I have a Beagle. She is always itching! I have looked on her, I only found 1 flea. It looks to me like she has dry skin. Is there anything I can use of her that is very cheap!
Thanks,
Dee from NY
My dogs seem to need either cod liver oil or some source of vitamin A. I just cut up one human capsule into the dog food. Not every day because fat soluble vitamins are stored by the body and an overdose is possible. Commercial dog food seems to be lacking in important nutrients.
Once I had an Afghan with particularly sensitive skin. The vet prescribed raw liver, with vegetable oil, zinc, and a bit of iodine. That was good for her. (02/10/2005)
By Barbaral
I had a Dachshund with dry skin and the vet said to give her 1 Tablespoon full of corn oil every day in her food. She weighed 35 lbs. She was the old fashioned breed. (02/10/2005)
By Anna from Maine
If you found one flea you can be sure there are more! And if she has fleas they are probably in her environment, waiting to hop back onto her! Getting rid of the fleas may go a long way to stopping the itching and dry skin as dogs commonly get an allergic dermatitis with flea bites. I use Frontline spray, (2.5g/l Fipronil), which not only kills the fleas on the dogs but lasts 10-12 weeks, so kills any from the environment that hop back onto the dogs. In practice I've found that I don't need to spray that often as there are now no fleas in their home environment and they only get fleas if we mix with other dogs, either at their home of when I pet sit my friend's dog at my home.
Regards
Jo (02/10/2005)
By Jo Bodey
My dog, a Cairn terrier/Cocker spaniel mix had a bad skin problem. She was very red and itchy. The vet said it was probably her food. Often dogs are allergic to the dyes or additives in their food. And we weren't feeding her cheap stuff. We switched her to Puina's Little Bites and she has had no problem. The Purina brand of basic dog foods seems to be fine for most dogs. You don't have to buy the really expensive Science Diet or Iams brands. Just look for something where meat is the first ingredient and that it doesn't come in "3 different flavors" which really means dyed colors. The dyes are the worst.
For those of you that have already tried this and it hasn't helped, you might want to ask you doctor about a protein allergy. Dogs can be allergic to protein. I know it sounds crazy, but it is true. If a dog is allergic to protein, then they have to be put on a special diet where the food is mostly made from fish and vegetables. And expect that your dog will always be a bit underweight, but otherwise healthy. We have raised a dog with this allergy.
The main way to know if it is allergies, is look at their skin when they haven't been scratching it. Is it all red and blotchy? Sounds like hives.
Also, if your dog is itching constantly, do not rule out mange. This is a VERY serious condition that needs to be treated by a vet right away. The itching will get worse and worse until your dog will do nothing but itch. It won't even want to eat. And it will be loosing it's fur. At that point, you often have to put the dog down.
If you aren't getting an answer from your vet that satisfies you, don't be afraid to go to another vet. It is your pet and your money. Don't pay for bad advice!
Good luck.
Heather (02/10/2005)
By Heather
Try a bit of olive oil mixed in with her food. This helped our dog with itchy skin. Good luck! (02/11/2005)
By Suzie
You have my sympathy. It's hard watching the poor things scratch till you think they're raw. I have a Cockapoo (cross between a Cocker spaniel & Poodle) he has more poodle in him w/thick curly hair and very pale skin. I've changed his food already but he still scratched. I started bathing him w/a medicated shampoo and rinsing him with an Aveeno 'rinse'. It helped w/the scratching and his coat is very soft now. Good Luck!! (02/11/2005)
By Vicky
My Beagle itches a lot, too. She was tested for allergies. One flea bite will give her a red rash, itchy ears, etc. She scratches her tummy and ears constantly through the allergy season unless I limit her time outdoors to keep her away from insects and certain grasses and wax myrtle which cause her allergies. You should take your dog to a vet, though, because it could possibly be a more serious problem and your vet can give you a diagnosis for your dog and an appropriate method of treatment. My Beagle is much happier now that our vet determined the cause of her itching and helped me with ways to control it (and it was not very expensive). (02/11/2005)
By beagleowner
I had a Cocker Spaniel years ago that had terrible skin allergies. We did everything --- steroids, etc. After everything failed, I started using baby oil on her a couple of times a day (on the hot spots), and she eventually cleared up. (02/16/2005)
By Donna
My granddog had the same problem when he came to live with us. He was a Border Collie and Fritz mix, very long hair and shedding badly. We added a tablespoon of essential fatty acids to his food daily. The dry skin cleared, his shedding almost stopped, and his coat was soft and shiny. My son had tried every product on him imaginable up to this point. The problem comes from within and must be treated this way if you are to get long term success. A mixture of essential fatty acids is best. A little more expensive than the olive oil, but worth it I'm concerned about the person using motor oil on their pooch since it is full of toxic chemicals that could possibly cause liver and other organ damage.I 'm sure this person means well, but the treatment could be worse than the problem long term. Essential fatty acids don't cause the build up problem that cod liver oil can. Hope this helps. Also I use Masters Miracle Moisturizing liquid soaps as shampoo. It doesn't have the chemicals and perfumes that dog shampoos have. Good for humans too. Can find it on internet or in some health food stores, but name has recently changed to Nature Rich. Very concentrated. I dilute it down by half with distilled water and it only takes about a quarter size for a small to med. dog (05/01/2006)
By Darlene
Number One: Make sure your dog has fatty oils, like omega-3 in his food, most dogfoods have corn and not animal protein as their main ingredient.
Number Two: Does he itch more after you mop/clean floors? My dog had bad reactions to Pine-sol, and would run upstairs when I mopped with Mr.Clean. I have since stopped and use Basic H by Shaklee. It is all natural and REALLY WORKS. Plus my dog can sit in the room with me, along with my baby while I clean because of no harsh fumes, but works like Windex! Their Basic G is also great for killing fleas. If you'd like more info on these products, leave me a message or email me at healthy_home101@hotmail.com or check them out at www.shaklee.net, my distributor ID is ZM06763 (05/02/2006)
By Kelly
Please consider a little bacon grease on the dog's food. We have had great success with this old fashioned remedy.
It doesn't take a lot, tablespoon 1x weekly. You will see a big improvement with pets.
Their fur becomes so shiny as well.
Over all everyone is happier. (01/03/2007)
By Judith
(See Post By tina (Guest Post) (02/11/2005))
I work in the automotive industry.
USED MOTOR OIL will KILL your pet!
Tim (02/09/2007)
By Tim C.
Yes we too have a itchy Beagle. The vet said she was allergic to wheat. So we have to give her potato and Duck dog food only. They make dog treats as well . It seemed to help, good luck. (11/06/2007)
By Lori
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
