I had Kasey at the derma vet today for his 6 months check, and was reminded of all the important things to know when it comes to itchy dogs! She said this season has been especially brutal for her patients, and many dogs who were just slightly itchy in years past, have been more so this year.

There have also been several new posts in the last couple weeks from new members with itchy dogs, so I thought it might be helpful to repost basic dermatology info for those of you who haven't read it before (the rest of you can ignore me!!)


1. Most people, and many vets, assume that if their dog is itchy, they should change their food - the kibble companies have brainwashed us into thinking that food allergies are very common in dogs, and so you should switch to an 'allergy-free' kibble if your dog is itching. The truth is, less than 10% of dogs have food allergies! And some breeds less than that - for example, it's less than 3% in golden retrievers. But food is the one easy thing that a regular vet can do to try and help the owner of an itchy dog - plus they make money off the 'hypoallergenic' dog kibble they carry.

2. By far, the most common allergies in dogs are flea and environmental. If your dog is itching a lot, the most important first step you can take is to make absolutely sure they have ZERO fleas! I was one of those people who thought we didn't have any fleas because I was always checking Kasey and never saw any. Wrong! One day I found one flea and that was enough to drive him to distraction. We started using flea treatments (which I hate to do, but the cycle of itching, biting and chewing, which leads to open sores and infection, was worse for him). Keeping him flea free has helped, but he also has environmental allergies, which is the next most common thing to check for.

3. Environmental allergies can range from anything like mold, pollen, grasses, etc. to even people dander! Yup, Kasey is allergic to me! Usually only a derma vet is knowledgeable enough to be able to do the required skin testing and reading of those tests to determine what the dogs are allergic to. Blood tests are a waste of money, both for food and environmental allergies - don't let your regular vet talk you into them, they are not an effective diagnostic tool. Skin testing IS more expensive (usually around $300 - $400), but it is very trustworthy.

4. If your dog is biting and scratching mostly on the back half of their body, fleas are highly suspected as the cause. If more the front half of the body, or the whole dog (especially paw chewing, ear infections/itching), suspect environmental and flea. Many dogs who have environmental allergies are also allergic to fleas.

5. Most dogs become very itchy if they have yeast or bacteria overgrowth on their skin. Many dogs with environmental and flea allergies do have problems with yeast and bacteria also. If left to multiply it will drive them constant biting and scratching, will start a cycle of itch -bite-infection. Skin scrapings are sooo important, and not that expensive, when I dog is itchy. Kasey is very sensitive to just a small amount of yeast, and will scratch incessantly. There are easy ways to keep that yeast under control, but usually only a derma vet knows how.

6. One other thing that's good to know - a dog's ears are an extension of their skin. If they are an allergy dog, their ears will probably be involved also. Yeast and bacteria that keep reccurring in ears, may be because of allergies.

I spent Kasey's second year of life going through a zillion different kibbles, home-cooked diets, and prescription dog foods - it was a big waste of money, time and anxiety trying to find the 'right' food. A year and a half ago we learned, from this site, how to feed raw and he has been healthier ever since. It didn't fix his allergies, but the derma vet believes the good nutrition has definitely kept his skin and coat in excellent condition in spite of his itching! I hope this info will help even one person who is struggling with the frustration and helpless feelings of having a dog that is constantly itchy! Going to the derma vet has taken all the guessing and responsibility off my shoulders, and that is worth the extra cost of a specialist!

(I would like to add that we would have ended up paying less in the long run if we would have gone to the derma vet first instead of trying all the other foods, drugs and trips to the regular vet!)

Great post, and this should be a billboard:

"I would like to add that we would have ended up paying less in the long run if we would have gone to the derma vet first instead of trying all the other foods, drugs and trips to the regular vet!"

Thanks for the reminder and info! I too am very lucky in that we have no fleas despite 3 dogs and 5 ferrets that reside in our home; and our animals do not seem to have issues with environmental pollens. I do vacuum our house almost daily and keep the yard weeded, so maybe those are all things that help.

Seeing as you are a raw feeder, as am I; I have a question that I've been meaning to ask other raw feeders to see if they have the same experience. Recently Enzo got infected on several occasions with ticks after a few hikes we took. Some ticks were discovered almost immediately and others popped up as long as two weeks later, but here is the weird thing...all the ticks were securely embedded, not too bloated, but not flat either, when I removed them - they were all DEAD! Dead, dead, dead! Not semi-conscious, barely moving, but dead as a doornail but still attached. I do not use any type of flea/tick meds, heartworm, nothing. He had a rabies shot over a year ago and that's it. Other than that he is fed a raw diet. So my question is: I wonder if his body has produced a natural immunity to ticks/fleas from the raw diet? Has anyone else experienced this? My Mom's dog did the same hike with us and he ended up with like 10-12 ticks on him - all dead to. He is also fed raw.

Wow! that's wonderful! I have never had that happen. Sharon

I don't see how ticks being dead could be related to a raw diet, but what do I know!? The few times Kasey has had a tick, it definitely wasn't dead.

Certainly not doubting Tanya's experience...but I think it must have been a happy coincidence. Feeding a dog a raw diet couldn't possibly make it kill ticks. Lots of other great benefits to feeding raw IMO, including a stronger system that might be less harmed by a tick bite. But raw dogs aren't excreting insecticides in their skin.

ETA: BTW, big thank you to Lori for such a wonderful original post. This will be the first link everyone gets who has an itchy dog from now on.

Yeah, it really is strange. However, I think of all the wild animals and the ticks they must pick up. How is it they're not anemic, weak and/or dying from tick infestation? Things that make me go, hmmmm.....

My GSD RJ is miserable right now itching like crazy. I found out that my daughter took him to the beach twice last week and didn't bathe him afterwards. I attributed the itching to being dried out by the salt water. Regular fish oil, E, and a fresh water bath hasn't stopped it. The hair is coming out off his rump now. We have cats and one is outdoors quite a bit. Being as its' on the lower portion of his body it's probably fleas then per the OP.

It sounds like fleas (possibly another external parasite, but more likely fleas) to me, especially with the rump comment. The base of the tail and the backbone are really classic flea geography.

Coincidentally, a contractor working at my house today was telling me that his dog had suddenly "come down with" fleas after a trip to the beach. He was surprised that "regular" fleas could be a big beach thing. (People often think they are "sand fleas" because they were picked up at a beach .... actually real sand fleas are not a typical dog problem.)

"Regular" dog fleas do indeed live in and multiply in sandy areas.

Is he on a flea topical?


A flea thread:
http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=29702&page=1

Yes but it's our local feed store brand that the wife gets. I'll have to ask her what it is.