my dog keeps scratching and biting herself?

Question

she keeps biting and scratching herself, she has no fleas, mites. She is getting a bit sore on her elbows and I have recently started giving her cod liver oil capsules to help relieve and improve her coat and skin, any advice would be great

Answer 1

Hi

I have a cat with a similar problem just very dry skin the vet told me to use Primrose Oil to clear it, cod liver doesnt actually have any affect on the skin, but he probably wont get a cold.

You can get big tubs from Holland and barratt much cheaper than boots or bigger chemist.

Answer 2

That constant bathing just makes it worse, dries out her skin, plus using any Harz crap is like poisoning the poor thing. She obviously has some sort of skin problem, flea dermatitis by the sound of it. Take her to the vet and get her a shot for the itching, that works immediately, sounds as if she needs antibiotics for her skin condition as she is bloody and raw. Then put her on a good, name brand flea/tick preventative every single month without fail -- Advantix works well. Ask your vet if she needs Capstar, a pill that gets all fleas off her within the hour. Stop bathing her, get her to the vet for some real help. Letting her suffer like this is animal abuse --- not that expensive to vet her for this, and you are responsible for this poor dog's well being. Forget the Dawn nonsense too, that stuff is so harsh it was used to get oil and tar off sea creatures after oil spills, it's an old clunker that doesn't work and does a lot of harm. Just kills a fea adult fleas, eggs and larvae hatch and dog is infested again -- which is what you are doing with all that crappy harz shampoo --- plus you are making her skin condition worse with every bath. Get her to the vet for some real help asap.

Answer 3

I have 4 dogs 2 males, 2 females. 1 female and 1 male which she gave birth to. Started bitting and scratching. All 4 dogs eat the same food use the same shampoo, etc. I've checked all my dogs for fleas and I didn't see anything. I just don't know what to try anymore.

Answer 4

I had the same, my dog kept nibbling and licking her tail I kept it clean but overnight she had taken all the fur off so took her to the vet, he did tests etc and she had been having stronghold so we knew it prob not fleas mights etc, he though it was prob something in her food so he suggested steroids for her, she has been on them for about 6 months now and her diet changed a bit and she has no side effects and is doing great (shes 10).
Is she allergic to the cod liver oil? best to get checked out at vet because if she nibbles too much the skin could become infected, check her diet to, I use jameswellbeloved dry dog food as it really good for coat/digestion, has she had any stress? that can cause this too. good luck

Answer 5

Chance are it is a food allergy

try very simple foods with only 1 type of meat and 1 carbo hydrate source( a grain or potato)

to do a food trial to see what ingredients may be causing the allergy
, it may take 3 or 4 weeks for the itchiness to subside to know if the food is working
Most of food suggested in the link have a store locator on the site

http://www.canidae.com/dogs/lamb-and-rice/dry.html

natural balance has a few different allergy formulas
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/allergy/home.html

Answer 6

My advice to you would be take your dog to a vet!!

When we got our dog he kept biting and scratching himself, and we couldn't see any reason for it - fleas, mites etc. We took him straight to the vets when he started and found out that he did indeed have mites. Although we caught it early he lost all his fur on his back legs and bum, and also nearly his life. Luckily he is alright now, but it could have had a horrible ending.

Mites are extremely serious so don't wait - take him/ her straight to the vets.

Answer 7

It sounds like either fleas or allergies. Fleas are VERY small and can be very difficult to see unless she is overly infested with them. Is there anything new you may have used in your home? Perhaps a "Carpet Fresh" type of carpet refresher/odor remover?

Once, my dog swelled up and was itching so badly. We took him to the emergency vet and it turned out to be that he was allergic to carpet cleaning solution. We had just steam cleaned our carpet. (Rug Doctor)

I had a dog, that every spring, she would start with the scratching and biting because of allergies. She always had cortisone injections every spring.

Answer 8

There are many reasons for a dog to become pruritc (itchy). Fleas, mites, diets, hormonal changes, domestic allergy. I would advise you to take her to your vet where they can perform skin tests to rule out mites or lice as some of these can be transmitted to humans ie scabies.
Have you changed any detergent for her bedding or changed any shampoo's?.

Vet nurse

Answer 9

She might have allergies. Food is usually the first source. You might ask for help from your vet to see if it is health related. One of the best foods to feed is lamb and rice. Is there anything new in the house or outside? Carpet, furniture, bedding? Something sprayed on the lawn? New detergent? You need to play detective to eliminate possible allergens.

Answer 10

How do you know she doesn't have mites? Has the vet given her a skin scrape?
If she is an adult female that hasn't been spayed, it could be hormonal. It could be an allergy. You need to talk to your vet.