Quote: Angela Burrell

one of my four dogs was randomly itchy but looked great. I found no sign of fleas but it ended up being... fleas. (my vet said it was probably 1 or 2 fleas.) The dog in question apparently has a flea allergy, but the others don't, which is why she was the most itchy one. I've had a flea infestation in my home before and knew what to look for and I still missed it. Don't discount fleas right away!

I agree. I had the same situation and I was adamant it wasn't fleas. I checked Tucker over and over again looking for ANY sign of fleas. Never found any dirt or other signs so I ruled it out. For the life of me I was positive it was an inhalant allergy he had and I was getting ready for a trip to the vet for some testing.

After conversing with Connie a few times she asked me, one more time...was i sure it wasn't fleas???

So I decided to take another look and low and behold I found ONE, yes ONE tiny little lonely flea. I was SHOCKED. So i figured he must be covered in them because really, when does a dog have one flea. Well I couldn't find anymore for the life of me. So I bathed him and purchased one of the Flea pill treatments just in case, washed his bedding and his itching stopped in a matter of days. Done. Gone.

That ragged ear-flap edge can be folliculitis, too.

Is there any chance you could post a link to a close-up of that?

Also, are you positive that are no (zero) fleas?

Also, about the itchy-scratchies, have you noticed any inflammation between the toes? Is the dog licking at the paws? How do the insides of the ears look? Clear and pale pink, or red with or without debris?

The Alaskan Bear Treats, unfortunately, contain several ingredients. They are not fish oil, I believe, but rather smoked fish.

This would mean that the long-chain Omega 3s are present in much tinier amounts than they are in fish oil. They are also subjected to heat (they are smoked).

If you can, I would skip those treats and use fish oil. The dog will also need a supplement of vitamin E because fish oil uses up E in the processing (in the body). If you tell us the dog's weight, we can give you dosages of both.

Does the dog have any kind of seasonal ups and downs of the itchiness? Does it disturb her sleep? Is she breaking skin at all?

Believe me, there are many folks here with a lot of empathy. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon challenge.

P.S. Is there any place besides the saddle where she concentrates? Rump at base of tail?

Connie, its the Salmon oil, in the bottle, but called Bear Treats- "The Original Alaskan Bear wild salmon oil" Supposedly from the cleanest waters in the world. Only rosemary extract to preserve. It pumps into the food. I dont know what kind of E vitamin to get? The salmon oil was expensive and I dont want to buy the wrong kind of vitamin E, or Glucosomine either... agghhhh!!!


I am not 100% positive it is not fleas. So I better make absolutely sure. I havent seen one flea nor flea debris and we have other pets here. But I suppose its possible.

No breaking skin, no other places where she concentrates, though she itches and chews at various places on her body. Inside of ears look good, no debris, no inflamation between toes. I have a humidifier going to help with all our dryness here in New Mexico. My cats send sparks out when I pet them. It does seem to be seasonal, its gotten worse over the Winter. For all of us. The itching is miserable for her, but for some reason its a bit better than it was a few weeks ago.

Could it be her blowing her coat? I never bathe her, she hates it and she never smells or seems dirty so I just brush her alot.

what flea program to use? she has used advantage but now not sure if that is a good product.

oh, she weighs 75 pounds.

Thank you again for your help!!

 Quote: Lauren Wells

.... its gotten worse over the Winter. For all of us. The itching is miserable for her, but for some reason its a bit better than it was a few weeks ago.

This is a sign that food allergies are very unlikely culprits here (because the symptoms are not cyclical or seasonal with food that the dog eats every day).

Other folks here have mentioned coat-blowing as triggering itchiness. I have not seen this, but I've read enough from other board members to accept it.

You mentioned not bathing, and it's true that over-bathing can dry out the skin a little.

But if the dog is experiencing environmental allergies (in addition to or instead of whatever the coat-blowing does), then bathing can rid the fur of pollen and other allergens. It's not that the dog has contact allergies (very rare in dogs), but more that the allergens on the coat force the dog to breathe them in 24/7, as well as transfer them to the dog's mat or bedding. I have a seasonally-affected allergic dog who I bathe pretty often during his bad months. I don't even use soap -- just a thorough rinsing.

For 75 pounds, I give 7 to 8 grams of fish oil (7000 to 8000 mg) a day. For that weight, I give 400 IU of natural vitamin E (preferable "mixed tocopherols"). (Natural alpha is d-alpha rather than dl-alpha.)

I recently changed her food from Pinnacle Duck and Potato to Natural Balance Duck and Potato, so I wondered if it was the new food. I hope these foods are not of the crap in a bag type. I would like to go raw, but am kind of afraid to for some reason. I guess because it is so different that what I have been feeding my pets for years. But it makes so much sense.

Is there a particular brand of Vitamin E? and what do you know about using glucosomine used for horses? Basically its mixed with alfalfa. My vet reccomended it. I dont have a problem spending money for my pets, I just dont want to throw products or money away. With all the conflicting things you hear, its so hard to know what to do.

I use the product of a small local natural-foods chain. But if you go to any store like Whole Foods or a pharmacy and look at the Vitamin E for people, you'll see that it comes in 200 IU, 400 IU, etc.

On the label it will say "dl" or "d" alpha tocopherol, or it might say (even better) "with mixed tocopherols."

Here is a good one, too: http://leerburg.com/53.htm

I have had success with glucosamine, and I take it (for OA) and I give it to my two older dogs. It's true that the merits are still being studied, but since so many people find that it helps them and there is no downside to it, MHO is to give it. You can get it in caps that you can open and sprinkle, and liquid is even better (for speed of delivery).

If you decide to go fresh-raw for your dog, you will find all kinds of help and support here. This is one of the better and larger forums for raw feeding. That's always Step #1 for me, when I adopt a new dog. That alone can improve teeth, coat, skin, and overall health.

Pinnacle isn't too bad, unless your dog has an oat allergy. It's an otherwise alright, mid-range food.
It is designed for a dog with known food allergies.


The Natural Balance food (did you mean Duck and Rice, I cannot find Duck and Potato?) is very grain heavy, with low meat-content.
Again, this food is designed for a dog with known food allergies.