My dog ​​is scratching himself! To help!

So is your dog scratching himself? So what! It’s what dogs do, isn’t it? Well yes, but within reason! All dogs scratch, but if it becomes excessive, there is usually something wrong that needs attention. Read on for free vet tips on how to provide proper pet care and avoid unnecessary vet fees.

First of all, you need to do a little detective work to find out what’s going on.

What causes it?

Scratching is what is called a ‘non-specific sign’; in other words, it can be caused by many different things. If your dog is scratching more than usual, generally all over the place, then the first thing to look for is to see if he is carrying any “passengers”. The most common are fleas: they are fast moving, chestnut brown in color, about 2mm in size and difficult to catch as they run through open fur. They tend to congregate around the neck and tailbone, but can appear anywhere, maybe even on you!

They have the well known prodigious ability to jump amazingly with their powerful hind legs. But fleas aren’t the only skin-biting parasites your dog may have: lice – smaller, slow-moving, fur-attached ones (and their eggs, known as ‘nits’) can also be a problem, especially in puppies and kennel dogs. If he finds any of these, that’s probably the problem, but just because he can’t find them doesn’t mean that’s not the cause; it may take an expert eye to spot them.

Another parasitic condition, usually seen in younger dogs, is mange. This is caused by mites and usually results in redness, hair loss, and irritation of the lower body, legs, and head; These mites are nearly invisible without a microscope, mostly because they burrow into the skin instead of sitting on top of the skin like fleas and lice. Another insect that causes itching is the harvest mite, which lives freely in gardens and pastures, particularly in limestone areas: its larvae feed on the skin of animals and birds usually in July and August and if your pet (or you! ) until their bites can cause intense skin irritation. Country-dwelling dogs will also pick up ticks which may seem alarming when engorged with your dog’s blood, but in fact rarely cause itching or any other problems (you may have heard of tick-borne Lyme disease; actually rarely seen in dogs).

If your dog is scratching himself in one area, take a look to see if you can see if anything is a friend. Scratching behind one ear and shaking your head usually suggests an ear infection, often accompanied by a buildup of wax, redness, and sometimes an odor. Infections can also cause itchiness: sometimes it’s a scattered infection of the hair follicle with little pustules, or it can be something quite dramatic like a “hot spot”, also known as “acute moist dermatitis” or “self-inflicted dermatitis”. The latter condition causes great distress to affected dogs, as they become insane over a patch of skin, perhaps about 10 cm in diameter, which they intensely lick and nibble and pull at the hair, leaving behind a wet, angry red patch. The condition is caused by an acute infection coupled with damage from the dog itself. Sometimes ‘hot spots’ begin with the dog licking as close as he can get to a point of irritation; it is commonly seen in dogs with blocked anal glands.

Allergies are another cause of itching in dogs. Like a similar condition in humans, this can be a “contact allergy,” where your dog becomes sensitive to something (called an “allergen”) in his environment that he’s in contact with, such as plants, tar, treatments of fabrics, etc. being the affected skin the one that comes into contact with the allergen – legs, chest and belly in general. Another type of allergy seen to cause more itchy skin in dogs is “atopy,” which results from an allergy to something that is usually inhaled or eaten; this is a difficult condition to control effectively as the allergen is often something that cannot be controlled. Do not remove from your dog’s environment. However, there is a treatment called Atopica that is very effective in most cases; it is fairly new and has drastically improved the lives of many affected dogs. Atopica is available by prescription only and is expensive, but can be purchased online at a much lower price.

Just as scratching due to allergies is an external sign of an internal problem, some other cases of scratching are also due to internal problems; for example, some liver conditions can cause itchy skin.

One thing to remember is that puppies always scratch more than adult dogs, particularly when he gets his first collar!

What can I do to help?

Fleas and lice can be easily treated without having to go to your vet – great flea treatments like Frontline for dogs are available over the counter and many are also very effective against lice. One important thing to keep in mind is that fleas do not breed on your dog, but rather on his bedding and around the house. So the treatment involves treating your dog with, say, Frontline, and then using your vacuum to remove fleas, eggs, and larvae around the bedding (beds at night and sleeping places during the day). You can also purchase treatments to spray or fumigate your home that are effective at killing and preventing fleas for an entire year. Unlike fleas, lice completely reproduce on the dog, so you can eliminate an infection simply by treating your dog.

Because fleas are so successful as parasites, especially during the warmer summer months, if your dog mixes with others or spends a lot of time outdoors, you should assume he will get fleas and therefore treat him with Frontline. once a month to prevent infection. .

Ear infections will likely need veterinary treatment, but once they subside, you can do a lot to prevent flare-ups by using an over-the-counter ear cleaner to keep the ear healthy and free of the wax that often starts a new infection.

If you see that your dog has developed a ‘hot spot’ (it’s amazing how quickly they appear!), then you need to see a vet, but there is something you can do beforehand to prevent it from getting worse: stop him from licking, biting or scratching. the affected patch of skin and apply a soothing lotion to the area. If you have a ‘lampshade’ necklace, put it on; if you don’t have one, and your dog is prone to developing hot spots, then get one!

Dogs that scratch in a general way without specific parasites or infections are only affected by a low-grade skin infection, they just need a bath! You can get good medicated dog shampoos without a veterinary prescription.

When should I call my vet?

It’s an important principle of pet care to know when to take your pet to the vet instead of taking it yourself. Here is a list of reasons to see your vet if your dog is scratching:

  • If your dog has an ear infection.
  • If your dog has developed a ‘hot spot’.
  • If the scratching is accompanied by other signs of poor health
  • If the skin on your dog’s belly is red and inflamed, or if you see small pus-filled spots.
  • If there is hair loss, with thinning of the coat
  • If your dog is intensely nipping at your feet or on a particular area of ​​skin.

Veterinarians see a large number of scratching dogs in our clinics, and while some dogs certainly have lifelong problems, especially if they have atopy, the vast majority of cases respond to simple treatments and calm down quickly. The best thing is that many cases respond to treatments that you can buy and apply yourself without incurring veterinary expenses.

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