German Shepard - biting -advice please

[CaliflowersAreFluffy]

Our 6 yr old GSD has been biting and staching for the last few weeks.

He has been treated for fleas and had antibotics from he vets to clear up his rash.

However he still has a spotty rash on his belly and despite clearing up everywhere except on his belly is still an issue.

Has been given baths and still has this problem - vet can find no problems.

Anyone with any other experiences, please can u share them

Yes we have..... he has never had fleas before...and eventhough neither us or the vets could find any evidence of fleas he was treated for them.

He was also tested for mange, which he doesn't have. The vet seemed to think he may of had a reaction to shake and vac which i use...so we have stopped using that.

However is belly is still inflamed...so i have been washing it in salt water twice aday.

But he still cant stop biting/straching and has caused a sore on his (tmi) the underside of his 'bits' that have been puting a cream from the vets on.

My dog gets a skin irritation on her belly. shes a gsd x in fact. We were prescribed a shpoo for her that really helped. Its called Etiderm by Virbac. I've looked and you can get it online.
It was brilliant during the summer though I'm dreading needing to do it during the winter. As you can understand shampooing a dog that size is a feat in itself.

Cauli, we have a very scratchy gsd too. Have you put him in a cone for when you are not there? Our vet keeps saying fleas too, so we changed his flea medicine to a newer organic one seems to work so far.

Also have you got come of that sour apple spray, stops them working it over.

lol bronze... i know what you mean our dog is 8 stone ! Very hard to bath in the best of circumstancs. But he is a big softy really and is very gentle with our dd who is 2 !

Thanks for the info about the shampoo

rislip.... we have got that sour apple spray too.... to try and stop him biting. But he just trys to bite where he has got it ! Little bugger !

Oh they're clever little things. Get him in the cone (and put all your valuables up high!) it will give the scatchy bits time to heal up.

When you say the underside of his bits do you mean the side nearest his anus or nearest his navel?

Just wondering if his anal glands are bothering him

Skin infections can need extended antibiotic courses to clear properly - anything from 10days to 6 weeks worth.
There are lots of causes of itching in dogs and whilst putting a cone on his head or spraying him with bitter spray to stop chewing will help, it is not getting to the root of the problem and the poor dog will still be itchy and feeling uncomfortable.
The infection alone could be the reason he is itching, but more likely there are other factors. Parasites appear to have been ruled out (though how did the vet test for mange? blood test or skin scrapes??) here with treatments and tests so the next most likely thing perhaps is an allergy. Allergies can develop at any age and can be to many different things from foods to dust/dust mites/pollens/grasses etc etc etc etc. We have many many things we can test for but may still not test for the right things.
Bathing can help with the irritation - there are lots of different medicated shampoos that can help, and different ones suit different dogs/situations so perhaps try more than one if the first is not helping. Usually a soothing type of shampoo is oatmeal based. Beware of timings for washing if you are using flea spot ons - check the instructions of the flea treatment for when to wash as many need at least 48hrs before and after application of the product where the pet is not washed.
Antihistamines could be a helpful additional medication your vet could consider whilst the antibiotics help. Some dogs do not respond that well to them, but others do get some relief.

There is a lot to dermatology in pets and I suggest as previous posters have suggested that if this is ongoing you get the dog referred to a dermatologist by your own vet. You simple need to ask you vet to arrange this and it should be sorted out for you.

Good luck