can anyone tell me what to do about a long haired dog,that constantly scratches,hes bathed once a week ?

Question

i cant keep him from getting in the tub,he loves the water guess thats the lab in him. he does not have flea's or ticks, and when he is washed i use a medicated shampoo on him but when i put him in the kennel thru the day at night he smells all over again, hes like my own child and hes brushed and groomed very well.

Answer 1

Bathing too often can dry out his skin. However, I used to have a dog with very itchy skin trouble and used to add Lipoderm to her food. It comes in liquid form and I believe in gelcaps if your dog is OK with swallowing pills. It really helped my dog's skin. It also helps dogs that shed a lot. I believe it's derived from fish oils. You can probably find it at www.drsfostersmith.com.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

The constant bathing is most likely the cause of your dogs scratching. A dogs skin does not produce oils the same as a humans. By bathing them that often the oils are not having a chance to replenish thus leading ot dry skin which leads to scratching.

My vet recommends that I bath my dog once a month unless absolutely necessary for a bath in between then. Depending on the shampoo you use too, it may be the cause of irritation. A dogs skin is extremely sensitive and you may need to try a different shampo if the longer intervals between baths does not stop the scratching.

In the end the best source of any information would be your vet. They may be able to help you pin point the cause better.

I hope you find your answer and that your poor puppy gets some relief soon!

Answer 3

I have the same problem with my Maltese. And being all white, he gets bathed a lot too. He has been checked for everything known to the dog kingdom.....Fleas, ticks,mites, etc. The Vet scraped his skin for some kind of mange. It was negative so he did two more scrapes and both were negative. His stools have been checked, on and on and on.

The Vet finally said he was going to put the Revolution on his neck that is used for mange. He has had two doses of that. He is better, but he STILL itches. I have to see the Vet again on Monday.

He did say the best shampoo for pups and dogs that get bathed a lot is human Selsum Blue. It doesn't dry their skin out. Just be sure and not get it in their eyes. Isn't that interesting? Now I am going to buy that and take some to the groomer too.

Good Luck!!

Answer 4

It sounds like you are bathing your dog so often because he smells when he comes home from the kennel. Washing a dog with soap too frequently is bad for the skin. If you don't like the way your dog smells when he gets home, you might want to look into changing kennels. You have the right to check out the place before you board you dog. If you walk around and can't stand the smell, you should find another kennel.

If your dog likes water that much, find a place where you can take him for a swim.

Answer 5

First, don't bathe him more than once a month and make sure you use flea preventative regularly. If that doesn't help I would also consider a food allergy. Food allergies are very common and make dogs scratch and chew constantly. Try feeding a high quality food such as, Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Wellness, Innova, Natural Balance, California Natural, or Canidae. Natural Balance also has two allergy formulas that are supposed to be really good. Also a raw diet is supposed to be excellent for allergies.

Answer 6

I used to work for a veterinarian and it could be a number of things. Bathing a dog too oftain will dry out their skin and make it itch. Also, it could be allergies, there are several different types. It could be a food allergy or something in his environment, if he's inside, do you use fabreeze or any deoderizors on your furniture or carpet? Also, some dogs are allergic to flea bites, a bite from one flea can make them itch for weeks after the flea bites them. There are also mites that you can't see and an inherrited type of mange that they get from their parents but is not contagious to other dogs. The best thing to do is go to your vet have have them check it out. They may do a skin scrape and look at it under the microscope to rule out inherrited mange, they can give your dog a cortizone shot to see if that helps or maybe change your dogs diet. Best to go to them and let them decide for sure.

Answer 7

Try an oatmeal shampoo made for dogs. It helps with the skin.
As for a bath once a week, my mom treated her dog like a baby and was given a bath every night. Best smelling pup you ever held. Talk to your vet .. they should answer that simple question over the phone.

Answer 8

Once a month is good enough to bath a dog. If you use a topical flea spot on, you are probably washing it off.
Too much bathing dries out the skin and that will make the dog itch.

Answer 9

Have you confirmed that he doesn't have fleas? That would be my first step.

Next, I'd ask the vet to take a look at him, to see if he has any skin problems. This is not necessarily uncommon in dogs, and can often be treated.

I would also brush him as often as possible. Getting the loose stuff out of there might help.

Answer 10

Check for fleas / ticks. Give the dog the appropriate dose of Frontline Plus. Or you might be drying out his skin with too much bathing. It could be his diet, or just habit.