I need some helpful input please: I have a 5 month old GSD bitch, who has a sensitive itchy skin problem. Her coat however, is in good condition and shiny, and thankfully she has not 'broken' her skin by scratching - yet!

We have visited our Vet, who cannot find any obvious problem. Her food has been changed to James Wellbeloved, specifically designed for dogs with allergic skin problems (Turkey and Kibble), however, no difference even after a few weeks.

I have another dog and three cats - no problems!
I do not use any substance on carpets.
I have only used 'Complete Diets' with her (and designed for allergies) - does anyone think that 'meat & biscuit' might be better?

Also, is it possible that a dog can be born with this problem, and have nothing to do with diet?!

Obviously, I do not want this condition to get any worse and I want her better!

If anyone here has experience the same and overcome the problem, or could make some helpful suggestions, I would be MOST GRATEFUL!!

Many thanks,
Lyn.

different dogs respond to different foods, i have a breed that you have to be careful what you feed them on a couple that havent done well on the food you're now trying i switched them onto nutro and they stopped scratching nearly instantly, its worth a go, its along the same lines as the one you're using but i find my dogs coats are like mirrors on it, i also add a liquid to my food called groomers.with royal jelly and vegetable oil in it , several of my freinds have now started to use this and cant believe the difference, i wouldn't be without it, and no i'm not working for or have shares in either company! let me know if you try them

I've a bitch that had skin itch, she would pull her hair out and leave large areas of baldness. After trying al sorts of cures suggested by vets and fellow dog owners, I changed her food eventualy to A. G. Chicken and Rice Classis and the problem has gone.

After about three months of no itch I though I would try her on the food the others have, which is Burns fish and rice, and back came the itch. So I'm afraid it is a matter of trying different foods to see if you can cure the matter. Trouble is with a young puppy I would be worried to take her of complete food yet, but you could change to one with rice not flour based kibbel and you could reduce the protein level a bit and use adult food. All ways think the puppy food is too high in protein for most pups anyway.

Sorry can't help more it is very much a matter of trying different foods for four or five weeks each and hope that when you find one that is good for her skin she likes it.

Agree with the above poster, different foods different dogs, my dog did not do well on Nutro but a GSD I used to own did.

All the best. JH

I agree with what both dizzy and Jackie have said. What works for one, may not work for another. Its all down to trial and error. For what it is worth, I have had some excellent results with Nutro's.

Leigh

Mine are also on Arden Grange, but the original (higher meat content) not the Classic. I have found it excellent, especially as regards return of coat after moulting, so would think it good for skin. My friend uses it with her Dobermans, who can be notorious for falking if the food isn't right.

I have a lab x who was rescued. When I first got him he was 20mths old and had severe skin problem. Once we found a decent vet (our frst one thought he had kennel sores), she decided Whiskey was not a candidate for skin testing because he is a biter and she felt this would make him more wary of people. We used BURNS dog food and the results were amazing. We also used teatree oil shampoo to sooth the skin.
Another thing we tried was Aloe Vera shampoo, spray and syrup. It didn't work for Whiskey but a lot of people have successfully treated skin problems with this. Its fairly expensive but comes with a money back guarantee!

Yes I too have found tea tree shampoos to be excellent but also try putting garlic in the feed (same as you buy in tubs for horses). Worked for a few dogs I groom. Good luck

I recently had these problems with my dog, and I had also been feeding J.W. I changed to Burns, this did not work either, I was also feeding cooked chicken with boiled rice once a week, but, my vet advised that I changed to a food I had not used before, so my vet suggested Pork, I now feed both my dogs, Minced Pork bought from Asda 99p a pound and cook this and bulk it up with boiled rice, I also give an oudorless garlic tablet and a multivitamin tablet with iron, which i use myself and get from my chemist, I am giving restore again now, for the coat, and so far things have improved greatly. I was a bit worried that the pork would not be any good or have enough "goodness" in it, but both dog and my puppy are thriving on this, so far, so good. and its not expensive to use. if you are going to buy this in bulk speak to the butcher in Asda you might get it a bit cheaper. i'm only using this for two small dogs but if it works and the dogs are healthy, who cares about the cost. !!!!!

Other causes than food can be such things as washing powder/fabric softener used to wash bedding or towels

Air fresheners - I heard/read somewhere recently of a dog that suffered badly from an air freshner that sprayed at preset times - rest of the dogs were fine, just the one affected.

Crop sprays/weedkillers/insect repellent-killers.

The rubber in a brush used to groom the dog

Talcum powder - (this particular one was a dog that was in the bathroom with owner and always close enough to get some scented talc on it when she used it - took a while to track down).

Christine

Had a dog who loved talc! Used to roll on any which fell on the bathroom floor!

John

hi,
hope you get to the bottom of it - it can take a while. If you use a "shake n vac" product or Febreeze, it is worth stopping . I have read on message boards that this can cause itching in some dogs, and when they stopped using it, the itching stopped. I have found Burns foods very good for one slightly itchy dog that I have.

i dont know now where i heard it or the reason given but i believed pork wasn't to be fed to dogs- if its not true ive robbed mine of pork titbits all of there lives,did anyone else have the same veiw on pork

Seem to remember an old wives tale many years ago that pork gave them worms! Suffice to say that mine get a little of what I eat so they have had pork (in small quantities) all their lives!

John

pork used to be one of the biggest carrier of worms. However with modern treatment of worms given both to the pigs and to the dogs there should be no problem. Mine have eaten pork with no problem at all

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

A friend was talking about this recently saying that there were a number of dogs who were suffering with itchy skin, almost an outbreak!! The vets didn't have a clue.

Could it be due to the changes in the weather etc! Haven't a clue but it does seem to be going around at the moment.

One of mine has had itchy skin - first time in her life- this year and she is
6 years old.
& She didn't have any fleas.

Pam

After reading your artical on itchy skin i became aware that my puppy too was scrathing alot i dont know if she as always done it and i suddenly got tuned in because of having just read about it that does,nt seem really possible because she,s driving me nuts at the moment scratching constantly so i guess i,ll have to go through the whole elimitation process of possible causes oh well at least you know your not alone Pawla

Neways Maximol solution and VMM tablets might help. They are expensive but worth a try. Search for Neways, try Altavista. Read product info, find a distributor and Good Luck

Zahada

Welcome to the forum Zahada :-) Leigh