Sarah Morris wrote 03/11/2007 01:30 PM Dog is suddenly itching like mad #132702 - 03/11/2007 01:30 PM
Sarah Morris Webboard User Reg: 08-29-2006 Posts: 2324 Loc: Central Coast, California Offline	In less than 24 hours my dog has gone from the occasional scratch to scratching like mad. It was so frequent it kept me from falling asleep last night. I've checked for fleas...can't find any...but I've applied Frontline anyway. He's been raw fed for about a month now...almost exclusively chicken since that is all he will eat...and he gets the salmon oil + E daily. His coat is healthy, shiny, and not at all flaky. He had a marrow bone yesterday (not his first) so I wonder if that could it??? It's been warmer here and there is a ton of pollen in the air but it seems odd he'd suddenly start scratching last night. I gave him 1 Chlorphenamine tablet late last night but it's hard to know how much it helped. Has anyone else experienced a sudden onset on itching and can you suggest what else I can do? Thanks! True
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Connie Sutherland wrote 03/11/2007 01:44 PM Re: Dog is suddenly itching like mad [Re: Sarah Morris ] #132705 - 03/11/2007 01:44 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Did something suddenly change in the environment (new carpet, new bedding, a spray in your yard, etc.)? Did something start blooming in your area, maybe in an unusual warm spell? Does the skin look normal? (Atopy usually presents at first with itching of skin that appears normal.) +++++ Here's what I have learned, though: Most atopic dermatitis does not start that suddenly. +++++ Sudden bad itchiness makes me think about mange or fleas. I was sharing with another forum member something I read last week. A dog may have bitten at and eaten or killed a flea, so you might not suspect hypersensitivy to fleas at first. So you could comb the dog on a white sheet. If you find what could be flea dirt, put a drop of water on each speck. If any turn red, then they are (almost certainly) flea poops. (Flea poops are dried blood.) Flea hypersensitivity can indeed cause sudden and intense itching.
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Sarah Morris wrote 03/11/2007 02:27 PM Re: Dog is suddenly itching like mad [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #132714 - 03/11/2007 02:27 PM
Sarah Morris Webboard User Reg: 08-29-2006 Posts: 2324 Loc: Central Coast, California Offline	His skin looks normal...not red, irritated, or flaky. I just tried the white towel and water and didn't find anything but soil from the yard. Nothing new in the house but it is warmer here and there is a lot of pollen and blooming flowers around the house. The only other thing that is unusual and might be related is that he has had red eyes for awhile now. The red eyes predate the itching. I've had 3 docs look at it, have tried BNP drops and Terramyacin to no effect, and all 3 docs said it's environmental allergies and not to worry about it. They tried to do a skin scraping around the eyes but couldn't get enough to look at under the microscope. I don't know...I don't think it is at all normal for a dog to have constant red eyes and I'm rather ticked off I'm being told to ignore it. And now I'm wondering if whatever is going on with the eyes could be the reason he is now itchy on his body. True
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Mike Armstrong wrote 03/11/2007 02:56 PM Re: Dog is suddenly itching like mad [Re: Sarah Morris ] #132717 - 03/11/2007 02:56 PM
Mike Armstrong Webboard User Reg: 08-06-2005 Posts: 615 Loc: San Diego, CA Offline	Quote: Sarah_Morris . . . I gave him 1 Chlorphenamine tablet late last night but it's hard to know how much it helped. . . I would think if you can't tell if it helped, it probably didn't. I had the same negative results with Benadryl. I've dealt with the same problems with my GSDs for years. When Nettie has a flare up, I try and figure what changed - food, weather, pollen - but I don't think I'll ever know for sure. I think it's environmental/inhalant factors. The best you can do is keep your raw diet and supplements as finely tuned as you can to keep his immune system in good condition. I know all about the downside of long term or continual steroid use, but for those times when it's so bad that you and/or the dog is miserable, prednisone will stop it. I've got it to the point that about a single 3-4mg dose (65# dog) will take enough of the edge off that your dog can be relatively comfortable. I'm still trying to find an antihistamine substitute that will give that same kind of relief. Mike Suppose you were an idiot. Suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. -Mark Twain
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Connie Sutherland wrote 03/11/2007 03:17 PM Re: Dog is suddenly itching like mad [Re: Mike Armstrong ] #132720 - 03/11/2007 03:17 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Quote: Mike Armstrong  Quote: Sarah_Morris . . . I gave him 1 Chlorphenamine tablet late last night but it's hard to know how much it helped. . . I would think if you can't tell if it helped, it probably didn't. I had the same negative results with Benadryl. I've dealt with the same problems with my GSDs for years. When Nettie has a flare up, I try and figure what changed - food, weather, pollen - but I don't think I'll ever know for sure. I think it's environmental/inhalant factors. The best you can do is keep your raw diet and supplements as finely tuned as you can to keep his immune system in good condition. I know all about the downside of long term or continual steroid use, but for those times when it's so bad that you and/or the dog is miserable, prednisone will stop it. I've got it to the point that about a single 3-4mg dose (65# dog) will take enough of the edge off that your dog can be relatively comfortable. I'm still trying to find an antihistamine substitute that will give that same kind of relief. Mike Ditto. I am having success with Hydroxyzine. It's definitely a dog-by-dog thing with anithistamines. Benadryl, however, has never helped with any of my allergic dogs.
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Judy Troiano wrote 03/11/2007 04:00 PM Re: Dog is suddenly itching like mad [Re: Sarah Morris ] #132728 - 03/11/2007 04:00 PM
Judy Troiano Webboard User Reg: 09-22-2005 Posts: 979 Loc: New Jersey Offline	Quote: Sarah_Morris In less than 24 hours my dog has gone from the occasional scratch to scratching like mad. He had a marrow bone yesterday (not his first) so I wonder if that could it??? Has anyone else experienced a sudden onset on itching and can you suggest what else I can do? Thanks! Sarah, My dog had flare ups suddenly like that too and his sudden flare ups always turned out to be food allergy related. The beef bone marrows are what did him in. Lamb is the other food allergy that brings it on quickly - within 24 hours. I think he has environmental and/or inhalant allergies too but these seem to affect him in a very gradual manner. BTW, the allergy pill that works so well for him is 50 mg. Hydroxyzine. Regarding Prednisone, he's 80 lbs. and would get relief from 5 mg. of Prednisone. I tried 2.5 mg. but it did nothing. Good news though, he hasn't needed any Pred. whatsoever in over 3 months now - I just needed to find the food culprits. But, when really needed, the Prednisone was outstanding in giving him instant and complete relief.
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Sarah Morris wrote 03/11/2007 04:48 PM Re: Dog is suddenly itching like mad [Re: Judy Troiano ] #132732 - 03/11/2007 04:48 PM
Sarah Morris Webboard User Reg: 08-29-2006 Posts: 2324 Loc: Central Coast, California Offline	Thanks, Judy. It's good to know the beef bones might possibly be the culprit and certainly an easy problem to solve if they are. That's the only beef he gets and he only gets it once or twice a week. I've been wondering if it's the chicken, in which case I have a huge problem since he refuses all other kinds of raw meat. I'll see what happens in the next 24 hours and if there's little improvement I'll ask tomorrow about Hydroxyzine. I'd rather try that first and save the Pred as the last resort. True
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Sandy Moore wrote 03/12/2007 08:58 AM Re: Dog is suddenly itching like mad [Re: Sarah Morris ] #132817 - 03/12/2007 08:58 AM
Sandy Moore Webboard User Reg: 07-25-2006 Posts: 2665 Loc: AZ Offline	Sarah, another thought in addition to those posted above (like the beef marrow bone and other possible allergens). I'm a firm believer in vitamin C for lots of reasons, and it may be a help in itchy skin. Of course, not being studied in vitamins and their effects, I don't know if the condition of skin has to do with the immune system, but I know vitamin C has to do with the immune system. You might give it a shot, besides it can't hurt, can only help with the connective tissues of joints and the immune system. Sorry this post sounds so uneducated....that's cause it is!
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