RobbinMann wrote 09/05/2007 09:16 AM Itching, Itching, Itching???? #154368 - 09/05/2007 09:16 AM
RobbinMann Webboard User Reg: 12-19-2006 Posts: 842 Loc: Arizona Offline	Lately I've noticed that my male lab and my Levi are both itching their back legs and back towards the tail alot. As a matter of fact, Levi has been waking me up in the morning chomping on himself. Any ideas?? I don't think that we have fleas...we never have before. How do you check for them? What's the best way to treat them? My dogs swim alot, could the chlorine be causing them to itch?? My border collie never itches so I figure if we had fleas she would be itching too, right?? This has been going on for about a couple of weeks progressively getting more and more noticeable. What does the forum suggest using for dog shampoo? I just use human grade shampoo, is that okay? Jay Belcher and Levi Levi/Bella/Drogo
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David Eagle wrote 09/05/2007 09:39 AM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: RobbinMann ] #154370 - 09/05/2007 09:39 AM
David Eagle Webboard User Reg: 08-17-2007 Posts: 528 Loc: La Habra, California Offline	as far as checking, you want to move the hair out of the way and look for small fleas or little black flecks. The black flecks look almost like dandruf, they're not uniform in size and they're tiny. They'll be close to the skin. These are flea eggs. Fleas are either black or brown, the brown ones are bigger (and easier to catch) Than the black ones. I use my hand and brush "Against the grain" pulling the hair back and looking at the skin as I go. Noah LOVES it when I do that. I'm sure there are members that don't agree with it, but I use Advantage in the summer months. I don't tolerate fleas in my house or on my dogs. Some dogs hate hats.
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Sarah Morris wrote 09/05/2007 09:40 AM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: RobbinMann ] #154371 - 09/05/2007 09:40 AM
Sarah Morris Webboard User Reg: 08-29-2006 Posts: 2324 Loc: Central Coast, California Offline	Hi Robbin, You can check for fleas using a fine-tooth comb or brush...the Furminator, if you have one, works great, too. Comb out the hair and look at the clumps in the comb. You can see the fleas there. Part the hair and look at the skin...you can find fleas and flea poop on the skin. You might want to do this with the dogs standing on a white sheet or towel. Flea poop is black...looks like dirt...but if you wet it, it turns red. True
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David Eagle wrote 09/05/2007 09:58 AM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: David Eagle ] #154373 - 09/05/2007 09:58 AM
David Eagle Webboard User Reg: 08-17-2007 Posts: 528 Loc: La Habra, California Offline	Quote: David Eagle The black flecks look almost like dandruf, they're not uniform in size and they're tiny. They'll be close to the skin. These are flea eggs. Yeah, I was smoking crack. The black flecks are flea poop. Little white nodules are flea eggs. Some dogs hate hats.
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Connie Sutherland wrote 09/05/2007 10:08 AM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: David Eagle ] #154374 - 09/05/2007 10:08 AM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Right. Never having had them means nothing, and it's high flea season. Look for flea dirt anywhere on or near them. As Sarah said, if you drop a little water on it it will turn red (because flea poop is dried blood). Scratching like that doesn't sound like a shampoo problem. It sounds like fleas. The shampoo might exacerbate it or maybe even cause dryness, but the kind of itching that awakens the dog is likely to be fleas or atopy, and since it's two dogs (not one), my vote is fleas. P.S. Human shampoo is not always OK. Different pH.
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Sandy Moore wrote 09/05/2007 10:10 AM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: Sarah Morris ] #154375 - 09/05/2007 10:10 AM
Sandy Moore Webboard User Reg: 07-25-2006 Posts: 2665 Loc: AZ Offline	Robbin, I've heard/read about not using human shampoos on dogs. You can look it up but I found this site: http://www.petalia.com.au/templates/storytemplate_process.cfm?story_no=1628#ct-6 Click on "Should I use human shampoos...". Written by a vet. Another website by a vet says the ingredients in human and pet shampoos are very similar, including PH factors, so he says use whichever you want. It could just be that the particular shampoo you're using is irritating to 2 dogs and not to the other. I use a hypoallergenic, non-fragrance dog shampoo on Lear. There's plenty of dog shampoos out there that claim to be soothing to itchy skin, don't know, haven't tried them. Here's what Ed sells (see the Pure Care): http://www.leerburg.com/1068.htm Also you can try giving yogurt. See this thread: http://www.leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=10&Number=147838&Searchpage=1&Main=15631&Words=+Mike+Armstrong&topic=0&Search=true#Post147838 Edited: I was posting same time as Connie.
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RobbinMann wrote 09/05/2007 12:57 PM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: Sandy Moore ] #154399 - 09/05/2007 12:57 PM
RobbinMann Webboard User Reg: 12-19-2006 Posts: 842 Loc: Arizona Offline	Wow! So apparently, this itching thing isn't all that uncommon! I've been doing very well on my raw diet, I think it would be great to add some yogurt to the mixture. I wonder if gogurt would be bad for a dog?? It has probiotics but someone said that the book called for specific "bugs" Hmmm...I wonder. I know Levi would love to eat my gogurt. I wonder if it's good for man or beast??? Or maybe I should just buy the plain and mix it in like sour cream, lol! Jay Belcher and Levi Levi/Bella/Drogo
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Connie Sutherland wrote 09/05/2007 01:54 PM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: RobbinMann ] #154403 - 09/05/2007 01:54 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Plain yogurt, no sugar, the kind that says on the container "Live active cultures." But look for flea dirt. JMO.
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John J. Miller wrote 09/05/2007 02:18 PM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #154405 - 09/05/2007 02:18 PM
John J. Miller Webboard User Reg: 05-09-2007 Posts: 268 Loc: Chicago, IL Offline	Also, what are you feeding? My male was itchy with skin issues even on high quality kibbles, but when I went to raw all that stopped immediately. John
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RobbinMann wrote 09/05/2007 03:29 PM Re: Itching, Itching, Itching???? [Re: John J. Miller ] #154408 - 09/05/2007 03:29 PM
RobbinMann Webboard User Reg: 12-19-2006 Posts: 842 Loc: Arizona Offline	I feed mostly raw, chicken, veggies, ground beef...so don't think that would be the cause. Jay Belcher and Levi Levi/Bella/Drogo
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