Hello. My 6 month old GSD Reesee has been itching quite frequently for the last month and a half or so. I was a little late on her frontline treatment ( there was a window of maybe two weeks untreated )so I guessed that the fleabites were annoying her or maybe she was allergic to the bites. She's been treated constantly since but the itching persists. She itches mostly her sides and just behind her armpits and at her rump.

Lately I noticed the hair around the base of her tail is thinning a bit and the flaking is pretty confined to her rump. She also has a few small red spots on the naked skin of her belly area. I brush her every day gently and she loves it because she's so itchy so I can get a good look at all this. She's got some dried scabby looking bumps on her rump under the fur.

She eats Innova Large Breed Puppy food. I've bathed her twice with oatmeal shampoo for dogs and it only helps clean the oil out of her coat ( her coat gets really oily and it doesn't seem as healthy and plush as it should be, in fact it's kind of wiry ).

What could this be? Should I try fish oil? I have a space heater in the room of her crate because it's the computer room ( And I'm easily cold ) so it's on alot but she's across the room from it so I'm unsure if it's trying her skin out.

The treats she gets are Chicken flavored Zuke's Mini Naturals or these: http://www.charleebear.com/nutritionNew.htm The cheese and egg flavor. Could it be the wheat?

Thanks in advance!

First, "trying fish oil" is something that really goes without saying.

Just about all dogs should be on daily fish oil and E, IMO. Again, there is no normal modern canine diet with sufficient long-chain Omega 3s.

More info:

Is there any odor in folds, groin, underarms?

By "oily," do you also mean "waxy"?

Is the itch bad enough to interrupt her sleep?

Have you looked inside the ears? Is there any inflammation or debris?

Has she broken skin with scratching?

I'll be going for the fish oil next time we head to the pet store then!

I just laid her down and smelled and she has a bit of a mild salty smell, it's hard to describe but it's definitely not overpowering. Just kind of smells like a dog to me.

I'm not sure about waxy..It doesn't stay on my fingers, but her fur just feels kind of greasy.

As for sleep, no, she doesn't itch constantly either. She did when it first started. There was alot of banging in her crate as she itched and itched but now she does it every once in awhile and moreso when she's excited. Like the other day at the pet store she itched quite a bit at her sides with her back leg.

She had an ear infection in both ears a few weeks ago and I took her to the vet and got medicine for it. She's really good about laying still and I was able to completely clean them out and put drops in every day until it cleared up and I still put a few drops in 2-3 times a week and will until the medicine runs out just to be sure.

Her skin looks ok where she scratches. All but her rump which has some scabs.

Yeah, every day I do. Her ears have cleared up wonderfully and they look very healthy. No debris.


Tomorrow morning I'm calling the vet, as she has dandruff all over her again and I am worried about that odd, salty smell. I just want a second opinion as I'm not too familiar with this vet ( They have never heard of Innova dog food ).

Just an update..I talked to the vet and she advised it was fleas and since my boyfriends new pup wasn't treated at the time she said to make sure he was then give it a couple weeks to see if her condition clears up.

I haven't seen a single flea since, however it doesn't seem to have gotten any better.

While she isn't flaking all over her body anymore she is still itching alot. Today almost constantly. She still itches alot on her belly, chest, armpit area with her back leg and also around her collar.

I noticed she has small blackish rashes throughout her belly and undersides of her legs, giving her flesh a mottled dirty appearance and it won't wash off. Also lots of tiny black specks around her immediate groin area, hard to explain these.

The hairloss around the base of her tail is just getting worse and she is still chewing on her rump and lower back so bad her hair is looking unhealthy and wiry.

I also noticed while she doesn't smell too bad her crate bedding has a salty odor to it and so does her feet. When you pet her anywhere, you can smell it on your fingers.

I'm going to call the vet again as soon as I can but wanted to hear from you guys again.

About 3 months ago my dog's skin was flaking horribly, he had the black rashes you're describing, and he itched and bit and lost a ton of hair.

He had a bacterial skin infection.

Did your vet do a skin scraping to see if yeast, bacteria, or a combo of both is present? If not, I highly suggest you ask him to do one so you know exactly what's going on and the proper medication can be dispensed to treat it.

If this is an ongoing problem you might want to consider getting your dog under the care of a derm vet. Most GP vets don't have a clue about skin issues and allergies and how best to treat them.

FYI, just because you don't see fleas, does not mean they are not there. With some dogs all it takes is a few bites.

Thanks guys. The vet didn't mention a skin scraping. I will definitely mention it when I call her.

Yeah, I tried my best to get rid of the fleas. It's very cold in the area now so they are pretty scarce this time of year and they were never a huge problem in the house. My dog/cats were always treated on time with frontline so the only problems I had were what the dog carried in.

After treating my boyfriends pup I bought the powder for the carpets and vacuumed thoroughly. Also cleaned her crate and the area real good.

Since her skin is so itchy I lay her down and brush her gently every day and I am able to check pretty closely on any flea activity and haven't seen one yet but I'm sure it's still possible.

The black sore looking things are most likely sores caused by biting/scratching and have gotten infected. Our golden gets them quite a bit - in fact we were at the dermo vet yesterday and she confirmed that's what those are. If there are a lot of them, a oral antibiotic has to be used, if only a few spots you can use neosporin a few times a day and try to clear them up that way (this is all according to the dermo vet). But you have to find out what is causing the itching or all this is in vain!

It is discussed here a ton, that regular vets are usually pretty bad with skin problems. Lots of us have learned the expensive way to head to the dermo vet in situations like yours! It will definitely save you lots of heartache, guessing, and money in the long run. If you find a good one they know right away from looking at where the dog is scratching, what the skin looks like, and the intensity of scratching, what is causing it. It was the best thing I ever did for Kasey!