Skin care

[fivecupsoftea]

I notice that my 6 month old puppy scratches a bit, and also rolls around on the carpet/grass, possibly getting itch relief.I don't think she has fleas, so I've been wondering if it's a bit of a skin issue. She's 3/4 poodle. Has anyone got any advice for this? I'm raw feeding her, I was wondering if adding oil to her food could help, also if there is a shampoo that could help? I don't bath her often.

[Wishiwasmoiradingle2017]

Do you use a carpet freshener?
Blankets washed in washing powder?

[SparklingRaspberry]

When you say you don't bath her often, how often are we talking?
In my opinion unless absolute necessary, or for medical reasons, dogs don't need bathing.

How long has she been itchy?
Have you changed anything in your home? New air freshener? Washing powder? Cleaner etc? Could it be hay fever?

Coconut oil is very good with itchy skin. You can apply it on the skin or put some in with her food

[Whitney168]

What do you feed her? What is the other 1/4?

[fivecupsoftea]

She has always had a tendency to scratch a few times a day, and it is the same now, maybe the rolling around on the carpet seems a bit more frequent. I washed her blankets in fairy non bio. I'm giving her frozen cubes of raw food, various makes, I've picked the ones with no rice in, that have all natural ingredients, one of the makes is Country Hunter. When she was very young we bathed her once every 2 weeks as I wanted her to get used to it, now we do it about once a month. If I put coconut oil on her would it make her fur very greasy? She is 1/4 cavalier King Charles spaniel. I might add that she is the sweetest loveliest dog I've ever known

[CornflakeHomunculus]

Cavs can be very prone to skin problems like atopic dermatitis. Presuming she came from a breeder, were they confident that none of her CKCS has shown any signs of skin issues?

[CornflakeHomunculus]

That should say "her CKCS relatives".

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Fleas are hard to spot so are you sure she doesn't have them? Are you defleaing her on a regular basis?

[Thewolfsjustapuppy]

Other than itching and rolling around on the carpet what does her skin actually look like?

[fivecupsoftea]

I'm not defleaing her, how do you do that? I'm giving her advocat every month. Her skin looks ok - I don't know what it is supposed to look like, it is soft and pink.

[Wolfiefan]

Advocate is a flea treatment.
I would stop the bathing. Bathe if she stinks or rolls in something disgusting!
I would want to visit a vet. Check for signs of allergy or irritation.

[Thewolfsjustapuppy]

Hi fivecups advocate is fine and will take care of flees if she ever picks them up.
TBH if her skin looks fine - what you are looking for is signs of irritation like redness or rash or pimples, soft and pink sounds about right - I wouldn't worry too much, most dogs love a bit of a scratch as its a way for them to release stress.

[fivecupsoftea]

Thanks