now they are gone and the itching is gone too. It really keeps them cleaner longer too and smelling nice.

I like too that a seperate conditioner isn't needed. It leaves my babies so soft and clean and no itchies!

Do you think she could be having a reaction to the food? Did it start after u switched her food?

No, I don't think it started after I switched the food. She's been itching for quite a while now and started doing it even more after I bathed her this weekend which is why I think it's the shampoo I use. The shampoo is REALLY strong scented so I don't know :/!

Anyone else? I know there HAS to be someone who knows something! C'mon guys!

I wrote a response and somehow it didn't go through, so I'll condense it really quickly for you.
Miko had an allergic reaction awhile back...Two things were causing the problem simultaneously...I bought a new blanket and Miko had been sleeping on it...This was causing the horrible itching and pink skin...Once I removed the blanket and washed it in hot water and dye-free, perfume-free detergent, the itching stopped within a day or so.

The other thing that was causing him problems was environmental. We moved from an all tiled house with carpet only in the bedrooms to a home with all carpet and tile only in the bathroom and kitchen. Carpet holds a lot of allergens....I cleaned all the carpets, washed walls, etc...The respiratory/hacking cough/asthmatic issues stopped after this.

I'm just so torn as to what's causing this with her. It's breaking my heart. She's now sitting beside me biting at the same spot on her legs NON-STOP! I just don't understand it. It started either yesterday or today, I suck at keeping track of when things start. The only new things that she has had in the past week to week and a half are:

-Wellness Food
-Yogurt Drops
-Laying on her new blankets she got in the GE

and I think that's it.

I did switch detergent and washed the couch blanket in it today but she's only laid on it once.

I cleaned all the carpets in the house before we moved in so I don't think it's that? I have no idea.

I'm taking her to get her nails trimmed tomorrow but it's not at our regular vet but I'm still going to ask them about this and what I can do. I wish I had some Children's Benadryl so I could give her some right now - that's how bad it is. Her legs are pink in the spots where she keeps itching/biting. :(

Thanks for trying to help everyone.

Allergies
 

I live in Florida and there are so many allergy producing plants, fleas, etc. My Brady chews on his feet and sometimes it sounds like he is biting his nails!! He doesn't chew his hair off or get sores which I am thankful for. The Vet switched his food to Royal Canin Hypo allergenic which I get from her and she said it takes about 3 months to see any results. Also make sure there isn't any gluten in the food or treats. This is what caused a lot of dogs to die last year. I get his shampoo at Pet Smart - it's made by "Gold Medal Pets", Medicated Formula, Relieves Itching, Aloe Vera Panthenol, Medicated Shampoo. " WE used to put brewers yeast powder (from health food store) in my last dog's food and the one before him we ended up having to make our own food for him which helped a lot but he didn't have the crunchy kibbles to keep his teeth clean. Hope these suggestions help.:bed_time: (I\'m such a night owl but 12:30 is early for me. Good Luck

My little Mickey is digging too, I know its his foods. I ned to talk to the vet about it because hes on Pricription U/D food and he itches alot and if I give him the can U/D it sets him off crazy, so hes still eating the Dry U/D and is still itchy. and I hate to see him like that.


I hope you figure out whats causing your baby to itch.