My maltese poodle is extremely itchy. Any ideas?

Question

I have a 5 year old white maltese poodle.

He has had skin problems for quite a while now (extremely itchy). He has also had a number of ear infections. He had allergy testing done and it turns out that he has a number of food allergies. He is now on a hypoallergenic diet.

He had allergen shots, but that proved to be a bust. Not only was it traumatic for both of us (I had to give him the shots), but he was even itchier and again got ear infections. The shots were terminated, and the ear infections cleared up, but he is still really itchy.

These days, he scratches until he gets sores on his chin, and he licks his paws until they are red.

If anyone has any suggestions, please help. Shampoos? Medicines? Diets? Any ideas welcome.

Answer 1

take her to the vet

Answer 2

Yours is either older than 5 weeks (because she's a lot larger than a Toy Poodle puppy) or isn't purebred. It's probably mixed with Maltese, Shih Tzu, or perhaps a Miniature Poodle rather than a Toy. A Toy Poodle IS an AKC & ANKC recognised breed, just like the Miniature Poodle and the Standard Poodle. A Teacup Poodle, however, is simply a disgustingly in-bred and thus stunted runt, produced by irresponsible breeders who like to pass them off as "designer" breeds - same goes for Labradoodles, Pugaliers, Moodles, Cockapoos, etc. If your puppy really is only 5 weeks old, you're going to have a hard time house-training her and socialising her. the socialisation is going to be the hardest part - unless you already have a completely vaccinated dog living with you, it's going to be almost impossible to teach her any bite inhibition - a skill dogs normally learn when playing with their dam & littermates. You'll have to wait until she's old enough to go to puppy preschool, but even that won't overcome the fact she is missing out on a crucial part of her development. Hope that helps.

Answer 3

Have you tried a regimin of prednisone and benedryl? My GSD has bad skin problems and that cleared her up. We had a highish dosage at first and then gradually weaned her down. Now she only gets an antihistamine every other day or so. Emu Oil from Emu Oil Wonders in Penoka, Alberta Canada also really helps. I massage a small amount of it into her skin, especially any itchy areas, and it really seems to relieve the itch. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

My thought is that your dogs skin is reacting to the change of weather. Now he is inside with a dry heat system on for most of the day - it dries out his skin and he is itchy.

Of course you leave out plenty of water, but you might want to try to add some light olive oil to the dog food, to get extra fats into the system to help him feel soothed and comfortable. Same is true for people - the proper fats are important for a comfortably running body.

You could also put in a humidifier (either a room one or one on your house system) to help keep the air inside your house more moist. It might be beneficial for others in the family too - as long as you are careful to care for the system if it has a filter that can get moldy.

Peace!

PS - I had a vet tell me once that my cat scratched himself bare simply because he was high strung, like a lot of little dogs. If that is the case, you might put a little bit of catnip in his food to help him relax a bit.

Answer 5

But every Day a Spoon of Olive oil in to his food,he be Ok.

Answer 6

he is allergic to something, check for lice,ear mites,maybe use conditioner when you bathe him. i have used coal oil or used oil on them, not in the eyes, that has to relieve the itching some, and it smothered out fleas and other bugs. they were outside dogs.

Answer 7

a remedy we used on ours was bonemeal. vitamin c and vitamin a .seemed to help alot. just add it to the food