My German Shepherd is scratching alot!?

Question

I have an otherwise healthy 3 yr old German shepherd who scratches yr round. Ive changed his food alot, nothing works. Any suggestions? And no I won't give him benedryl all the time. Want to cure the problem, not do bandaid therapy. Also, he gets lipfold derma. Been to vet, given cream, works, but comes back sometimes. Want vets or professional ans. Please state your expertise.

Indoor dog in Indiana with 4 seasons, now in winter, scratches all yr all over, chews legs some, no hair loss or skin damage, except gets lipfold pyoderma off and on. I use sentinal or revolution. He has some dry skin flakes if I really look, can see. Tried Dick van patten nat. balance lamb + rice mostly, Nutro, natural choice, try to stay away from corn. Vet doesn't know, suggested benedryl for sympton, I want tx.

Answer 1

Well I would like to request a little more information before I draw any conclusion... First question: What kind of foods did you try?, specifically brand names and formula (eg lamb and rice) and what is his current food and the first 4 ingredients in it?

What area of his body does he scratch the most? Is there hair loss or irritation and skin damage involved? Does he chew his feet? Does his scratching worsen at particular times of the year or is it constant? What areas on his body seem to irritate and itch the most?

I will check back in a while to see if you have answered my questions until then I cant give you an educated answer.

Edit.. Ok, foot or limb chewing is one of the signs of allergies, since it is year round I doubt it is Inhalant allergies and is more than likely food allergies.. My dog has the same problem and the vets here tried to hand me the "treat the symptoms but dont cure it" line and also suggested benadryl which really did nothing. A change of food to a completely never before tried formula is the best way to go.. Lamb and rice was once the top choice but because both ingredients have started to be used in foods alot more they are also now the cause of allergies.. for example if you originally fed your dog chicken and rice and then switched to lamb and rice.. if it was the rice that was the problem well its still in with the lamb formula and makes no difference. I highly suggest you buy a food that has absolutely none of the same ingredients as the food you are feeding your dog now, and the foods you have fed in the past. Natural Balance has several allergy formulas that are quite effective. I suggest one of two formulas.. Sweet Potato & Fish or Potato & Duck, they have both alternative protein sources as well as alternative carbohydrate sources other than what is normally used in dogs foods such as chicken, lamb, beef, rice, wheat etc. To confirm it is a food allergy which is plaguing your dog you need to feed the trial diet food for up to 10 weeks to see a difference, most dogs will show positive results and reduced itching within 4-6 weeks and then you switch back to the old food and if itching resumes within 14 days you can know for sure that it is a food allergy. From what you have said we can rule out Sarcoptic mange and Inhalant allergies.. Mange is out because there is no fur loss or skin damage which always happens when it is mange but not not always when it is food allergies, inhalant allergies are out because the problem is year round. My expertise comes from experience, I worked at a pet food store and our training included learning about food allergies etc also my dog went through the same thing and she suffered from another symptom of food allergies which is recurrent ear infections, if your dog has ear problems as well as itching its almost a sure thing he has food allergies. I have lived with 14 different dogs over the years and I learn as much as possible about canine health because I do not trust Vets to be anything more than a business, and I doubt that they put my dogs health over their income.. I always research everything on my own as well as consulting vets and getting multiple opinions and reading everything I possibly can.. I am not certified or professional but I care about my dogs and all dogs and I try to learn all I possibly can about canine health problems so I can be an informed dog owner.

Please refer to this page for more information about food allergies.. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_food_allergies.html

And visit here to see the Natural Balance formulas reccommended.. http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/allergy/PandD.html
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/allergy/SPFish.html

I also suggest you visit this site with info about the symptoms of several other different causes of itching in dogs so you can see for yourself, compare and rule out other causes..
Sarcoptic mange..http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_sarcoptic_mange.html
Inhalant allergies.. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_inhalant_allergies.html

Also I suggest you go here to look at treatment options for itch relief.. http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_itch_relief.html

Answer 2

It sounds like one of two things. He could have an ear infection caused by yeast or bacteria. Some Shepherds have a genetic predisposition towards skin problems, and this might be the case with yours. If you don't see any discharge from his ear (what you would see with an ear infection), he might have ear mites. Young dogs and cats seem to pick them up more often than adult dogs. Your vet would be the best person to help you with this. The vet will look in his ears and see if it's mites or an infection. Either way, the sooner you get it treated, the less expensive it will be. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

well you never stated what the vet says about your dogs problem. actually there are a lot of causes of the scratching of dogs. it could be more or less to some parasites or allergy. sometimes when we do the treatments in our dogs especially if they are suffering from an infestation, we should not only treat the dog but also its surroundings. these parasites sometimes thrive on the floorings. u can say you have treated the dog but if you didnt disinfect or clean his house or the place where he sleeps, then the problem will always recur.

Answer 4

Does the dog have hair loss along with itching , could be fleas or allergy to something in enviroment. dry skin just aint only a human problem try bath flea shapoo could be mites if doesnt stop or keeps dog up take to vet

Answer 5

very long hair is nice but requires servicing and u have to grow this out for a long time

Answer 6

Tried frontline? I have a dog that scartches liek crazy. The "month long" dosage lasts him abt 2 weeks before he starts scratching again. I also had a dog in the past who had a horrible skin condition. The vet told us to put oil on her skin and that was the only time she stopped. We used Avon skin oil but I assume you can use baby oil or anything similar. It soothed her skin.

Answer 7

I prefer hair which is shoulder length or longer, And since that men who like women are more often then not straight, they like long hair because that looks more feminine, as most guys have short hair.

Answer 8

well you say you have changed his food a lot, with advice of the vet? or just by your own choice? you need to find food that has about 23-27% of protein, if it is more than that, it will cause itching.