Golden Retriver puppy soooooo itchy

[Lyn29]

I have a just over 8 week old Golden Retriver and is scratching and itchy all the time, especially at night and sometimes wines when his scratching. His been vets, had flea, mite treatment blah blah, is on hypoallergenic food, has been checked by the vets but she just said dry skin. But when I mean his scratching it's constant and there no let up, it's horrible to see him so miserable and I really don't know what else to do ? Anyone?

Ask your vet for a referral to a specialist veterinary dermatologist for further advice. No dog should have to suffer like this.

Do you have pet insurance? If the puppy is KC registered, you should have free insurance for a few weeks.

It’s very disappointing that the breeder hasn’t returned your calls. Is the breeder a member of your local GR club? If so, let them know you can’t make contact. The breed club might also give you advice.

Could it be the flea treatment?

Taking him to the vets today. Last night was horrendous, no letting up from the scratching. My heart is breaking for him. He looks like a different puppy. Will try and attach photos so you can see the difference. Took him off the AVA hypoallergenic food and trying him on a fish diet.

Cheyletiella mites, known as walking dandruff, is a possibility.

@MarmiRae

he was absolutely beautiful as a small
pup wasn't he. I think Labs grow faster than most other breeds. It's such as a shame as they're adorable little pups!

they're lovely bigger pups 'teensgers& dogs too, but as little pups they're just beyond gorgeous!!!

thsnks for sharing his photo 😍

Hi, Just thought I'd give you all an update. Took my puppy to the vet and they said they thought it was mites so they took a scrape to test but it came back negative. Then then took a deeper scrape to send off to the lab and I have to wait 10 days for results. Gave a 10 day course of steriods which has really calmed down the itching but the hair loss is still bad, bald patch around the eyes and his coat looks dull. Skin still looks very pink, I'm just fed up with the whole thing and hate seeing him like this so young ☹️

Also forgot to add Just doing a hypoallergenic fish diet for now and hoping for the best until the other scrape results come back

My Goldie had exactly this problem when little, recommendation from another Goldie owner who had the same , was to only give foods low in protein (below 20%).. I also mixed vegetables (broccoli carrot etc) with his food, which worked.

The other problem we had was some of the spot on flea treatments seemed to make him itch, we came up with one that was ok by trial and error.

Incidentally, my sons dog had the same, he had to try various makes of hypoallergenic food before the right one was found!
Good luck

Thank you @Jellykat did your goldie lose a lot of hair? I don't know if you can see the photo but his lost a lot in such a short space of time. When mentioning it to vet they don't want to hear anything about it, acting like I'm mad or making it up. He had the itching skin before his flea treatment. I just want to get to the bottom of it to keep him happy and healthy

Still no response from breeder?

Have you bathed him? Try some oatmeal in a warm bath, in a sock or similar, soaked long enough to turn the water milky.

No still no response and pets4homes have now banned her ad on the website and blocked her so no way to get hold of her at all

Yeah bathed him but will definitely try the oatmeal thing so thank you

Ah that's a shame, poor pup - seems like they know something is up - don't worry I am sure you will get this fixed with the support of the vet.
I raw feed my dog, it's not everyone's cup of tea but it suits us very well. My mum's lab switched to raw too when he had constantly itching skin and it seemed to cure that very quickly. But as he's so young and has it so bad already, it may well be something he got from the home he was born into.

Poor baby came from a puppy farm. I know it’s not worth it now as what’s done is done but if there is ever a ‘next time’ and you’re thinking about getting another dog, please do your research and find a reputable breeder.
Do what you can to report your pup‘s breeder too.
www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/looking-after-your-pet/puppies-dogs/could-you-spot-a-puppy-farm

Big red flag if you can't get hold of breeder. Is the pup KC registered.....they need reporting.

When I got him I met him in the ladies home, he was with his bothers and sisters, looked healthy and well and had its first vaccination and microchip. I feel
A fool now and Just want to get him better

My Goldie used to nibble at particular areas until they bled, he frequently had to wear the cone of shame until we worked it out. The vet was flummoxed, and it wasnt until i got into a conversation with the other Golder owner whilst walking, that the answer came to light.
While it does sound as if your previous owner may have been dodgy, my Goldie came from a family home and was KC registered. So dont blame yourself, it really can be a Goldie breed 'weakness'..
On the upside, your pup has lovely clear eyes so thats a good sign, im sure you'll get to the bottom of it!

@Jellykat how long after changing the food, did you see a difference? And when did you start seeing some relief in your dog as at the moment I don't know if it's just the steroid calming him down. Thanks for replying, it's really making me feel
A lot better that I'm not alone with it as the vet wouldn't have allergies as the reason at all

It may well not be allergy based, all i can say is it was in my boys case.. wait until you get the 2nd scrape test back and go from there, as its all a process of elimination.
It was many years ago for us, but i think it took a while as the gradual food change helped, but then we realized it flared up with the spot on, so had to find the right brand for him.
The steroids will definitely be calming things down, so you wont know for sure until the course stops.. dont forget with DSs dog we had to try 2 different makes of food (introducing each one gradually) before we found the right one, but you'll get there!

I know someone with a Goldie that had food intolerances. They switched her to raw food and said the skin issues completely went away. I think they had to cycle through all the different proteins to work out whether it was related to any particular protein but they think it’s grains.

@Lyn29 How's he doing now?

Anotger few days before the results come back, make sure you get copies of the results from the tests YOU are paying for.

id be changing vets!!

Just a thought -

ICT-A (Icthyosis), a cosmetic condition very common in European Goldens in particular.

Really hope you get a solution - I love goldens