Pet Parenting: My dog is itching like crazy

petparent6-no-sponsorDear Denise,

My dog is itching like crazy, but he doesn’t have fleas and I’m not seeing any obvious problems on his skin. All that scratching is making him — and us! — a little crazy. Any idea what could be wrong?

Dear Mama:

I generally don’t like to answer questions that appear to be about health, as I am not a vet, and your personal vet is an excellent resource for addressing the health of your animal. However, it seems I get this question pretty frequently, especially in the winter.

itchy dogYour problem could stem from a variety of things. It could be allergies (food, environment, fleas- even one bite is enough to set off a reaction in an allergic dog), dry skin, or maybe you didn’t rinse all the shampoo out of the coat last time your dog had a bath.

If it’s allergies, you’ll probably need your vet to help you solve that one. If it’s a bad rinse, then a more thorough rinsing followed by a second rinse with vinegar and water may help remove any soap residue.

If it’s dry skin, there are a number of things you can try. A coat conditioner, either after a bath or between, some sort of coat enhancing supplement available at pet stores or through your vet, or you can try adding a little bit of oil (olive, sunflower, safflower, coconut) to your pet’s food each day to up the intake of essential fatty acids.

My dog, Henri, gets a little bit of coconut oil most days just because I love him. You could also try a raw or poached egg twice a week, as eggs are a great source of amino acids, which are also good for the skin. If you go the oil or egg route, you should see some relief in a few weeks. If you don’t, you probably need to investigate allergies as a likely culprit and make an appointment with you vet.

Happy Holidays!

Denise HolmesDenise Holmes loves animals and considers it her life’s work to help pets and their people live together in harmony. She trains pets through her business, Ain’t Misbehavin’ Pet Behavior Counseling. Denise also developed a product just for brand-new moms that’s available at some retail outlets around NWA. It’s a CD called My New Best Friend and features actual newborn baby sounds and is designed to help introduce the family pet to a new baby.