Itchy pet

[AbbieActon]

My dog's been a bit fretful these last couple of days. He's restless and keeps shaking himself, nibbling at his feet and generally looks as though something's irritating his skin. I've looked very closely at his paws and his coat and there's no sign of fleas or the like. In any case, he's up top date with his regular flea medicine and he's never suffered with them before. Any ideas?

It could be a food allergy, a contact allergy to something he's touched, or something like ear mites (which are too small to see with the naked eye and can get between the toes as well as in the ears). Have you changed his food lately or given him anything unusual? Walked him somewhere new? Washed his bed in new detergent? Think about anything that's changed and pop him to the vet for advice.

Thanks, spiderlight. He's never suffered from allergies before, but I think your prompt for a 'contact allergy' might be on the right track. He's a great one for chasing about in the ferns that abound here. At this time of year, they're quite dry and dusty and it could be that. I checked it out and found that it's OK to give standard anti-histamines, so I gave him half a tablet of Claritin. He quietened down after about half an hour and has shown no side effects. I'll take him on the same walk again soon and see if the same think happens to prove the point. If it does, I'll have to make sure I keep him out of the dead foliage. Thanks again...