Puppy scratching/cleaning - what's normal?

[LittleMilla]

My 9 wo yellow lab seems to be scratching and cleaning himself a lot. I thought it was mostly the collar irritating him but even when it's off he's scratching.

He's had three lots of flea/tick stuff and we've got the next dose to give him in two weeks. He's obviously had all his jabs yet so only playing in garden.

Can't see anything flea like so just wondering if I'm just unfamiliar with how much they itch!

Obviously not.

What's the flea/tick stuff. Three doses seems a lot for him to have had in just a week?

I'd be really surprised if he had fleas at just 9 weeks old - why are you treating for them if there's no sign of them?

Puppies don't usually scratch a lot so I would say it is def something to get to the bottom of.

Maybe I'm getting confused with worming tabs? He's had two lots of those and I also had to put some stuff in the scruff of his neck that has to be repeated after a month.

It really is quite incessant. DH (who's grown up with dogs, I haven't) seems to think it's all v normal.

I've got to take him for 2nd lot of jabs on tues will obvs ask vet. Just don't want to sound like a paranoid pfb puppy mummy .

I got the vet to check out Eric who was a very itchy pup, there was no reason for him itching and the vet declared that some pups are very itchy and the amount of hair he has probably wasn't helping. It calmed down by the time he was 14 weeks and we've had no trouble since.

Thank you insanity, reassuring to know.

In other news...the little bugger managed to find a long forgotten box of cocoa powder and so we've had a £200 trip to the vet this pm! Obviously it was completely my fault for leaving it in reach but rather hairy seeing him vomiting everywhere. Poor mite.

Thankfully we've been give the all-clear. This will honestly be at nerve-shredding as children, right? But more expensive where's the NHS for dogs?

How long have you had him?

I am a bit concerned that as it's likely he came home at 8 weeks, to have had two lots of worming pills - most pups have a liquid suspension - jabs and a spot on treatment for fleas and ticks is MASSES for his system.

Does he actually have fleas? And is it even remotely possible that without jabs he is going to go anywhere where he might pick up a tick? I doubt it. I assume that's what the spot on is for? I feel the spot on treatment at his age is bonkers. He just doesn't need it. Fleas don't need treating unless they are actually there IMO.

I breed labradors, and haven't had a pup who is scratches a lot so really feel it's worth looking into.

If you could dig out the worming regime the breeder has given you, detail the wormer you're using and the name of the spot on treatment it'd help. What washing powder do you use and what dog food are you feeding?

What's he eating at the moment?

The spot on could be advocate. My pup has had that monthly since she was 8 weeks old as I am very paranoid about lungworm. Have seen dogs die from it.

He's ten weeks at the moment. When we got him two weeks ago he'd had one lot of worming stuff (just checked and it wasn't flea stuff too) and the vet then gave us another for him when we took him for his first jabs.

Just looked and it is advocate - which is flea and worm spot on treatment.

We've continued with the food she gave us - purina beta puppy food and nature's diet wet puppy food. We're feeding him 3x a day.

Concerned that I didn't manage to put the last spot on treatment on properly as he was wriggling so much!?

NatureDiet is a good food but Purina Beta not so much - it has a lot of cereals in. I would try only feeding the NatureDiet and see if that helps him not be so scratchy. It's not always diet related but can be.

Ah OK, good to know.

He's back to vets tomorrow for 2nd lots of jabs so I'll see what he says. Had a close look at him earlier for signs of fleas and saw what could be some droppings, but he's often in the flowerbeds etc so it's quite hard to discern what's just mud and muck from the garden . Unless i was looking for it, I wouldn't have said the flecks looked sinister!

If he were mine, I'd stop the spot on treatment for a few months. For me, it's overkill. He is really unlikely to pick up fleas, espec as he is so small (am assuming here that he didn't come from a dodgy breeder) and for me it's an unnecessary chemical addition.

I have had multiple labradors for many years and have never had fleas on any of them - it's really unlikely your little chap will get them at just a few weeks old.

Worms can be adequately dealt with with Panacur/Drontal for now.

What washing powder do you use? Two weeks in and a change from the breeders to your might have something to do with it? Or floor cleaner? Or carpet shampoo/freshener?

Thank you Daisy. Having looked I can see he's got a dry/scabby patch developing under his front arms which is probably from excessive scratching. He's also going at his bottom/around his tail quite a bit?

It could be many things TBH. We haven't washed anything but might well be the floor cleaner? Or I thought that the treats we've been using could be to blame?

We live in a city and I am ALWAYS hyper sensitive about rats because our house backs on to a big sports club which has been hosting lots of matches recently and so bins/vermin are likely to be around. Saying that, I've seen nothing in our garden which suggests it and there's just as much chance of rats on a farm I suppose. We also have a few cats that come/go a lot - but none are hanging around to see our pup .

Argh, so horrid. I feel so mean but pleased we've got the appt tomorrow am to hopefully get him sorted out.

DH just said that it might be his bedding. He came from breeder with the entire bed (as he was the last pup to leave) and we;d also got him a new one. Since last thursday he's only been on the new one which tallies with the increased scratching.

Just put the stinky old one back in but I'm hoping he'll be more comfortable.

Fingers crossed - hope he has a less scratchy night. It could well be something as simple as the fabric dressing.

Vet wasn't concerned and ruled out fleas which is a relief. Said it could be the bedding and interestingly he's been considerably better today so I'll just ditch the other bed.

Prescribed some itch relief shampoo stuff as a just in case but said it best to leave him

Good - fleas really were unlikely, and I would still hold off on the second dose of the spot on. It's benefit is dealing with lungworm, but for the next month, unless he scoffs masses of slugs and snails, the balance of probability is that he won't be troubled by lungworm. Let his system adjust to the massive changes he's just had by skipping a month and then go from there.