My dog scratches herself but she has no fleas? what could it be?

Question

Is there like some shampoos that can help?
My dad says to bathe her with gasoline, but i dont want to do THAT!?!?!

Answer 1

This is going to sound wierd but trust me it really works, I have done it to several dogs. If you mix a raw egg once a day into their food, it will help with their skin and they should stop scratching within a week.

Answer 2

Keep the gas, and your dad, away from the dog - this will cause major problems.

If you are sure there are no fleas, it might be another type of bug bite, such as mosquitos or spiders. These insects will bite and then leave the animal (or person), leaving a very itchy mark.
Also, there might be allergies. Dogs, like people, can have allergies to pollens, molds, dust, or a wide variety of things.
She may also have a rash or dry skin.

All of these would create an itching problem. At any good pet supply store, there are conditioning shampoos. These are regular shampoos to get the dog clean, but then they also include a skin conditioner.

If she's regularly scratching the same area, look at the area - separate the hair so you are able to see through to the skin. Is it red, is there any type of bump or mark? Is it dry and flaky?
If any of these are yes, you can try a good shampoo. If that does not help, then a trip to vet may be in order.

Answer 3

Dogs have allergies just like people. They can have food, contact, flea, and many other types of allergies to grasses,pollen, even human dander! Food allergies are pretty common, and the only way to determine if this is the problem (besides expensive allergy testing) is to get her on a food trial. This is usually done through your vet, and they will put her on a prescription diet like z/d or d/d. During this period you can feed ONLY this food, no treats or anything. If the itching stops then you know! Also, she could very well have a flea allergy. Although you may not see any fleas on her, it only takes 1 flea bite once a week to set an allergic dog off. They are just so sensitive to the flea saliva that they can still have a reaction. As for the environment allergies, there isnt much you can do about that! You can always treat allergic dogs with benadryl to help with the itching (dosage is 1 mg per pound), or with severe allergies some dogs have to get cortizone shots from the vet. Either way, a good exam from a veterinarian would be beneficial in order to determine the best mode of action.

Answer 4

There are many reasons dogs scratch themselves besides fleas :)
She could be having an allergic reaction, so you might try changing her food for a few days. Some dogs (like mine!) have extremely sensitive skin and get allergic reactions to something as minor as an insect bite, in which case, it ususally goes away on its own after a few days.
Yet another reason might be that she is shedding, and scratching just feels good with all that extra hair falling off. Try brushing her coat. It will give you a chance both to check whether she's shedding and whether she has small bumps or rashes under her fur.
Oh, and I almost forgot, once my own dog got a severe allergic reaction to the flea prevention treatments, so there's yet another possibility.

If all else fails, you can bathe her not with gasoline, but with Selsum blue (I used to work at a dog-training school and that's what we used!)

Answer 5

OMG... don't use gasoline on your dog !!!!!! Your dog needs to see a vet. They might have allergies... Ask your dad if the next time he scratches if he would like to be bathed in gasoline. Oatmeal shampoo works well too.

Answer 6

It sounds as if your dog might have allergies. I know that terriers are real bad about allergies. You can try changing her food but do it gradually so she doesn't get diarrhea. Alot of the different breeds are allergic to food that has corn in it so be sure to read the ingredients on the bag. You can also try getting a dog shampoo that has oatmeal in it to help with the itch or you vet can give you some prescription shampoo.

Answer 7

Yeah, I really hope your dad was kidding.

Are you sure she hasn't got fleas? If you're not treating her regularly, she probably has - fleas are the number one cause of scratching. If not, you need to take her to a vet to find out the cause - could be mites, allergies, skin infection, any number of things. You can't just use any old shampoo on her until you know what's causing the scratching, you could make it worse.

Chalice

Answer 8

well i dont kno why he said to do that cuz that wouldnt help at all. well there vould be a # of things wrong with her if its not fleas i mean it could be,

misquitos
ticks
worms
dry skin
or maybe ur dog is just itchy

well i know that the best shampoo for dogs is the LASSIE brand it carries things for fleas, ticks, scratchieness, and plus it makes ur dogs fur really smooth

if this becomes to serious after u bathe him with a good shampoo then i recommend u see a vet

Answer 9

She could either have mites or an allergy. What kind of dog food are you feeding her? The number one allergen in dogs is corn or other wheat products, so you may want to consider switching dog foods. This worked for my cocker spaniel when no one could figure out why she was scratching so much!
Either way, its time to see a vet for his/her opinion!

Answer 10

It could be poor diet. Itchy skin is a result of lack of nurtrition. Grocery store foods usually are made with lots of fillers like corn mean and don't provide enough vitamins. Go to a pet store and get Nutro or other well made foods for her.

You can also try a moisturzing shampoo.

If you change her food and she is still itchy after 2 weeks talk to your vet.