Dog skin conditions

[carmen365]

I recently got a Japanese Akita pup of 9 weeks. I had noticed her scratching and leaving herself bleeding. Thinking it was fleas I treated her. Today we visited the vet for her jags and she had noticed the dry skin and gave me shampoo for flaky skin. Has anyone had a similar story and what treatment did the pet recieve?

[scubadiver]

One of our goldies has dry skin and we treat him by either adding some olive oil to his food, or occasionally giving him some oily mackeral, tuna or sardines. His skin is considerably better by doing this and the vet has supported this "treatment"

[Noweia]

I work in a vets and at the moment we have a spate of itchy dogs! Itchy skin can be caused by allergies, the most common ones being allergies to house dust mites, some plants and foods, as well as parasites.

scubadiver is right - adding oil to the food will work if the dog has dry skin and dandruff. For more serious allergies or an itch that won't stop, steroids, or a new drug called Atopica are sometimes prescribed.

Where was your dog scratching?

[drgnrdr]

My dog suffered from allergies when I got her at 8 weeks, part of the bad breeding I knew she had when she developed this, by the time she was 9 weeks old she was trying to chew her foot and sides and she would start crying out when she chewed her feet. She shook herself allot, itchy skin gives creepy crawlies I assume. I took out corn and wheat from her diet and her treats. She slowed the chewing ALLOT in 4 weeks. She still has allergies to outside pollens, like me, but I give her a Benadryl tab and an Omega3 fatty acid pill to help with her coat. I then switched to Innova EVO which has NO grains and low carbs and more protien like a dogs natural diet, she is doing better. Just an FYI for anyone reading this also: Bathing dog too often also causes itchy skin, and please use a dog shampoo, only use a flea shampoo if you DON'T use flea spot on treatment or collars or sprays, don't over dose them, Every 4-6 weeks is acceptable. Good Luck Carmen.

[carmen365]

Noweia, kumi is biting the back of her legs, tummy and back. I am feeding her on the Hills science plan and on the other advice I mixed it up with some wild red salmon she licked her plate clean and i got a big lick tooo!

[Noweia]

An itchy tummy and back are often due to allergies, and although I think your pup is a bit young to get an allergy, as drgnrdr's experience proved, dogs that young can sometimes have an allergic reaction to something.

Try adding oil to the food, and use the shampoo, and see if it makes any difference to your dog.

Also, check for lice, especially if your pup was kept on straw at the place where you got her. The flea treatment would probably have killed any lice if they were present, but it's best just to be sure!

[lildev666]

Hi , I have a Japanese Akita Inu, you shuld be careful not to give her too much fish as too much protein could cause problems with her growth. Puppy food is very balanced and companies spend thoussands of pounds getting it right, so try not to unbalance the food.

Japanese Akita have very sensitive skin, she might be allergic to grass or even have hayfeve, they get a skin irratiain rather than sneeze. Maybe the food she is on doesnt agree with her skin??