Why is my puppy so itchy? And what course of action?

[Thisizit]

Puppy is 16 weeks old.

Only got him 2 weeks ago.

He was flead by vets when vaccinated but he is constantly Scratching, trying to bite his tail area, gnaw on his arms. Just generally itchy

Any idea what it's likely to be? I can't see any flea dirt

[BiteyShark]

Could be an allergy to food or something in the environment. Really hard to find what it is unless you start eliminating one thing at a time.

[Wolfiefan]

What did they use? Frontline is useless.
What do you feed?

[Thisizit]

He was on Asda Heroes but we are weaning him into wellness core puppy which has a really good score on the dog food website.

[OverFedStanley]

You need to start with the vet and let them eliminate issues.

[Thisizit]

I don't actually know what flea treatment was used. DH was there when he had it done. Was at vets4pets

[EthelShaw]

Go to vet again

[Thisizit]

I will be going to the vet but I thought someone might have an idea of what it might be.

[Catapultaway]

Could be anything. Most likely would be food is irritating him, but I would see vet before switching

[Thisizit]

His new food is grain free but he's been still having asda heroes inbetween

[Doriana]

Could also be mites which are very itchy but also very treatable. One of my dogs had them as a pup.

[CMOTDibbler]

Is his skin red? Is he losing coat?

[Thisizit]

No. His skin and coat seem fine.

[Thisizit]

It's not red but it seems a bit dry and slightly flaky on his ears?

[WatcherOfTheNight]

Could be one of a number of things ,do you know what pup was treated with at the vets ?
I would stop the hero biscuits & give something higher quality.

Also ,Wellness puppy contains Chicken meal & fat ,lots of dogs can't tolerate chicken.
It also has potato which can also be a problem for some.

[WatcherOfTheNight]

Do you have any coconut oil ? You could rub some into the dry flaky areas to see if it helps whilst you wait for your vet appointment.

[Thisizit]

I called the vets and they said it's best to wait till he's had his 2nd injection in 3 weeks to treat any skin issues as it could be down to the injections and they also can't give the 2nd injection whilst he's being treated for a lot of skin issues

What food would you recommend then?

His skin is very flaky

[CMOTDibbler]

I'd start giving him some cod liver oil, and cut out the Heroes. Then when he's at the vets, get Nexgard Spectra to do his fleas/ticks/worms as it would also treat any mites that he might have as well - its a monthly tablet

[Thisizit]

I've just ordered these to hopefully help over the next few weeks.

[Wolfiefan]

I would avoid washing unless necessary. That’s the advice the dermatologist have us.
Daily brushing helps mine. And I would check what the deflea stuff was.

[Thisizit]

The shampoo has great reviews. Many say it stopped their dog itching so worth a try.

[Wolfiefan]

I’m just repeating the advice I was given that washing can make skin drier and strip oils from the coat. It’s not recommended by veterinary dermatologists.

[Girlintheframe]

We had a very itchy pup. We give him Yumega oil every day. It seems to have helped massively. They also do one especially for itchiness.
I would still get him vet checked though to rule out any other causes first.

[adaline]

I wouldn't wash him - if he's itchy it could be dry skin and shampoo will just make it worse.

My thoughts would be that any of the following might be causing it:

• food. Just because a food is highly scored/grain free doesn't mean it will suit your dog.
  
• environmental. The dog could be allergic to something in your house such as perfume or washing powder.
  
• fleas/mites. Easily treatable but a real pain when they take out. Frontline doesn't work on my dog anymore and we have to use something stronger for his flea treatments.
  
• dry skin.
  
• allergies to something outside - lots of dogs are allergic to various pollens and things in which case piriton (NOT piriteze) can help.
  

I think you need to work via process of elimination but make sure you give each treatment/elimination a chance to actually make a difference.