PetMeds® How to Help an Itchy Dog

Every day across the country in veterinary clinics, small animal veterinarians are often asked by animal guardians about why there pet itches so much. This very frustrating problem can have many causes. Depending upon the age of the animal will determine the major differential diagnoses in a pet. In very young kittens or puppies food allergies can be very common causes of itching pets.

And despite the myriad of blood tests for food allergies that have been developed, the gold standard for diagnosing food allergies is a minimum 6-8 week dietary trial feeding a novel protein diet to a pet, while restricting access to all other food sources, including treats and flavored bones and rawhides. In young animals mange mites also should be ruled out, which can only be ruled out by skin scraping and microscopic exam at a veterinary office. In more mature animals, inhalant/contact allergies to grasses, trees, dander, house dust mites, molds ragweed, are also common causes of itching and secondary skin eruptions and infections. This category of itching tends to be more seasonal at least initially, and will often respond to antihistamines and/or prescription Prednisone or in some cases stronger drugs like Atopica.

Nutritional supplements like Omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants like Proanthozone and steroid alternatives like Yucca Intensive can all help manage many allergic pets. Of course flea bite allergies are big causes of itchy dogs, which is why it is so important to have your animal on some sort of flea control measures during the flea season, whether the conventional treatments like Frontline Plus, Advantage, or more holistic options. And of course if an itchy pet develops secondary scabs and eruptions often indicating a bacterial or yeast infection, these problems must also be addressed through topical shampoo therapy such as with Chlorihexiderm Shampoo, as well as prescription antibiotics and/or antifungal medications.

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