Itchy Scratchy dogs!!!!!

[TheDowagerDuchessOfDinglyDell]

Both big and hairy and small and smooth. Scratchy nibble itch scratch scratch. Driving me nuts so lord knows how they feel poor dears. No sign of fleas, no change in food. Big hairy is itchy - vet thinks possibly allergy to something, maybe grass or pollen or something else.

Going to wash bedding and bath them today.

Any ideas/cures?

if two of them are itchy, parasites until proven otherwise. What flea treatment are they on currently? I'd be treating them both with something that covers both fleas and mange mites, esp if you have foxes around ( advocate or stronghold)
Grass/pollen allargy pretty unlikely this time of year and for 2 individuals to be affected.
Any new household chemicals? washing powder? Shake n vac?

Can't think of anything new. No signs of any fleas at all (easy to spot as white). Frontlined regularly (i'm never convinced it works but really no signs at all).

Both now showered and sulking.

Will phone vet and order advocate.

What bakingtins said. Nine time out of ten this will be a flea problem. Often extremely low numbers of fleas are enough to cause severe irritation, and they are like lightning, so not seeing them doesn't mean they aren't there. Did your vet do a scurf exam (collect scurf from their coats onto white paper)?

No scurf exam.
Vet also insists frontline is best. I'm not so sure. Will order different flea zapper.

The vet has just given my 14 month old a week's course of steroids to help with the itching/scratching. They have definitely helped, day 3 and hardly any scratching today.

Had this last year with my JR - someone suggested garlic capsules and they worked!

My dog is itchy and scratchy too - always the same late September / early October. Has been to vet and initially had some steroids which didn't work, then had flea treatment, mange stuff, eye drops, shampoo, pills etc £111!

Friend who lives out in the country told me their dog has the same thing and their vet says it is Harvest Mites. Have a google and see if that's the same as your dog.

Mine has pink sore patches on her toes and the top of her legs, round her mouth and round her eyes. seems to be getting much better with the shampoo, called something like Malseb. Has a bath and lather every other day and is a lot happier. Keeping the lather on and soaking her for 10 minutes is proving a bit of a challenge!

Our beagle became very itchy at the age of one and we then had 2 years of her being miserable and uncomfortable as the vets got stuck on the idea that it was allergy related. We spent a fortune on exclusion diets, she was almost permanently on steroids and had to have an operation to remove a (harmless) lump that has got infected with all the scratching. We probably spent over £1000 on the recommended food and treatments. Eventually we went for a 2nd opinion and the new vet thought it was mange (ruled out without testing by our vets) and treated it with advocate. She is like a different dog now. Please try this as it's cheap and won't cause any harm even if it is not this. it worked for us and I wish we had gone for a 2nd opinion sooner. You just think your vet knows what they are doing!