Solutions or advice for my really itchy 3 year old yorkie poo dog?

Question

My 3 year old yorkie poo is always biting herself to the point where she has literally made an open wound. I try to keep clothes on her as much as possible, but when it gets hot I have to let her go "naked" :). Her diet is pretty good, she eats wet and dry food, rice and sometimes chicken. My vet has given us medication, but I only use it sporadically b/c it isn't meant to be a long term solution. I can't afford to get her allergy testing right now but I also can't let her keep biting herself. Any suggestions? Should I change her diet, is there a cream or spray to help with the itchiness? She is kind of a nervous dog, so I am even wondering if it could be a nervous habit? Any advice would be GREAT!!

Answer 1

Get her off wet food its not good for her and her skin. An oatmeal tea tree shampoo in great or have a groomer use a med shampoo they would know the best one for your dog. look at a pet store or ask you vet the best spray that is good and will soothe her skin. it could be a nervous habit I've seen it in dogs before. Try a e-collar they look like lamp shades that you put around the dogs neck that will not let her bite her self until you find out whats going on. best of luck and save up for the allergy test so you know whats going on.

Answer 2

Have you tried antihistamines? You can use Benadryl, the usual dosing is 1 to 2 mg (milligrams) per pound, but check with your vet first. There are other antihistamines that you can get through your veterinarian such as doxepin or hydroxyzine.

The first thing that we recommend is a food trial. Ideally, get a special food through your veterinarian such as Royal Canin duck and potato or rabbit and potato, Eukanuba Response FP, or Hill's z/d, something like that. It needs to have one novel protein source (something that your dog has never eaten) and one carbohydrate source. One commercial diet that is pretty decent is Dick van Patten's Natural Balance, either Duck and Potato or Sweet Potato and Fish formulas. They're not as 'pure' as the Royal Canin diets, but are better than nothing. You have to feed this special diet for at least 12 weeks, and it is the only food that the animal can eat--no treats, no chewies, no people food. If she doesn't get any better, then we know that the problem is not the food, and we then recommend allergy testing, which you have considered.

There are ways to guess which is which (atopy: allergies to the environment versus food allergies). If she's been itchy since she was young, it is a food allergy until proven otherwise. If she is only itchy part of the year (spring and summer, for instance) it is more likely to be atopy. However, some dogs itch all year because they are allergic to, for example, grasses and dust mites, so their allergies are present all year.

We recommend frequent baths in cool water as this helps reduce the inflammation and washes off allergens. If your vet has not given you any special shampoo, you can use a good oatmeal shampoo. Some dogs appreciate just a rinse in cool water, even on a daily basis. Frequent bathing will not harm her coat or skin, as long as the proper shampoo is used. There are leave-on lotions available through your vet that will help soothe her skin and coat after a bath.

I assume that your vet made sure that there is no bacterial or yeast infection on the skin. If not, make sure that he/she does check for this. When an animal chews/scratches/licks their skin and breaks the surface, as yours does, infection is certain to follow. This can make the itching worse and starts a vicious cycle.

Make sure that her ears are clean as well, because many allergic dogs have recurrent ear infections.

Your vet should also perform skin scrapings to check for both types of mites, demodex and sarcoptic ('scabies').

Also make sure to keep her on monthly flea control, such as Advantage or Frontline, even if you do not see fleas! If she has an allergy to flea bites, one single bite will make her miserable.

Your vet should have some lotions or sprays that can help relieve the itching.
Hope this helps! Feel free to email me if you have any questions, I'll try to help.

Answer 3

You didn't mention what she is eating, but you might want to start her on a diet that has an a-typical meat source like Venison or Duck or Rabbit. There are many good brand. Diet is often a major factor when it comes to dogs with skin conditions. You've had her to the Vet so it doesn't seem that she has any fungal infection or mites.
Benedryl spray or gel might offer some relief, but it won't solve anything if she is getting this from diet.
Look into foods like(specific food product identified good for allergies): Wellness, Flint River Ranch, Nature's Recipe Venison and Rice or Duck and Potato, or home cooking with the recipes checked with the Vet for being nutritionally complete for your dog.
Some home cooking ideas:
One meat source:
chicken, lamb, turkey, venison, rabbit, duck, occasional beef if tolerated. Should be boneless.
two veggies and cranberry
Veggies: yellow squash and green beans, or zucchini-green and carrots, alfalfa sprouts and carrot, cauliflower and peas,
Broccoli and carrots,
Cranberries should be slightly steamed from fresh or frozen and then mashed and added to veggies.
Starch: Yam, White potato

Proportions:
2/3 meat
Rest is combo of veggies and starch with a teaspoon of cranberry (small dog)
Total amount of food for the day can be divided into two meals.
Supplements for skin and coat (total daily amount recommended to be divided between the two meals or given at one meal):
Ask your Vet about 3V caps, skin formulation for dogs. Has Omega 3, Vit A, D and E. Also ask about NutriVed.
These can be added to diet and you can sprinkle a bit of acidophilus from a capsule over the food.
Another good additive is Brewer's yeast.
Ask vet for amounts for your dog and recommended supplements.
For treats you can give small apple slices or slices of frozen banana on occasion
Homemade dog biscuits or healthy biscuits that are for dogs with allergies.
Nylabones-the inedible kind and Kong toy and others for teeth and gum, chewing needs.
The clothes may be irritating the skin condition so take it easy on clothes until you see how diet change can influence his skin condition.
I'd go home cooked! The reason it isn't good for dogs is when the proportions aren't right or some supplements a dog would need are left out.
Make sure you are not over-bathing your dog. That can cause skin irritation as can the wrong shampoo. Use one for sensitive skin/ skin and coat formula made for dogs.

Answer 4

Change her diet to something like duck & oatmeal or lamb & rice formula. Or better yet, home cooking!

Don't forget her treats. Don't give her any kind of processed dog treats - most of them are full of fillers. Give her a baby carrot or something like that as a treat.

Add some fish oil to her diet.

Bathe her in an oatmeal shampoo.

Remember, you won't see results overnight. Give it a week or two (at the very least) to see if it's working.

You can give her half a Benadryl to give her a break from all the itching, but check with your vet first since it may interact with her current medications.

Answer 5

He may be getting enough fluids regardless of whether you see him drink or not. To test to see if your dog is hydrated enough (has enough water in his system), take a hold of the loose skin and fur at the back of his neck. Pull the skin straight up away from his body, and then release it. If his skin snaps back into place he's well-hydrated and doesn't need any extra fluids. If the skin stays bunched up, or falls back very slowly into place, however, it means he's not getting enough fluids and is dehydrated. The most common cause of dehydration in dogs who have easy access to daily water is illness.

Answer 6

Try using a oatmeal bath.
You can even use childrens benadrile but you have to be careful with the amounts.

Answer 7

any store even walmart sell a hydrocordizone spray, the best diet is the rawnaturaldiet.com it might be an allergy problem if the spray doesn't work you might want want to see a vet

Answer 8

my dog did the same thing. it is alergies

go to the store and buy some fish oil capsules. you can poke them with a toothpick and squirt the liquid on her food. it might take a while to start working but it really works!!!

Answer 9

Add bacon grease or oil to her diet - or even vitamin e oil

Answer 10

sounds like hot spots, there are medications for this