There could be many reasons for a dog to scratch all the time. Health, diet, and environment all play a big part in your dog’s behavior. If your dog has been on a well-dog program such as Banfield Pet Hospitals provide and you are sure the dog is suffering from a food allergy, try some diganosing on your own.
Environment
Dogs that are allowed to run free in the country could be subject to poison ivy or poison oak. Dogs walk through areas of interest to them much like humans read the paper. They could pick up fleas, ticks, or eat the feces of infected animals. Some dogs will scratch because they have hookworms or roundworms. These are easily detected by listening to their stomachs for a growling or bubbly noise. Evicta dog dewormer clears this up in about a day by fecal elimination.
Carpeting or cleaning products used on carpeting could also cause a dog to itch. Just like people, dogs can develop an allergy to almost any product. Baking soda is a good carpet-refreshing product that usually does not cause itching, try it and see if it makes a difference. If this is the cause, the itching could stop in as little as a week.
Laundry detergent could cause problems if you wash Fido’s blanket or bedding. Look for something without fragrance because sometimes its just the fragrance ingredient that causes the irritation.
Another cause of itching might be central heating units in the home that cause a ”dry air” enviroment. Brushing your dog daily, even short haired-dogs, will move naturally-produced skin oils throughout the coat and help reduce the constant itching your pet suffers.
Diet
Dogs can have allergies to food as well. Remember, dogs should not be fed nuts, onions, or chocolate. Barring these bad feeding habits, try not to feed your dog a food that contains corn — it is the main ingredient is many dogs foods and the majority of dogs are allergic to it. A good dog food will list meat by-products or rice as the main ingredient.
Human food scraps can cause itching if the dog is allergic to it. Most dogs will eat anything you hand them because they trust you as their owner. That fact doesn’t mean it is acceptable to feed them corn cob ears to chew on or left-over biscuits and gravy. Even if a dog handles human food well, they can still develop an allergy at any time.
Health
Your dog might have a problem with fleas or flea shampoo. Oatmeal shampoos are soothing to itchy dogs and there are many brands out there on the market that address dogs with sensitive skin. One such brand is Sentry Flea and Tick Shampoo with Oatmeal.
If you find dandruffy skin on your dog, it might be a flea allergy. Your dog could develop alopecia, which is chewing skin and causing hair loss. In that case, you can feed your dog garlic pellets sprinkled on his/her food to help control flea attacks. A good food to help with skin trouble is ProPlan Salmon and Rice.
Ear mites could be another issue attacking your dog. Check the dog’s ear canal with a cotton ball. If black, greasy bits come off on the cotton ball, the dog has ear mites. Since a dog cannot fit his paw deeply into his ear canal, he scratches the area he can reach — resulting in seemingly incessant scratching. Mites can be easily cleared up by cleaning the dog’s ears with cotton balls and ChlorhexiDerm brand Chloahexadrina Flush. This blue liquid can be prescribed by your vet or purchased on websites such as www.healthypets.com or www.petcareRX.com and it fairly inexpensive. This product contains no alcohol, so even if the dog has bleeding areas in the ear, it will not burn. Basically irrigate the dog’s ear, clean with cotton balls twice a day for about two weeks. The cotton balls should start coming out clean within three days.
Check your dog’s environment, diet and the products you use to clean the house. If the itching offender cannot be determined within a two to three week period, you probably want to consult your veterinarian again. Once a dog has scratched an area often enough to break the skin and cause bleeding, a bacterial infection could develop.
