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Itchy Dog Even After Bath, Flea Collar, & Topical Tick Application


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Hi Everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone could provide some insight for me? 

I've got a dog I'm watching after who won't stop scratching, and I'm feeling really bad for him.

2 days ago I took him on a short mountain walk, but we stayed on trail - so I'm not sure if that is related or not. He also takes 3 walks a day and does like to roll in grass.

Yesterday I bathed him and put a flea collar on him, which didn't help his itching. Then this morning I found 1 tick on his head so I took him to the vet and got a topical tick medicine applied. I haven't found any other ticks on him.

I've analyzed the areas he's going after even under a flashlight and I don't see ticks or fleas, but I did just find 1 clear/white ish looking thing on his fur, his fur is black. But this is the only one I've seen. I've really been looking at him and I don't see anything but clearly something is driving him quite crazy.

Does anyone have any ideas of what this could be and/or what I could use to help him? I'm not from the area so I am not familiar with the local pests that might pester a dog!

I believe I did just see one almost microscopic white thing jump off his fur when I was combing through it, if that helps to determine what it is.

Thank you :)

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40 minutes ago, miss.gypsea said:

I did take him to the vet today actually.

But if he's still acting the same again tomorrow I will take him again and have them give him a good exam. Today they didn't really examine him, they just put the tick med on a drained his glands as well.

There is a red flag right there: they didn’t exam him, just put on the tick med. 

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I do think it could be a bit of dermatitis but I'm seeing the ticks drop off now. Never seen such small ticks in my life! And against his thick black fur, I think they're really hard to spot. He seems to be getting better as the evening continues - I went to the vet at 9:30 AM and I guess it takes a while for that topical to really start working, I think it is now.

So now it's laundry and vacuuming for the next several days!

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Oh really? Perhaps that's a bit of it too. 

I wake up this AM to the poor guys still scratching. I just hate to see him like this. I'm going to brush him under bright light and see if I can spot anything. Unfortunately he's got long black hair on his lower body, which makes it difficult.

Some ticks did drop, that is for sure - but he's still going at it. While in the vets office a woman did mention tiny little white things that even go after her right now, so I wonder if that's part of it too because I did see one, and boy are they hard to see!

I guess it was a bad idea to take him up on the trail :(

Might be another vet trip, which is well worth it if they can solve his problem!

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I would contact the owner and see if this is perhaps an ongoing problem. I agree, remove the flea collar. It is unnecessary if you used the drops and may be putting too much toxin into the dog's system. There are so many things that can cause the dog to itch and benadryl is just a cover-up for the problem, not a cure. Sometimes an oatmeal bath can help but don't bathe the dog for 48 hours after the drops have been applied.

It took a long time to figure out that my dog was very allergic to fleas and chicken. When both were removed, he was a different dog. Since it's not your dog, making it comfortable is probably the best thing to do for now.

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A little late to this party, but I have to ask.  Did you and the owner not discuss this dog's general health, chronic issues (if any), vet they would prefer if you felt it necessary, etc?  Any time one is caring for someone else's pet, these are surely important questions to be included.

Hope the issue is resolved by now.

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I would take the flea collar off.  I don't like have something poisonous on my dogs fulltime.  One of my dogs reacted very badly to one brand of flea & tick drops once.  Hd was obviously itching a lot.  I gave him Benadryl and bathed him where I had put the drops.  And wouldn't you know this all happened when my electricity had gone out.  So i had to stand him in the kitchen sink and bathe him with bottled water.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My dog also scratches a bit much and it varies with what I feed her somewhat.

Speaking of fleas and vets. Is there a vet who sells Revolution flea-tick-heartworm skin applied medication for 10 pound size dogs? Last time I bought it I had to get over size and dispense half, which was difficult. Also, is there a decent vet, who actually examines the dog during a visit? Vitals, teeth, etc?

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9 hours ago, timjwilson said:

My dog also scratches a bit much and it varies with what I feed her somewhat.

Speaking of fleas and vets. Is there a vet who sells Revolution flea-tick-heartworm skin applied medication for 10 pound size dogs? Last time I bought it I had to get over size and dispense half, which was difficult. Also, is there a decent vet, who actually examines the dog during a visit? Vitals, teeth, etc?

If any vet does not have the right dosage here, they can usually get it within a day or two; my dogs are always checked when I bring them in for their yearly shots (rabies/parvo/bordatella) - temperature, teeth, respiration, heart and they ask if there has been anything unusual in behavior, bowel movements, eating. I take my crew to Pet Place on the libramiento, next door to Benno's Computers.

 

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On 7/20/2019 at 10:25 PM, timjwilson said:

My dog also scratches a bit much and it varies with what I feed her somewhat.

Speaking of fleas and vets. Is there a vet who sells Revolution flea-tick-heartworm skin applied medication for 10 pound size dogs? Last time I bought it I had to get over size and dispense half, which was difficult. Also, is there a decent vet, who actually examines the dog during a visit? Vitals, teeth, etc?

In answer to your question, Hector Ladron. He has all the equipment and is the best diagnostician I have come across either for animals or humans.

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The original poster may still not be participating, however, the responses may be helpful to someone else.  We actually had the same problem with one of our pets.  Also, we took her to the vet.  Couple of options: food allergy.  Stop feeding table food if doing so. Also, possible flea allergy.  There is a tablet you can give for these types of allergies.  We purchased it at Pet Avenue and it has helped.  I believed it is given every few months.  You can do this as well as the topical suggestions.

For relief, I think the vinegar rinse is a good option. It may sting a bit when applied if there is any skin abrasion, however, it will go away.

Also, if you are growing any Rosemary, can make a tea with it, then rinse pet with it.  It does not have to be used while hot.  Use at a comfortable temperature.  The idea is to provide some relief from the misery of constant itching.

 

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Check to see if their ears and/or the pads between the toes are red. It could be a local grass or food allergy. I worked with a friend's dog that had that issue.

Also adding omega 3 and to their diet helps with many skin problems and contributes to a shiny coat. When my lab mix was a puppy he did the same, took him to the vet, and they prescribed a super expensive gel to add to his food. I did some research and it was simply fish oil. You can simply buy the human version from the pharmacy and use a safety pin to break the capsule and add that to their food. Years later, a local woman here taught me how she makes her dog food and I haven't had a single problem since and everyone I've sold it to after says the same. So for my experience it's more about diet. 

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We have had the same problem with scratching.  A vet (Ladron) diagnosed our dog with dry skin.  We now, every other day, give her a Fish Oil pill (we puncture the covering on it and squeeze the oil into a meal, she loves it.  No more problems with excessive scratching since we started this process.  She loves the oil, by the way...

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My itchy dog also had back issues and part of the recommended protocol was a bit of sardine every day. I bought the big tin of Mexican sardines and gave him about a teaspoon every day. It helped with both the itches and the back and gave him lots of good nutrients. Think natural fish oil.

Allergies in dogs can be difficult to track. Foods, grasses, cleaning products, fleas... You have to be a bit of a detective and pay close attention to the dog. Does it itch more after a walk? maybe grasses or fleas; after the floor has been washed? change cleaning products and keep the dog off the floor until dry; general itchy maybe food.

Determining a food allergy takes time and patience. Try feeding a non-grain vegetarian diet. (NOT generally recommended long term) Add in a meat source one at a time, watch for a week or so: beef, lamb, chicken, fish... Then add wheat, corn, rice one at a time. If it is a food allergy, you should be able to tell a difference pretty quickly. Remember it will take time for an allergen to work out of the system so if the dog shows signs of allergy go back to the non-grain vegetarian diet for awhile to clean out the dog's system. And the dog can be allergic to more than one thing. It's not easy, but can really improve the dog's quality of life.

I settled on the RAW diet from Audette at the Tuesday Market, and, because in Sam's world breakfast was NOT complete without kibble in a food toy, a bit of Lamb and Rice kibble. And an anti-flea pennant. It literally changed his life for the better.

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