Itchy pup

[sloggue]

We have recently adopted a beautiful 16 month old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. He has started to scratch himself in a number of places and chews at his paws, quite frantically at times. We have noticed a few small round scabs, one on the bridge of his nose and a couple on his body which he sometimes scratches at until they bleed.We have treated him with Frontline flea and tick stuff from the vets but to no avail. He is otherwise healthy and happy. We will be taking him to the vets of course but any ideas/suggestions would be greatfully accepted.

[quibbmedusa]

Hi there Sloggue....i had exactly the same problem with my Jack Russell Pup, and his problem is summer itch..an allergy to pollen spores..i went through the flea routine to no avail, then someone reckommended Tea Tree spray..you can get it from most pet shops..within 3 days, it had cleared up completely..it also soothes the skin and rules out dermatitis or the like before you have huge vet bills..they also do a tee tree shampoo too...worked for me, hope this helps x 

[sloggue]

Thanx for that, I had considered using tea tree oil as I'm in to aromatherapy but wasn't sure about using it on a dog so will give it a try. Many thanks! x

[quibbmedusa]

no probs xx

[FP]

Had the same problem with our little dog recently.  The vet says to keep Piriton (antihistamine) on hand and to treat with two a day until the rash clears. They can be bought without prescription from any chemist.   Piriton is fine, but don't use any other antihistamines meant for humans as the dosage may be wrong for dogs.  The Piriton will stop the itching and the dog will stop scratching which gives the rash time to heal.  Piriton can do no harm and has no side effects.

Even though you are going to the vet with your dog, this might keep him comfortable in the meantime.

Good luck.

[sloggue]

Thank you FP. Use Piriton myself as it really helps with my eczema so hopefully will stop Billy from itching too!

[woofgang]

My poor honey has had an allergy for the first time this year. It makes her eyes run and she scratched one eyeball rubbing them. The vet prescribed piriton for the allergy and eye ointment and now she's fine. The point of this story is that the vet prescribed one tablet twice a day but this dose was too high and dried up her poor liitle nose and mouth something chronic. She is now on half a tab twice a day when she need it. Moral.....keep an eye on the nose!!

[sloggue]

Have just given Billy his Piriton and bathed his sore bits with tea tree solution so fingers crossed. Thanx for all your advice!

[mycatis]

My cat is exactly the same just now, poor baby, going to vet (but cant get him there till next week!) does anyone know if these treatments, tea tree esp. will be ok for him?

[drgnrdr]

Just a few questions. What do you feed your new dog and what was he eating before you got him? Do you bathe him regularly? Sometimes a food allergy is the culprit. My GSD was allergic to corn and wheat in her food, and so she now gets a dog food without this and I watch her treats and what is in them. She was biting her feet so much she cried out, now she is better and she has regular allergies to pollens but it's nothing like it was, since I changed the food. Bathing too often or with Human shampoo's also makes them itchy. Let us know how it goes...

[sloggue]

Hi drgnrdr,
Have thought about the food allergy issue too and that will certainly be the next port of call if we have no joy with his current treatment. At the moment he has pedigree complete dry food, sometimes with rice and veg added. We don't bathe him too often and use either a sensitive dog shampoo or baby stuff. He seems a little better though, not scratching so much etc. Would be a bit ironic to have a wheaten terrier with an allergy to wheat!!
Thanx for your advice, will keep you posted!

[drgnrdr]

Check his food, corn is also a culprit of allergies, don't forget the treats and such they are given. I changed my dog's food then forgot about treats and biscuits. It's hard to find treats and such with no corn or wheat. Dogs can get a bath about every 4-6 weeks so watch the frequency. Also NEVER use a human shampoo on your dog, they have a different ph balance than we do, they do not sweat thru their skin, they have a bad reaction sometimes to human shampoo, heart attacks are the worse to happen. Hope the guy gets relief soon, and you too.