Why is my puppy scratching

[Doggylover2021]

My 13 week old puppy has always seemed to like scratching himself. I don’t think he does it excessively but I’m not sure. Recently he starts whimpering as he scratches. Not frequently but he’ll whimper once or twice a day as he scratches.

Im wondering if I need to book him in to see the vet. I’m really hoping not but at the same time Im not sure if this is normal behaviour or not.

Very grateful for any advice!

Where is he scratching and what breed is he?

He’s a cockapoo and he’s scratching sort of at his side I think

Fleas?

Can he get fleas when he’s flead and wormed? And how would I know if he does?

Comb/Brush him and look for live fleas or flea dirt (black specs).

Itching is usually due to one of three reasons:

• Pests
Either the fleas themselves or a sensitivity to the chemical treatment. Check for fleas first and if clear consider switching to a natural treatment like Billy No Mates.

• Allergens
These can be year round allergens like dust mites or allergens that get worse at particular time of the year like grass pollen. Keep an eye on when the itching is at it’s worse to see what he could be responding to.

• Diet
Food sensitivity is the most common cause of itching. I would cut out chicken from his diet first as that’s the most common one dogs react badly to (and if that doesn’t work I’d eliminate and monitor other ingredients one by one to see if that helps). I’d also consider what the quality is of the food he’s currently on and how I could improve that.

Also, a bonus one as he’s a cockapoo: is his coat being brushed regularly enough? Does he have a good groomer who is keeping on top of matting?

Thanks so much. I brush him regularly and he’s very good at tolerating it ! However I haven’t combed him. I’ll do that today and see if I can spot any fleas. He is off for his first ever groom on Friday!

Regarding food, I feed him a raw diet using the nutriment puppy packs. I do feed him kibble too as I got two big bags from the breeder so I’ve been using kibble when our and about and for treats/training.

Mention to the groomer about his itching on Friday. She’ll check his undercoat anyway so she’ll be able to see any matting/irritations/fleas. And she might also have some good advice for you even if everything comes out clear.

It’s probably worth checking the ingredients on both the kibble and raw and seeing what they contain. You’re looking to avoid (one by one) the most common food allergens for dogs: beef, dairy, wheat, egg, chicken, lamb, soy, pork, rabbit, and fish (to see if any of these trigger itching). Take your time, start with the most easy to eliminate, and keep notes.

There’s a good book called ‘My Itchy Dog’ that you might find helpful too.

Thank you so much! I’ll do that!

Could easily be mites, it’s not uncommon for them to come from the breeders with them. They aren’t easy to see though.... if he has them, he will need a treatment from the vets

I would take him to the vets.

Itchiness can be called by all sorts of things - fleas, mites, allergens, diet, where his harness rubs on his skin causing a raw patch etc.

It's probably nothing serious but it does need to be checked out :)

Buy a Seresto collar. My dog wears one from March to November, and it really cuts down on ticks, fleas and other infestations. It does not give toal protection, so you still need to do the grooming.