My 1yr yellow lab is scratching and nibbling on himself constantly? It is not fleas. Food allergy? HELP HIM!?

Answer 1

It could be a hot spot. A hot spot is a patch of skin that get swollen and turns red after some sort of infection, and will only get worse if your dog continues to scratch at it. Take him to a vet to see if that's the case.

Answer 2

Oh my, if I had a dollar for each lab that had some sort of skin allergy that I see, especially when they get older, I would be rich. I am a dog groomer and have worked in the animal care field for several years. In my experience, a product that is guaranteed to work or your money back is "Dr. Maggies" It has all the Omega fatty acids such as Omega 3,6,and 9 and vitamins ADand E, and lethicin. You put it on their food once a day or give it to them as a treat. It tastes like roasted chicken so most dogs cant resist it. You double the dose for the 1st 2 weeks and then cut it back to 1 tsp. per 20 pounds of body weight after the inital 2 weeks. This stuff works for skin allergies, excessive shedding, dandruff, hot spots, dry skin, it WILL work as long as you give it too the dog every day. You should see results in less than 6-8 weeks but I have had calls from clients after 2 weeks saying they have seen an improvement in their dogs skin and coat and of course less chewing and scratching. Your vet would probably put the dog on steroids which may solve the problem short term but the dog cannot handle steroids for extended periods and ultimatley will get the condition back as soon as the treatment is stopped. Sometimes in the winter is worse because it is so much drier in the air, if you heat with wood heat its even worse. Like I said, this is a guaranteed product or your money back so their is no risk. I would start with the 1L bottle which will run you about $30-35 CDN or so. Check out the big pet stores around you, if no luck you can contact me and I will try to help you out. [e-mail]

Answer 3

-What kind of food is he on?

You want to stay away from foods with ingredients such as corn, wheat, fillers, beef and by products. All of those ingredients are hard for your dog or puppy to digest.

Some bad foods are Iams, Purina, Alpo, Science Diet, Pedigree, Eukanuba and Bil Jack.

Some GOOD foods are Natures Recipe, Nutro Max, Lassie Natural Way and Royal Chain.

I personally recommend Natures Recipe. It is an all natural food and extremely healthy for your dog or puppy. It leads to a shinny coat and a healthy body. It also cuts down on shedding, bad breath and the amount of stool your dog produces.

Natures Recipe had different bags for different size dogs and ages.

Stay away from wet food as it sticks to their teeth and builds up in their system. It is ok for a treat once in a while but not daily.

Before switching foods you want to check with your vet and make sure your dog or pup has no health problems.

After that you want to switch him slowly otherwise it will make him sick.

For the first week do 25% new and 75% old
Second week 50% new and 50% old
Third week 75% new and 25% old
Then they can have all new food starting the forth week.

You can find those healthy foods at your local Pet Smart or Pet Co.

Also stay away from rawhide and human food as neither are healthy for your dog. Stay with his dog food and Natural or compressed bones.

-When is the last time he has had a bath?

Dogs should be bathed monthly using only dog or puppy shampoo. Since he is itchy I would use an oatmeal based shampoo. Make sure to use lukewarm water and rinse well.

-I would also take him to him Vet and get checked for allergies. Many dogs have them and there is medicine they can take.

Answer 4

He could have a food or environmental allergy or could have a skin condition. Regardless of the reason for his scratching, he should be taken to the vet. You vet will be able to look at a skin sample under a microscope and decide what course of action needs to be taken. You don't want to be treating him for a food allergy and then find out it was a skin disease once all his fur starts falling out.

Answer 5

It could be a number of allergies. If you live in a cold weather climate, it's not grass this time of year. It could be food. Check your food label, does your food contain corn, soy or wheat? Those are the top 3 allergy triggers in dogs. You can try giving him some benedryl, 25mg per 50lbs. and see if that helps.

Answer 6

Just a suggestion here, but we have taken our dog in three times now for her scratching and nibbling. It is SO sad! Our doc says it is an allergy, but we can't pin point it. We started with Benedryl, then a capsule med, now she gets three "Temoril-P" tablets every other day (steroid pills, qty based on her weight) and the capsule "Dermcaps-ES" I'm afraid she still scratches and whines, but doc says the next step would be a dermatologist. I'm afraid we can't afford the medical bills for that trip. I have bill collectors at my mailbox for my own medical bills! That's my dog. Maybe the pills would work for your pooch.

Answer 7

Sounds like a food allergy, I would recommend a vet trip and possibly a vet recommended diet as they have several different types of foods for sensitive skin through a vet. Good luck!

Answer 8

Could just be dry skin from cold air and furnaces running. Ask a groomer or buy treatment for "Hot Spots"
Don't give it any baths and if you have to use a shampoo with Oatmeal in it (it comes that way) or one that says for dry skin

Answer 9

a doggie cone will always stop the biting until it heals up, but it might be serious so you might want to go see a vet. Hope your doggie feels better! :)

Answer 10

take your dog to the vet. it can be a skin condition that needs either a medicated bath or pill.