itchy skin

[Amt6121]

Brutus has been having some itchy skin problems lately. I bathe him about once a month unless it rains and he plays in the mud. I also brush him daily. We have him on Purina pro plan large puppy food. He is just so itchy and I am not sure what to do. Is there some kind of vitamins or anything to give him ? I also use oat meal based shampoo because I read it was better for dogs skin. I should also mention he loves to play in the water so I have to watch him when I water my plants. Could that be part of it too? I feel silly asking all of these questions but I just want the best for him

[Jax08]

Have you tried any anti histamine's like Benadryl or Claritin? Jax's allergies exploded when we visited Texas a couple weeks ago. You guys are right in the middle of pollen season...the spring pollen season.

[Amt6121]

No I have not. Would you happen to know the dosage of benadryl to give him ?

[pyratemom]

Originally Posted by Amt6121

No I have not. Would you happen to know the dosage of benadryl to give him ?

It's based on the weight of your dog. I give my 90 pound GSD one benedryl if the itching is only medium bad. If she gets a staff infection or something like that and gets really bad itchy I give her two at a time until I can get to the vet. I never give more than one at a time for any length of time, just as a measure to make Raina more comfy until I can get to the vet when necessary. I also use Allermyl Shampoo which contains chlorhexidine - great for itchies. You can also get conditioner and leave on antiseptic if needed, all made by Virbac. I didn't go with all three until Raina's allergies got out of control. Food allergies were the easiest to get around. Researching dog foods and finding one with out any allergens for her was a job but it was worth it. She is also allergic to airborne stuff like some pollens. The bath helps with that.

[pyratemom]

I forgot to add that some of that itchiness could be caused by flea or even mosquito bites. This time of year it gets worse for bug bites. I shampoo every other weekend, which Raina enjoys. She loves being wet.

[chloesmama2]

My puppy has been have really bad itching as well. We have taken her to the vet and he said he does not want us giving her benadryl and that he would rather us give her fish oil right now, which was recommended on this site as well. We have been giving that her for the last couple of weeks and not much of a let up.
I also thought it could be that we had her on Pedigree, which is corn based so we changed her food over to Blue Buffalo for large breed.
Her fur is getting nice and soft but not much help with the itches and we know she does not have fleas or tick either because we had that checked. I guess it is allergies and hopefully it will get better or we will be going into the vet again.
Good luck on your puppy.

[Jax08]

this is what I've done and so far it's working for us.

Jax is 70#

I bathed her using an emu oil shampoo that does not have any "shampoo" in it so it doesn't dry out her skin.

I have supplements from Carmspack
Feedsentials - 2T
Shemp Oil - 2T
3E's - 1t
Phytan Chance - 1/2 t
Mix with a little water and feed

Sunday Sundae - 1 t mixed with a combination of cottage cheese and yogurt.

I found LOCAL Raw Spring Honey that contains the pollens currently out and give her 1 t per day.

I gave Nature's Plus Quercetin Plus that has Bromelain and Vit C in it - 1 pill twice a day.

I give 1 Loratadine 10 mg (24 hour) once per day. I couldn't find the 12 hour relief tablets. If you use 12 hour then give one twice a day.

Before starting the honey and Quercetin, her itching was just barely under control. After starting, she might scratch once per day but she can run through tall grass and be outside without any itching and as the meds wear off, she isn't chewing at herself.

Benadryl - you can give 1 mg per lb every 4 hours.

[doggiedad]

make sure there's no parasites. try a medicated shampoo
for itching.

[Amt6121]

Originally Posted by pyratemom

I forgot to add that some of that itchiness could be caused by flea or even mosquito bites. This time of year it gets worse for bug bites. I shampoo every other weekend, which Raina enjoys. She loves being wet.

mine does too lol .. all I have to say is bath and he runs and jumps in the tub.

[pyratemom]

Originally Posted by Amt6121

mine does too lol .. all I have to say is bath and he runs and jumps in the tub.

Have you gotten him a kiddy pool yet? Raina loves hers.