dog is itching really bad?

Question

hes scratching til he bleeds have been giving him benadryl regularly but its not helping what somthing that i can put on him that wont be harmful if he licks at it?

hes been to the vet they just said give him benadryl and we checked for fleas found just one but gave him a treatment anyways, its possible he may have a food allergy my mother feeds him candy, ice cream and all sorts of things i dont think she should

thank you all so much for all this great advice, yes i agree paying 100 dollars to be told to give him benadryl is insane and careless on their part, to be more specific he has had itching problems on his nuzzle for a while which is why we went to the vet but just last nite after going outside to play he is biting and scratching in between his back leg and belly on both sides and whining and jumping trying not to scratch because its become painful and we are trying to do a process of elimation to figure out if he ate or got bitten or got into some sort of plant that could cause it

Answer 1

Perhaps you should take him to a vet. Because it can be somethingelse rather than an allergy. A fungal, bacterial infection or a parasite (mangy) may affect him.
If he goes to a vet they can take a skin scraping from him and tell you what the real source of itching is.

Answer 2

Benedryl is for an allergic reaction so what makes you think that's what it is. If you are giving your dog meds orally thats a problem in itself. Either way it wouldn't be localized enough. If it's topical it would slow down the healing and the dog will smell it an scratch more.

Have you checked for fleas or ticks? But he may have just scatched himself somehow and stated working on it. Have you washed him recently......... it could be the soap. Have you changed your laundry detergent recently? If he is getting on the bed or laying on your clothes he could be allergic to that. Or grass fertilizer.

As another said some sort of human food could be a cause. Often though this can be some sort of stress thing. Having a bunch of kids running around, loud TV, loud music and being left alone a lot can do it. Even if it has always been so and nothing has changed it can just happen. Do you leave him out all of the time? So it all depends on a lot of things.

One thing that often helps is to up the getting outside schedule. This can get the dogs mind off the issue be it mental or physical. The dog can be to distracted mentally and too tired physically to scratch much.

So after this long thing there is a point......... it is probably nothing and once it heals this will stop. Yes a vet would be a good idea. But if you don't have a lot of money when you go say at this point you want to forgo any expensive tests or anything at this time. Because what will probably happen is they will find nothing and in the meantime give the dog one of those plastic cones so it can't lick or scratch it. Also they will give you some sort of anti-itch cream and once it has healed that would be that. You can just say that's all you want at this time.

But of course if you have the money pay for everything offered as it is your pet. Plus it can help later to have a full medical record. If later your dog has a serious issue later the vet does not have to start at ground zero figuring out what it is. And it can be cheaper in the long run so you don't have to spend $500 in unneccsary tests if something happens.

Answer 3

there are sprays that you can use, such as Soothe and Cool. It's actually a spray lotion. This might help, but you should take him to the vet in order to determine what it is that is causing the itching. If it's allergies, it could be from almost anything, so have it checked. If you can't afford to go to the vet, the best thing to do is take everything away, bedding, toys, treats. Start with just the food you regularly feed, if the itching doesn't stop, try just feeding rice and chicken or a more holistic brand of food. If it stops, slowly start adding back the things you've taken. Allergies could be caused by detergents, pollen, anything, just like humans. A quick "home remedy" for the sores he's causing from the scratching, try brewing a cup of green tea, letting it cool, put in a spray bottle, and spray on the area. -- You also need to be careful what your mother is feeding. Ice cream is toxic to dogs, as is chocolate, nuts, and many other things. Check out a list of toxins and be very careful!!!

Answer 4

First order of business - find a new vet. Anyone who just passes you off to Benedryl without treating all the issues and at least attempting to figure out the cause is either lazy or uneducated. Your dog FIRST needs a short course of prednisone and antibiotics to put a stop to the inflammation, itch, and secondary skin infection.

THEN you need to put up razor wire around your dog's diet. If antihistamines are not helping, it is quite likely that what you're looking at is food allergy, or leftovers from the fleas. In either case, he should not be eating human foods, ESPECIALLY foods with sucrose (sugar) in them.

Talk to your vet (preferably a different vet, one who cares about your dog) about trying a hypoallergenic diet. There are many to choose from, doesn't matter which you pick first, but try something. Then, make sure to continue the flea treatments. Animals with flea allergies can react systemically (all over the body) to just ONE flea bite. Symptoms can persist for weeks from just the one bite, so you can see how important flea control is for allergic patients.

All of these steps will take many weeks, even years to organize before your dog is completely under control. The alternative is a complete allergy panel, which is costly, but compared to the long-term investment that is required to discover the source of your dog's allergies, it is negligible.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Hey there. You're right - no more sugar, candy, or chocolate at all for your dog! That's very important. Please explain to your Mom that all of that stuff is terrible for the dog's health. She is actually poisoning him with that chocolate. So, no more of that. He will give her big, sad "I'm starving, and you don't love me anymore...." eyes which she needs to ignore. Stick to your guns and don't give in! Get dog-appropriate treats and have fun with your dog teaching him a new trick with those.
What are you feeding your dog as far as regular food? Pedigree, Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, and Alpo are the usual suspects as far as bad foods that will cause allergic reactions in dogs.....here's a site to help you find better food.
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Answer 6

Does he have fleas? Treat them if so. If not he may have food allergies, if you think that might be it then try a healthier food. My brother feeds his dog hamburg (or chicken) and rice he makes himself. His dog's food allergies have decreased dramatically.

I would take your dog to the vet and get a cortisone shot for him to help relieve the itchiness.

Answer 7

There are many reasons that a dog itches. I would take him to the vet to make sure that he doesn't have anything serious.

Answer 8

you might want to give him a good bath with some hypoallergenic shampoo... this might soothe his skin... perhaps if you go to a pet store, there will be some types of shampoos which are gentle and soothing for itchy skin.

that is my best suggestion

Answer 9

could be ticks under the skin,,,you have to take a skin scraping to see them

Answer 10

Take him to the vet....no doubt.