Are Shitzu's prone to Skin Allergies??

Question

My coworker has a 4 year old Shitzu that she adopted about 4 months ago. In the last month or so it seems like she has tried everything she can to have this poor dog stop scratching. The dog is consistantly scratching, I feel so bad for it. The only thing is she does not have alot of money to pay for medication. Any ideas? Please Help!

Answer 1

Yes, Shih Tzus do have problems with allergies. She could have allergies to her food, fleas, or even pollen. First, may sure she is on flea preventative. Second, check what you are feeding her. I use Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul and all of my dogs tolerate it well! If neither of those two things work, then you will have to take her to the vet. Good luck.

Answer 2

I have a Shih-tzu. She's 6 yrs old and she has food allergies. They can have anything from grass allergies to anykindathing allergies. In my case, my poor dog scratched a lot and still does a little but for the first year, it was BAD! She would scratch but also rub her face on the rug and squeal. Her face was so raw and bleeding. She was always getting infections. The vet I took her to all the time didn't seem to be helping her so I took her to a specialist in skin allergies. I don't have a lot of money either but I figured I could sacrifice for my bestest ever friend. Finally, I got a handle on it by keeping her away from ALL foods, even chewy things (rawhide etc) She could only have "ZD ULTRA" prescription dry dogfood by Hills. It costs me $20 for an 8 pound bag and after two months, she cleared right up. Then, I started giving her green veggies like Green beans, brussels sprouts, asparagus, peas and broccoli. All from the freezer. She begs for them. She only gets around 1/2 cup a day. You would never know at one time her face used to bleed everyday when she rubbed it on the rug. When people realized the demand for these bright and loyal dogs, they started breeding them heavily. That's where all these problems came from. I can't tell you how relieved I am that my dog is able to relax instead of scratching, squealing and whining.

Answer 3

Most dogs have some sort of issues with skin allergies. She might want to change the dogs food to BLUE dog food. Here is the link to read all about it.

http://www.bluebuff.com/

I had a problem with my Pekingese's skin and it took about a month on the new food and no more skin irritation. Also switch the shampoo on the dog. The have less soapy shampoo on the market and if this dog goes to a groomer, ask them to use a different shampoo.

Don't feed the dog table food either ...

Answer 4

sounds like a diet related allergy . have her put him on a holistic diet and feed holistic food . I definately would take the poor dog to the vet . I am the owner of a chihuahua that has food allergies and cant eat anything but holistic and he used to scratch so bad I thought he had fleas but did not . good luck .

Answer 5

I have a seven year old Shih Tzu. And yes he scratch alot, his is more like dry skin irritation. I usually use mineral oil on the affected areas.

Answer 6

Aside from possible skin allergies, the dog could also have dry skin. Using a moisturizer, or adding a bit of fish oil/olive oil to his food might help (like one spoonful a day of oil).

Answer 7

Any poorly bred dog (i.e. from a puppymill or backyard breeder) can have many issues, including skin conditions. The best bet is to see a vet to get a proper diagnosis.