itchy puppy!

[DumBlonde]

hi there, since i brought my 9 week old chihuahua home last week, he's been increasingly scratchin all over and biting his limbs. we were at the vets early last week and i mentioned it, but she could see no sign of anything untoward. but he's been doin it more and more. i keep lookin at the skin in the areas he's scratchin and there's still no redness or sores, which makes me think it's a food allergy, but i've kept him on the same stuff the breeder had him on. so i'm not sure. he also seems to scratch more 1st thing in the morning and after a sleep...

any suggestions very welcome!

thanks!

[Jillius]

Our dog scratches himself silly at this time of year due to some sort of grass allergy. Our vet told us to give him a Piriton tablet every day. ( Buying them over the counter is much cheaper than buying from the Vet !! )
If he is only a puppy though you should check first.
Another thing that makes them scratch and chew is stress and boredom, apparantly.

[LoftyLottie]

I know that vets recommend 1 piriton (the original Piriton as opposed to the new one a day (as sold to humans) if dogs are suffering from allergic itching. However, you would need to check this out with your vet to see if it's OK for a 10 week old puppy.

Scratching in turn creates more itching so perhaps if you could just stop the itching for a short time it would sort itself out.

I am sorry I can't give you any ideas as to the root cause of the problem.

[LoftyLottie]

Snap Jillius! Your answer wasn't there when I started mine, but then great minds think alike!

[LoftyLottie]

Our dog suffers at this time of year because she continuously runs through stinging nettles. Piriton sorts it out for her - without them she runs around in a frenzy all evening trying to get comfortable.

[Jillius]

lol LoftyLottie

[Jillius]

There is definately something in the grass in summer that isn't there in winter cos our pooch doesn't have any problem whatsoever in winter. He scratches and licks and makes the most horrendous slurping noises. It drives me mad !

[stonekicker]

are you sure he is properly de-flead? an obvious point i know, but you didn't mention it in your post. the breeder may have de-flead him to the point of handing him over to you, but your puppy may be due another dousing! you will have to check this with your breeder and vet as puppies and other young animals require quite specific stuff to do the job properly. my cats are scratching too although i do keep this up together all year round as it is very warm now and this year seems to be a bit of a boon to fleas so far anyway...you will have to do something to solve the problem soon or he will start wearing bits of himself away and this will cause further health problems for him (and vet expense for you too!) good luck!

[jules77]

Can you see anything that looks like dandruff on the skin/fur?

[kita1]

Because Chi's are so tiny and yours is so young as well I would check with the vet before giving any human medication like Piriton.

Because of their size you have to make sure that you are not over dosing them.

How often are you feeding him, and what is the food?

Has the breeder been breeding for a number of years? Did they have the dogs in the home (or were they in kennels)?

[kita1]

Might be an idea to give the breeder a ring and ask them - if they are responsible breeders they will be happy to hear how the pup is getting on and may be able to give you some ideas as to why he might be scratching. Good breeders often know more about their breed than the vet!

[suzi-q]

I agree with the de-flea advice. I would use the strongest flea treatment that is safe for such a tiny puppy and also wormer. I have been told worm every 2 weeks while she is young.

Another thing I wondered .... I dont know if this is good advice but what about a little drop of olive oil on his food to make sure his skin isn't dry. Too much probably bad for tum so just a tiny drop. Don't take my word for it but thats what I was told to do for my itchy persian cat - had to be careful how I put that!!!

[jules77]

liquidised raw spinach is also good for itchy dogs.

[lankeela]

Not necessarily itch related, but make sure you feed your puppy little and often, as Chi's can suffer from a condition called Toy Breed Hypoglycemia, where the blood sugar level falls if they are not feed regularly in small amounts.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/toy_breed_hypo glycemia.html