You’ll be scratchin’ like a ho-und…
Poison Ivy-y-y-y-y-y
Poison Ivy-y-y…
Bailey kept me up ALL NIGHT scratching, not to mention her poor little self. I have some anti-itch spray and some no-itch shampoo, to no avail.
Have a vet appt Thursday, but can’t wait that long/don’t have much money.
Until then, how can I help this poor baby (Retriever mix) stop scratching?
She is on Top Spot-and I see no fleas, so I don’t think it’s that.
She goes outside during the day.
Any tried and true remedies?!
A friend of mine had an itchy dog and he gave the dog Benadril. I have no idea of the dosage so call a vet first to find out. They may give you info over the phone before your visit.
Haj
She might be allergic to grass. Some dogs (and cats) scratch when they’re nervous. Hopefully it’s just an allergy since, they’re easy to treat. Until you can get her to the vet, try mixing a cup of Sea Breeze antiseptic with a quart of water, then wiping her down with it.
You can also try to supplement her diet. Dry skin will make any itchies that much worse. They make some oily stuff you can pour on their food.
Does your dog paw at her mouth?
My dog has allergies. They say it is more common in female dogs than in male dogs.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Articles/signs_pet_allergies.cfm
My vet has Georgie on Benadryl. She is about 14 lbs and takes one whole tablet. Whatever you do, make sure you check with your vet first!
It has helped a lot.
Actually, yes, she does paw at her mouth every once in a while.
It might be part nerves, because Mr. Sidle-to-be left for a 5-day canoing trip yesterday, and although Mommy will do in a pinch, he is her first love in life. She was very unhappy when he left, so that might explain why last night was the worst ever.
I think I will call the vet now to ask about the Benadryl, although I doubt they’ll give me any kind of go-ahead on the phone, due to liability and all. I’m definitely going to use the Sea Breeze when I get home.
Thanks all!
Keep the suggestions coming! Poor Bailey will thank you!
Benadryl will make your dog sleepy but is the best short-term remedy.
Get her to the vet, to see if it’s a temporary situation (like fleas) but you may have to see a specialist. We went through hell with our last dog, who had allergies. And yes, the specialist cost a lot of money. I think that in 1997 we spent more on vets than doctors.
If your dog is allergic, it will likely be to a menu of things – pollen, grass, even cats. The first thing that we tried was a change in menu to avocado-based or rice-lamb mixtures. We also tried fish oil additives (I loved that part: vet says fish oil to help the dog’s skin; while the pediatrician says “don’t worry about oils in your daughter’s diet – they don’t have any effect on skin blemishes.”)
Then we went on to steroids, but they’re hard on the liver and promote weight gain. When we changed meds after several years, we had a terrible withdrawal reaction that we thought would kill her.
During the last three years of her life, we had our yellow lab on an expensive (about $3/day) anti-rejection drug called Neoral that a relative also takes because of a transplant. It worked wonders, even increasing fur growth (my sister-in-law has problems with the mustache too).
Benedryl for dogs is dosed at about a mg per pound. So for a small 10-15 pound dog, 1 tab would be ok, 25-50 pound dog, take 2.
You can get lots of skin treatments at the pet supply store. Look for something designed for itchy skin, or hot spots. There are even products with bitter apple added to keep the pooch from chewing at it.
Do dogs process Benedryl better than humans or something? The dosage for a 12 year old human is one tablet too, and they’re probably 80lbs or more, while adult humans of any size aren’t supposed to take more than 2 in a 4-6 hour period.
Elfkin, I was wondering the same thing too. I went ahead and gave her one Benadryl (children’s grape chewable) and she seems fine. I also bought some Sea Breeze and gave her a pur-over/rubdown, and some moisturizing anti-itch spray-it’s for humans, but it’s the only anti-itch spray w/moisturizers I could find at Kmart. Tomorrow I will trek out to Superpets and get some oil additive.
Right now, she’s sleepy and seems very happy, although a little confused as to how ot occupy herself without the itching!
So far, so good…
Thanks all!