Itchy & Scratchy

[Oskar der Drachen]

Bear is 12 weeks old this week, and he still has his fluffy puppy coat.

He had some bumps like acne on the skin of his lower belly that the Vest said was his skin's reaction to natural bacteria, kind of like zits. They are going away now on their own.

What I'm concerned about now is that Bear is always scratching. He didn't do it coming home from the breeder, and he has started about a week ago. Not scratching to the point of damaging his skin, but all the time itchy-scratchy.

It seems to be mostly the backs of his elbows (front legs) and his ribs where it seems he has a light red speckly rash. He does not have fleas, and he is not scaly. I do brush him.

He eats a puppy rated dog roll, (wet food) dry puppy kibble, two big biscuits a day, and an egg a day raw with his breakfast. Do I need to add more oil to his diet? We use olive oil at home and it would be easy to add to his food.

He has his 12 week shots this week, what should I ask the vet?

[doggiedad]

what are you feeding him? maybe he needs a bath.
find a natural, organic or medicated shampoo.
try a human grade salmon oil . it might help.

[KentuckyGSDLover]

I've noticed both of the german shepherds I have had start scratching in late fall, or when the heat goes on. A good oatmeal shampoo has helped mine.

[Gwenhwyfair]

Salmon oil or Sardine oil (as was recommended to me here and by a vet I know) may help more then the olive oil....

Originally Posted by Oskar der Drachen

Bear is 12 weeks old this week, and he still has his fluffy puppy coat.

He had some bumps like acne on the skin of his lower belly that the Vest said was his skin's reaction to natural bacteria, kind of like zits. They are going away now on their own.

What I'm concerned about now is that Bear is always scratching. He didn't do it coming home from the breeder, and he has started about a week ago. Not scratching to the point of damaging his skin, but all the time itchy-scratchy.

It seems to be mostly the backs of his elbows (front legs) and his ribs where it seems he has a light red speckly rash. He does not have fleas, and he is not scaly. I do brush him.

He eats a puppy rated dog roll, (wet food) dry puppy kibble, two big biscuits a day, and an egg a day raw with his breakfast. Do I need to add more oil to his diet? We use olive oil at home and it would be easy to add to his food.

He has his 12 week shots this week, what should I ask the vet?

[Mac's Mom]

Aw poor Bear.

We have been dealing with skin issues with our adult dog for 6 months or so. His skin was dry and scaly so the vet said to add human grade fish oil to his meals and of course feed a good kibble. We brushed and bathed him with medicated shampoo. Since your dog doesn't seem to have dry skin I don't think the fish oil or olive oil will help.

Finally because of advice I got on this forum, we had a skin test done and it turned out he had a skin infection/bacteria. He was given steriods and quickly his issues cleared up, his coat shined and his energy level increased.

I have no idea if this is your issue. I think my point is that vet's can take issues like this lightly and you may have to push to get to the bottom of it.

[Gwenhwyfair]

Just to fill in the details on the meds mentioned.....

Steroids (usually in the form of prednisolone) help with the itchness and are a potent anti-inflammatory. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil are as well, anti-inflammatory. Steroids are certainly more powerful in this regard. They stop the dog from further irritating/damaging his skin as the itch is relieved and he stops the scratching. This allows the skin to heal and hopefully the underlying cause of the itchiness/rash is addressed.

Steroids are not good for long term use though and I wonder if they can prescribe it for puppies?

Originally Posted by Mac's Mom

Aw poor Bear.

We have been dealing with skin issues with our adult dog for 6 months or so. His skin was dry and scaly so the vet said to add human grade fish oil to his meals and of course feed a good kibble. We brushed and bathed him with medicated shampoo. Since your dog doesn't seem to have dry skin I don't think the fish oil or olive oil will help.

Finally because of advice I got on this forum, we had a skin test done and it turned out he had a skin infection/bacteria. He was given steriods and quickly his issues cleared up, his coat shined and his energy level increased.

I have no idea if this is your issue. I think my point is that vet's can take issues like this lightly and you may have to push to get to the bottom of it.

[Oskar der Drachen]

Vet's appointment tomorrow.

It's a full press app with all three of the fur children coming to see the new Vet.

I have a list...

[RocketDog]

I would ask the vet if she's/he's sure it's not a potential staph-type infection, especially in the wetter season now. Try a little neosporin on part of it for a couple days and see if that helps it.

[Freestep]

Originally Posted by Oskar der Drachen

He eats a puppy rated dog roll, (wet food) dry puppy kibble, two big biscuits a day, and an egg a day raw with his breakfast. Do I need to add more oil to his diet? We use olive oil at home and it would be easy to add to his food.

It could be a food allergy, though it is rare in a pup of that age. I do not like the rolled dog foods as they often have a lot of sugar. What brand food are you feeding? Eggs are good, and fish oil is a lot better than olive oil.

[onyx'girl]

Adding humidity to the home helps reduce dry skin. Not sure your location, but if you are running a furnace the house will be dry without a humidifier.
I would start with some human grade natural vitamin C(w/rosehips) for your pup(500mg) it will help reduce inflammation and support the immune system. It is also a natural antihistamine. As the pup ages, you can up the dosage to 1000mg.
When the pup is older 8+ mos, then you can give EsterC daily...EsterC has added calcium which isn't recommended for growing pups.
I give 2000mg daily to my adult dogs(split between their am and pm raw meals)