Dreadful itchy skin

[MrsMuddlePluck]

My poor wire-haired fox terrier is really suffering from itchy skin this summer. We have had him at the vets and completed a course of tablets, that didn't work. I have also tried piriton [vets advice] which just seemed to send him to sleep and didn't stop the itchies.

I am now using a gunk called Non-Stinky Stuff on all his itchy bits [company that develops natural remedies for agricultural animal skin problems and has now branched into domestic pets]. The trouble is that his fur is so thick, I can't get it on his skin, but I'm trying!

He is chewing his paws off and scratching his joints so badly they are bleeding and he is left panting and in distress.

We are seeing the vet again on Wednesday [earliest they could see him].

Any ideas please?

[Wolfiefan]

We changed food and it helped. Chicken is a common allergen apparently. We were advised to change to a new protein that she hadn't had before for a number of weeks to see if there was a change.
How about Stinky Stuff? You can make it into a shampoo to wash with.
We use a mutluk boot for foot chewing and I have to muzzle her sometimes too. Or the cone of shame?
No pain issues? Chewing can be an indicator of that.

[MrsMuddlePluck]

We tend to mix up the variety of foods he eats, so while he'll have chicken one day, he'll have lamb the next.

The Non-Stinky Stuff we have only used once as a shampoo [yesterday] and yesterday/today as a gunk directly to what skin we can get to. maybe needs more time. Just gets so upsetting to see him in such discomfort. Maybe a cone of shame until we sort it, but having allergies myself, it seems crueller to not be able to scratch that itch??

[MrsMuddlePluck]

We feed him James Wellbeloved dry food and Wainwrights wet food mixed.

[fenneltea]

James wellbeloved made one of my labs itchy, we now feed Skinners Hypoallergenic field and trial Duck and Rice with a small amount of Butchers tinned, results in a much happier dog!

[Wolfiefan]

No! Scratching traumatises the skin and makes it feel way worse. Or a vest like they use when dogs are recovering from spay etc?

[MrsMuddlePluck]

Thanks fenneltea - will try that, if I can find it.

Wolfiefan - I think I have an old cone somewhere so will look it out.

[firstidrinkthecoffee]

My dog is permanently on apoquel due to itchy skin, pup is heading that way too unfortunately.
It works really well to calm the itch and helps them break the scratching cycle. Maybe your vet can trial this with your dog?

[MimsyBorogroves]

We used skinners food with my allergic dog too. Brilliant. Wheat free diets which avoid chicken and beef often help. Does he smell yeasty? How are his ears?

Stinky stuff (or non stinky) is great. I also used coconut oil to help skin heal, plus half a teaspoon full in food. Hibiscrub was also useful for bathing.

[Wolfiefan]

Apoquel is ruinously expensive for big dogs and also has some worrying side effects. It's not something I would want a dog on long term.
We changed food. Added yumove itchy dog oil and sardines and apple cider vinegar. Still have outbreaks.

[raspberrycordial]

We have had the same, been through steroids, allergy testing, allergy vaccine, apoquel etc and nothing has worked other than when out of desperation (and exasperation), I tried my boots own itchy scalp lotion, that seems to work. It is a thin liquid so wouldn't matt up the fur.

[udnertheradar]

Our dog is on apoquel too. It is the only thing that works and she is beside herself scratching if we even miss one tablet

[fenneltea]

MrsMuddlePluck, Skinners can be ordered online from Amazon or agricultural/farm shops if you're struggling to find it locally, make sure it's the hypoallergenic ones though as they do several varieties!

[Fabellini]

Our dog (cairn terrier), has been diagnosed with allergies to beef, lamb, and dairy products. He’s on Royal Canin hypoallergenic food and his skin is usually ok these days.
He still has the occasional flare up, and I noticed yesterday he has a dry, flaky patch on his back....I suspect this happens when he has been given a “treat” by someone. I’m looking at you mil

[MrsMuddlePluck]

I'm continuing with the Non-Stinky Stuff and have just come back from the vet with antibiotics as he has developed a bacterial infection and some steroids to ease the itch. He already seems happier.

Thanks everyone for the feeding tips - I'll try a few over the next few weeks and see if anything improves.

[fenneltea]

Poor lad, glad to hear he's happier though, hopefully you can get it controlled with simple changes.

[Jenny70]

I don't think alternating foods is great idea, if they are allergic to one ingredient they are being exposed every second day - they need 6-8 weeks without it to clear it from their system.

Our food allergic dog was recommended to start a protein they had never had before - and for us this meant no dry food, as they all use chicken fat, beef extract etc in the many ingredients, so hard to eliminate them. Once you hit a diet/combo that works, stick to it, don't mess around trying to see if they tolerate XYZ, just go with whatever works.

And of course, it could be an environmental allergy (?tummy and paws?) which is harder to eliminate!!