Other than fleas, what could me making my dog scratch so much?

jack presley

I have two little pom/terriers, one of which is constantly scratching. I thought it was fleas so gave him a bath with the fleas shampoo and put the little pouch in his neck but he's still at it. He was due his worm dose as well so he got that now and we changed the beds etc. but nothing is stopping him.

His sister, who eats the same food, sleeps in the same beds though isn't scratching at all. What could it be?

Bog Bunny

You'd need to supply a bit more information because itchiness can have so many reasons, other than fleas.
Allergies? Mites? Dermatitis? Does he have red, sore, oozing spots where he scratches?

andreac

Could be anything from the food he is eating, to the bedding he sleeps in, to shampoo he is being washed in.
Also what food are you giving as treats? Some dogs are fed stuff that isnt meant for dogs and can awful reactions for them, like itching.

Zapperzy

It could literally be anything from a food allergy, an allergy to your washing powder, another sort of parasite or an allergy to a flea bite. Firstly a trip to the vets would be advisable to rule out any parasites. If they cannot find anything physically wrong with her I would look at the food you are feeding her. What brand are you using? Some dogs can be allergic to some of the ingredients. If a food allergy is suspected then you could play around with her food for a bit and see does she stop scratching. A diet of brown rice and chicken is fairly bland to begin with. Have you changed your washing powder lately?

jack presley

Thanks for the replies.

Regarding diet, they eat either Science Plan nuts or Pedigree Chum. I might have to see if he's only scratching when he's given the tinned food and if so I'll stick to the SP.

As for treats, they aren't given chocolate or anything like that, they mostly get stuff from the Pedigree range like those rodeo sticks or the Jumbones. I do throw them a few slices of ham when it's about to go off so I might eliminate that from their diet and see does that have an affect.

flutered

ham contains too much salt for them.

andreac

Id say theres you problem there, the Pedigree. Pedigree tinned food is made up of crap ingredients and low grade meat etc so i would avoid feeding it at all costs.
The treats too wouldnt be great either and i would try feeding natural treats like bits of boiled chicken or liver, but not too much as liver can be a bit rich for them. Sausages would be ok too.

Just a note too, Science plan can make some dogs itch and mine broke out in hot spots from it, so i would cut out the pedigree first and see how you go, then if they are still scratching then it could be the Hills so just see how you go.

Bog Bunny

andreac wrote: »

Id say theres you problem there, the Pedigree. Pedigree tinned food is made up of crap ingredients and low grade meat etc so i would avoid feeding it at all costs.
The treats too wouldnt be great either and i would try feeding natural treats like bits of boiled chicken or liver, but not too much as liver can be a bit rich for them. Sausages would be ok too.

Just a note too, Science plan can make some dogs itch and mine broke out in hot spots from it, so i would cut out the pedigree first and see how you go, then if they are still scratching then it could be the Hills so just see how you go.

I bet the Pedigree PR people will dispute your statement <LOL>
In my eyes treats made commercially by the big players in the dog food market are the equivalent to junk food.
We try to feed outselves and our children with wholesome healthy food and try to avoid Mars bars and sweets and that stuff, but the shelves are packed with junk food for our pets and we think we are doing them a good turn? Sheeeesh. Brain washing at its best!

What's so bad about natural treats?

Also a lot of commercial pet foods contain sugars and salt which have an addictive effect. No wonder people say "My dog wouldn't eat anything else" (Or like the slogan "nine out of ten cats who were fed XYZ prefer it")

[BTW, any processed food for humans, like ham,sausages, cheese, contains far too much sodium = salt. Not good for dogs' and their kidneys!]

Hands up who finds that his/her dog fed on PedChum drinks an awful lot of water?

Bog Bunny

jack presley wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

<snip>
I do throw them a few slices of ham when it's about to go off so I might eliminate that from their diet and see does that have an affect.

Apart from the salt issue in processed food mentioned earlier - dogs are not dustbins! If you have the feeling that something is going off and you wouldn't eat it yourself for a good reason, do not give it to your dog either. While a dog as a scavenger can easily deal with raw food having acquired the typcial Haut Goute, processed food going off contains really harmful and dangerous bacteria which even a dog's stomach cannot cope with. They can make him really sick.

jack presley

I think I'll concentrate on the diet before I go to the vet. I checked his coat and there doesn't seem to be any marks or scabs or anything. I'll take him off the tinned food and cut out the treats (both doggy and human!!) and give him a week. If there's no change I'll bring to the vets to rule out parasites or whatever.

thanks again everyone!

katyt

jack presley wrote: »

I think I'll concentrate on the diet before I go to the vet. I checked his coat and there doesn't seem to be any marks or scabs or anything. I'll take him off the tinned food and cut out the treats (both doggy and human!!) and give him a week. If there's no change I'll bring to the vets to rule out parasites or whatever.

thanks again everyone!

Good plan to start with the food but you might have to try one type of food for more than a week to get an effect. If it is an allergy to something in the food, rather than an intolerance of something, then you will have to make sure your dog gets abosolutley nothing other than the one food you are sticking to - and keep it up for at least four weeks.

My little dog turned out to have dust mite allergy, but we went through all those food and so on checks before we got a definite diagnosis.