Rehomed a dog 4 weeks ago who has hypothyroidism and skin problems seem to go with this but I have tried virtually everything to stop him scratching, licking and biting himself.
Changed to raw food diet, tried organic aloe vera in food and on skin, calamine lotion, Balneum Plus cream, Dermacton cream, homoepathic remedies which he has been on for nearly 4 years already and have just ordered a dust mite controller thingy as thought it could be that.
Vet has prescribed steroids which only made about 30% difference.

He seems allergic to my back garden, scrathes as soon as he gets out there, haven't removed the grass just yet as he is OK when on walks most of the time and that is also grassy.
Wonder if he is allergic to my carpet, his previous place was also carpeted and I am willing to remove them but not until he has had an allergy test in 3 weeks time, (have to wait one month after ceasing the steroids).
Had a skin scraping last week for mites and yeast and it came back negative. The constant licking and biting is driving him and me nuts. Can't stop him doing it all of the time and don't know what else to try.
He doesn't do it in the car and rarely when on a walk but it can't all be psychological as he can be fast asleep and suddenly look up, look at his leg and furiously start biting it so think it must be some kind of insect or internal itching.
He was de fleaed 5 weeks ago by previous owner.
We are both worn out, him with the biting, me with the trying to stop him.
Any suggestions please

Is he on medication for hypothyroidism and if so how long has he been on it? Might be it's not had the full effect yet, or the dosage could need adjusting. But as regards carpets, we once moved into a house where the carpets had been treated with something to prevent stains. The dogs went nuts when in those rooms, itching like mad. When in any other room they did not. Once we removed the carpets there was no more itching so I'm sure it was something in the carpets. It wasn't just one dog either but several.

Oh and a change of food will need to be tried for at least 6 weeks before you can really tell if it has had an effect or not, so the raw might still help -fingers crossed!

I know it's distressing to see an itchy dog but slow down if you can.  Its really important to try and understand what makes it worse and what makes it better.  4 weeks is no time at all to see anything significant and the danger of throwing everything you know at the problem is that you really can't tell what is what.

External irritants would be pretty unusual at this time of year but seasonal allergies are caused by the same things as humans so have a look to see what is around in January, and whether you have it in your garden or nearby.  I looked onine and found willow and yew tree can cause hayfever in Jan/Feb

I have an itchy dog and I do know how difficult it can be to dog and owner.  I would advocate the use of a collar (or soft t shirt) for short periods and just to arrest the itch-scratch-itch cycle.  If you can achieve calm without using it then that may be preferable but it's important to give him a break from worrying at his skin.

Whilst you wait for the test I'd suggest maintaining a quality raw food diet with no extras like rice or potato, or over processed treats.  You can add veg if you wish and many people report good results with spinach (you can buy it frozen).  Keep his skin clean with a wash in very dilute hibiscrub after every muddy walk, and a foot wash after being in your garden.  You can make a foot bath using a cat litter tray for him to walk through.  Remember to dry him thoroughly each time as damp will make him lick or itch more.

If he has areas which are very sore or irritated ask your vet for Fuciderm - it's a pretty good topical treatment for itchy spots, and will be fine to use whilst you wait for blood tests.  Are you having the York Test?  Mine had that and we've found the subsequent immuno-therapy treatment to be pretty effective alongside a 'clean and healthy' maintenance routine.

Ask your vet about Piriton too if it is ok with his other medication.  It's not a long term solution but might be helpful to reduce the itching for now, and whilst you get to work on your other options.  Try new things one at a time, and for a minimum of 6 weeks before deciding if they work, or not.  I wish you luck - I know it's hard :)

Maybe his thyroid medicatin isn't working, would get his levels tested to see.

Maybe his thyroid medicatin isn't working, would get his levels tested to see.

Try a shampoo called Sporal D - it can be obtained on the internet.

I find nothing calms the skin and stops itching quite so well.

You shampoo the dog with very little water and leave the shampoo on -wrap the dog in a warm towel for 5 minutes, ...rinse off......magic!

As others have said maybe his meds are not at the right level; my old boy went through a stage of very itchy skin, always scratching and he felt hot. I use raw liquidisesd spinach ( well known frozen food shop sell it cheaply) and Dorwest Mixed Veg tablets, he is back to normal.
Hope you find the answer, it is very frustrating for all concerned.

Hi,
Our 10 yr old has hypothyroidsim and we did have an issue where at one point she reacted to a flea treatment bit herself raw and ended up with an entirely bald body.  We were distraught and had people shouting at us in the street saying we'd abused her, in fact it was the vets treatment that had done it.  We took our girl along to the local dog groomer and she gave us coal tar shampoo that really hoped her coat.  We have also used 1/2 a piriton on our V. large 10 stone dog and it helped her when she was very bad although i don't know if its recommended by vets......

Have you tried adding cod liver oil or sunflower oil into their food.  i take it you've had the doseage of the medication checked as the thyroid can deteriorate over time our girls doseage has just been upped again. 

i really would recommend seeing a groomer they sorted our girls coat out through diet and shampoos alone no medication was needed we did go to the vet but it just didn't work for us

best of luck x

Just tried to reply to you and spent much time doing so but now lost it

shortened reply is - can't try Pirirton because need to be off steroids and antihistamines for next 3 weeks so we can have allergy tests

have tried shampoos, bought a house mite deterrent which came yesterday and may be working but don't know as today have also tried washing his feet every time he comes in from garden/walk

dose of thyroid was tested and increased last week as was low - vet did not want to increase but homoeopathic vet said to do so which I did....

He has been on Fish Oil supplements all his life apparently or Omega 3 type thingys so yes he is getting those....... don't want to shampoo him too much as that dries the skin out doesn't it?? Am using Neem shampoo when I do, as recommended by homoeopathic vet for skin conditions.

will end up not knowing what is working but will worry about that later, just want something to work as we are both worn out................

thank you for replying and suggesting things, don't feel quite so alone now, that goes to all whom replied.....

Linda West Sussex

We stopped a friend's RR from constantly licking his feet to the point of soreness by smearing some lavender oil on them. It calms and cools and certainly worked with Rufus. Although I suppose he might just be in the minority like me and not like lavender lol

Sometimes Camrosa can help too, they are based over near Uckfield.

My eldest has just started on his feet again and what I do is put a load of thornit in a freezer bag and put a foot in at a time and literally bath his feet in it, this does help a lot and stops him chewing at his feet..

I hope you get to the bottom of the problem and soon for both your sakes..