What can you suggest for poor pup with itchy skin?

[Buddy2go]

I have a 11 week old cocker pup with really itchy areas on his skin; his upper hind legs, parts of his sides and tops of front legs.

He has been checked by the vet who could see nothing wrong and suggested his skin was just stretching.

I've tried thornit which I've used very successfully on previous dogs but though I think it may have helped a bit I'm not convinced it's actually managing to get through his coat - his fur is very fuzzy and difficult to part and I think the powder needs to actually be in contact with the skin?

He's being fed wainwright's puppy (Turkey) which the pet shop said was best for sensitivities. He already has occasional runny poos which I think is down to trying to eat leaves and grass at every opportunity - we do keep stopping him but some must get through- so I don't want to change unless there's a really strong chance this food is responsible. The kibble is soaked and he drinks lots of water.

We did bathe him every couple of days with puppy shampoo because he smelled of wee constantly but have resisted for the last week or so and the itching is worse.

Toilet training isn't going great and though he doesn't pee directly on bedding, the wee/ smell does get around so I've been deliberately washing with biological liquid to remove traces of smell and sometimes detol washing liquid - could this be causing trouble?

Any thoughts gratefully received !

Is the skin dry and flaky or just itchy?
If dry we found adding salmon oil to food helped. Got Healthy Hounds one, add a couple of squirts to each meal, our pup has never looked better and his dry itchy skin cleared up in a couple of weeks.

There's nothing visibly dry or flaky it just seems to irritate him. Will look at the Salmond oil though, thanks.

salmon - I obviously spend more time discussing snp politics than fish

Another vote for salmon oil here.

Thank you I've bought some oil, fingers crossed!

Look at the food. I've had lots of dogs over the years but I had a mastiff with major skin problems and paid a fortune at the vets for tests and shampoos creams etc. just happened to bump into a pet shop owner in pub one night who told me a few horror stories about dog foods. Changed food to one he advised and within 4 wks he had stopped scratching and his hair had started to regrow. The food he'd been on was the most expensive and over advertised brand! The difference was absolutely amazing. Good luck Op

Mine are raw fed as had similar skin issues with kibble food; with many it's the grain content that irritates them, dogs just don't need, aNd often can't tolerate, grains alth know most WW have minimal grains and are one of the better options of processed food. Also often sugar beet can be an irritant and many grain free have this in still, and usually find salmon oil really helps with either situation. I'd suggest looking into raw feeding, is good info on yahoo group UK raw meaty bones, well worth a read and considering

alth actually I think the best thing to do is give me the puppy then you won't need to worry about it any moee, I sooooo want a baby spaniel!

Pinky [Staffy x English Bull Terrier] is darn well sensitive to just about everything. If I get it wrong she is covered in itchy bumps and heads off in search of grass to devour.

Tried all kinds of good quality kibble. All upset her stomach. Horribly
Tried Raw feeding - it just made her hopelessly sick and cost money down the vets for drugs to stop her being sick [Wish I had known about white EBT and how they can react to raw food esp bones before] For now she is on NatureDiet trays and that does not upset her digestion or causes raw itchy lumps. They also make one for puppies. Its possible to bulk buy from the manufacturer. the good thing is I can stuff it into kongs and puzzle bowls so she gets to enjoy chasing and savouring her food in the same way she might if she could stomach a raw diet.

She cannot get away with most dogs treats but can tolerate a small amount of Fish4Dogs sea jerky cubes and has tiny slithers of home cooked meat [chicken or lamb] as a reward in training. My local butcher is great and keeps back offcuts and ends of joint trimmings for me to give her. Anything that contains retrived proteins, colourings or is highly processed tends to make her sick.

Think about other things in your dogs envioronment too. As an example
if I walk Pink through a hay meadow in full summer I need to hose her down asap as the pollen drives her mad and lead to her trying to remove her skin [yep trip to vets, steroids and antibiotics]

For Pinks bedding- I use duvets and soft throws that can be machine washed frequentlyand use none bio liguid meant for people with eczema. I did use bio wasking liguid but she looked red and sore instead of white afterwards. opps Most conditioners that make bedding smell nice also irritated her skin. I found ASDA's eco-vegan fabric conditioner suits her skin. Yippee something that can go head to head with the smell of dog. If her bedding is not washed frequently she gets very itchy and miserable as her own shed hair irritates her. A liguid none bio residue rinses out of fabric wheres as a powder residue can linger and can irritate very senstive dogs skin

I do not use dog shampoo on her - go on you can guess why- instead I use a very mild baby bath suitable for newborns made up into a solution in a squirty bottle. It shifts dirt, does not irritate and does not cost as much as most dog cleaners.

I try to be careful and she has improved on sticking to a diet that works well for her but occasionally she still over reacts to God only knows what and if the reaction is severe she ends up on a steriod taper from the vets.

Hope you get to the bottom of what is causing your pup so much discomfort, takes a bit of detective work but if you can spot causes and effects you should be able to make life a nicer thing for him.

I would change the food again if it doesn't improve. I had the itchy skin problem, it used to drive him mad, constantly scratching for hours. I changed his food and he stopped.

Our dog is on purina hypoallergenic after years of skin allergies, he has been fine since putting him on this food. It is dear but then there are no more vet bills for his allergies xxx Good luck!

He seems to react to potatoes (of all things!!!)

Coconut oil in their food, and apple vinegar (organic with the "mother") are also recommended as helpful to dogs with itchy skin

Salmon oil is far better than coconut oil which isn't species appropriate and cause a raft of problems of its own
Cider vinegar with the Mother is fab, I drink it when feel the need, dogs get it in their water

Itchy skin in dogs can be caused by dietary allergens, environmental allergens or stress. Stress is often overlooked as a cause but it's more common than you think, it's also a common cause of tummy upsets. To find out if it's dietary related you need to do an elimination diet, your vet should be able to advise on this. There are special allergy diets available which you need to try for several weeks. I wouldn't recommend chopping and changing and introducing lots of new diets, any dietary change should be gradual.

Oh poor puppy and poor family, not nice or easy to deal with. What PlaceNiceNow said is bang on.