Hi all, I was hoping I could get some fresh ideas.....Nellie seems to have her "itchy" problem again (she had this last year too), but I'm mystified as to where its coming from this time and the usual treatment has not worked.

When she first got scratchy about 10 days ago, I routinely checked her over, and she had the usual symptoms of raised red weals on her belly and some red marks in one ear. Last year this was caused, we discovered eventually, by harvest mites. So I treated her with the same spray we used back then, and the red marks disappeared.

But she hasn't stopped scratching, in fact its getting worse. For the last few nights she has woken me up scratching furiously, or chewing/licking at her paws, poor girl. Two nights ago I inspected her tummy again, and found three red lumps on her, like large spots. Today they have all but disappeared.

For the last couple of days she has been frantically spinning around to bite at the backs of her legs, or under her tail. She acts as though she's suddenly been stung.

She was treated with Frontline Spot-on for ticks and fleas about 4 weeks ago, and 10 days ago I used routine flea spray for the suspected harvest mites. She had a full bath, with mild shampoo, 5 days ago. Her diet hasn't changed, she still eats raw tripe or beef mince with some Royal Canin dry food. I've checked with hubby and he says they don't use any pesticides anywhere at work which she could have run through.

I've just inspected her all over with a torch, and I've found precisely nothing. No red marks, rash, spots, pimples or weals.....no bald patches.....no sore skin......barely even any scurf. There are no red marks or sores or deposits of any kind in her ears. No creatures or sores between her toes. Her ladydog parts are well trimmed (she gets a bit bushy, bless her) and all looks clean and normal...nothing is red or inflamed, no discharge that I can see. Although she would clean it up pretty fast if there were. Her furry bot all looks clean and normal, with no clinkers. :)

I'm at a bit of a loss. Any theories? Everything I can think of would have some kind of external visual symptom, but she seems to feel horrifically itchy all over for no apparent reason......??

Thanks!!

Try  antihistamine tablets if this happens at the same time of year it is probably a plant of some sort causing the problem - once had a GSD allergic to daffodils, silly bitch would go around sniffing them and it took us 5 years to discover what was causing the problem.

She could be allergic to inside allergens like storage mites that are found in dry food, or outside ones, like pollen and grass etc.

The only way to find out for sure is to ask your vet for a allergy test, which involves taking a blood sample and sending it off for a York test. Then you will know what you are dealing with.

Has your Vet done a skin scrape to see if he can rule out mites too?

Evening primrose oil is good for allergies, as its a natural anti-histamine, so that might be worth a try. 

To see it it is histamine that is causing the trouble I would give Piriton for a few days and see if that improves the condition, vet will tell you how many for the size of your dog. If that works then it is time enough to have tests done for the cause of the allergy. If the antihistamine does not work then the vet will know the cause is something else.

Could she have eaten something without your knowledge? If mine nicks the cat food, he will scratch the next day. He also has some issues with the supposedly low-allergen CSJ lamb & rice food - he is ok on raw or cooked lamb meat, and usually ok with cooked rice, but scratches on CSJ.... no idea what ingredient in it causes that.

Thanks everyone...hmm yes, have been doing some reading, and an allergy does seem likely.  Particularly as she had it last year too...although last year, the tell-tale orange fluff of harvest mites showed up!

She's a working dog so it must be something outside in the summer thats causing it.  Or something around the stables.  I will try some Piriton (after calling the vet to discuss, of course) and see if that helps, and I will also get her some kind of soothing shampoo (aloe vera? oatmeal?) over the weekend.

Thanks very much, oddly it never occurred to me that she might have an allergy!!

S x

I also have had a very itchy dog and always in mid summer each year...I tried yumega plus this year and it worked like magic....cleared her itching in a week.

Have you also thought about anal glands being full as this will cause itching and for them to spin around and bite the tail and back legs area.....off course you may have already looked at that...but just a thought.

Ah well, yes that did occur to me.....she has done a bit of carpet surfing on her furry bum, and yes she even gave off some delightful glandular odours over the weekend.  Nice!

However...she is on quite a good raw diet (tripe or beef mince), with a little dry Royal Canine, and she has good toilet habits (i.e eliminating well-formed motions twice a day), so I personally don't feel there is any reason why she can't empty those for herself???  I'm prepared to be wrong, but I generally believe that anal glands are something best left alone!

PLUS she nearly savaged the vet the first and last time we had them emptied. :( 

Excuse my ignorance, but would impacted anal glands result in her scratching all over her body, not just around her quarters?

Just off to research Yumega Plus, I've so far stumbled across Dermacton, although she's not that serious a case!

Have you been walking anywhere in a wooded area or around a pond over the last week. I have been coming back from my evening walks this week and the bottom of my legs (not my dogs legs) have been getting bitten and have been really itchy. Probably the warm damp weather bringing out the insects in my case where I walk around water and in woods.

Pets@Home sell the Yumega Plus.

It certainly sounds like an allergy.

By the way Dermacton is great and you don't need a serious case for it to be effective.  I prefer the cream for topical applications but the spray is effective too (although it makes my boy sneeze :) )

I have one with allergies and I slosh him off after every walk with a weak solution of Hibiscrub to remove pollens and mud or dust - I find this is indredibly effective at keeping itching to a minimum.  I use Dermacton from time to time on any sore patches or if his skin looks dry Hibiscrub has a a drying effect and Dermacton works as a good moisturiser.

My boy also picked up Harvest Mites last week whilst on holiday with my mother in law.  I used Advocate, then 24 hours later I washed him in Hibiscrub and wiped any remaining ones off with an application of Dermacton and a cotton wool pad.  Incidentally I had forgotten to give my MIL his Dorwest Garlic and Fenugreek Tablets which I am sure work to keep any little blighters away.

Good luck with getting it sorted.

I am having this exact same problem with my bitch at the moment. The trouble is, she's almost 7 weeks pregnant! I'm about to call the vet as it's upsetting me seeing her itching so much. Even if I touch her back (or anywhere actually) she's trying to itch herself. Her skin is not red or inflamed, in fact pink and helathy looking - just itching like her life depended on it!

What I'm wondering is has anyone used the Yumega on a pregnant bitch? Also, would hibiscrub be ok to use also? I've got some shampoo from the vets which helped last time, but I'm a little worried about even trying to lift her into the bath with her increasing stomach - she is quite a large breed.

I'm feeling a little desperate now and hope someone may be able to advise.

My first Lab had a grass allergy. It always happened during July through to September time. It used to drive her up the wall and found cool aloe vera gel used to help.

>I'm feeling a little desperate now and hope someone may be able to advise


In your situation I think a vet would be the person to turn to, it is possible that hormones are causing the problem but if it is a parasite then you will want it sorted before the litter is born. If the vet thinks it is an allergy then they will treat it, it is best to avoid all un-prescribe preparations whilst your bitch is in whelp or nursing.

Thanks, I did speak to the vet and they advised to bath her with the shampoo, they also said that the hibiscrub drench wouldn't hurt her either (they were very interested at that suggestion!). We're going to bath her tonight and see if it helps.

I'm convinced it's a seasonal itching or related to her pregnancy, as she has no hair loss, and has no inflamed or red skin that I can see. Also, she seems to be itchy all over, not just in certain areas.

I don't think it is mites, but after she has whelped if she's still itchy I'm planning to get her allergy tested, so we can control any outbreaks in the future.

That is good, they, the vets are not too worried about her and agree neither bathing or scrub would cause her any problem. Not too long to go now and hopefully it will stop once the birth is over.

I am in the same boat. 7 year old castrated male lab.  Kenneled all year and breaks out just before summer and clears up by November.
I am away to try Ruggles products as a last resort and got him on a ceral free food now as the Fish4dogs contains brewersw yeast and i am getting mixed reports about it.  I wonder if my one has the dog equivelant of sweet itch as we have midges galore when its not windy.
I found the likes of malaseb and hibiscrub dried his skin and made him more itchy. 

It could be coincidence, but when I was pregnant I went through an itchy phase.

not sure this will help or even if it affects dogs but when my cousin was pregnant she came out in an itchy rash - there is a medical term but it escapes me at the moment. The itchiness stayed until after she gave birth and within a week had completely gone. She said it felt like heat rash!!!

>when my cousin was pregnant she came out in an itchy rash

A friend of mine had this too - for at least the early part of pregnancy.  She got the itches before she even knew she was pregnant. 

Changing hormones and stretching skin are the most common causes but I do know there was a more serious condition she worried about - but can't remember what it's called.

Itsadogslife - you don't have to bath her in Hibiscrub.  A very dilute amount in a bucket of warm water and applied with a damp sponge will be equally effective.  You can do it outside and it will be a lot quicker!

talking of pregnancy rash in humans, I had it so bad when I was pregnant with my third child they even took a biopsy of my skin to make sure it was pregnancy excema. I can tell you it was excrutiatingly itchy, I was in hell!! They did warn me that it could take 6 months to clear up. Thankfully it didn't take that long but the whole experience was something I'll never forget!!

I've got something called Epil-ease (I think that's what it's called) from the vet. It's an ultra-mild shampoo which is really good for soothing the skin. Hopefully it'll do the trick & make her feel more comfortable. Just looking at her tonight, her poor stomach is like a barrel, goodness knows how many are in there - she'll be fit to burst in another 2 weeks...lol!

Almost certainly red mites.   See your vet but keeping dog off grass for summer months is only way to avoid them.   Some dogs are very prone to red mites and some dogs exercising in the same areas will not be bothered by them.   Cause intense itching.