We have had Meg, a GSD X (maybe collie) for a year. Recently she has started panting a lot and also scratching and biting herself. Sometimes it's so bad she wakes us up - i know she shouldn't be on the bed but she is a rescue dog and deserves lots of love!
The vet said that she thought it might be an allergy(it's definitely not fleas/mites)and gave her a course of steroids.The chewing/scratching stopped for a bit but has now started again. I don't want to have to put her on steroids again and the vet says allergy tests are the next stage. Her routine has not changed since we got her but she really does not seem happy at the moment.from reading postings on here allergy tests seem a bit hit & miss and i wondered if anyone had any suggestions before we try the tests. The vet checked her heart but dismissed the panting as a 'dog thing'!

My mums dog did this and it turned out to be something to do with her hormones. She made the decision to have her spayed as she wasn't going to be having anymore litters, it has worked. Only a suggestion , it might be something completly different.

She is already spayed- we got her from the RSPCA, but thanks for replying. I suppose it may still be a hormonal thing.

Hope you find the cause of it. I know it took a while for my mums vet to realise what it was. Good luck

She could have become allergic to something in her diet.  Even a dog on the same diet for years can suddenly develop an intolerance to an ingredient.  I would try a wheat gluten free diet, give it 6-8 weeks on that and feed nothing else, no titbits or anything and see if that starts to ease the problem.

Bev

Might have a thyroid test done on her.

Might also be dry house syndrome since it is wintertime and the house might be drying out.  Are you getting zapped when you walk in the house?

Either way, adding essential fatty acids to the food might help as it is supposed to help with both allergies and dry skin.  Also, if it is dry skin you might try rubbing a body oil on her skin to help moisturize her skin.

Barb

My Westie had the same symptoms - the panting, scratching, licking her paws and was very tired all the time - she had numerous bald patches from the constant scatching and licking - even my dog walker was very concerned about her.  She had had two courses of steroids and one of antibiotics which only relieved the itching while she was taking it and she also became very depressed - the vet said the itching was a 'westie thing' - right!  So, as he didn't appear to be of much help except to want to keep prescribing drugs - I decided to see what I could do myself.  I put her on arsenic and sulphur tablets (for 3 weeks) to ease the itching and grow back her hair, cut out chicken and beef (by a process of elimination - I discovered she had an allergy to these), changed her food to Naturediet and she gets a tablet of Evening Primrose Oil daily plus a supplement (half a teaspoon) of 'Missing Link' to her food (Missing Link contains Flax Seed, Blackstrap Molasses, Rice Bran, Primary Dried Yeast, Sunflower Seed, Freeze Dried Liver, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Dried Carrot, Freeze Dried Bone, Dried Fish Meal, Freeze Dried Oyster, Sprouted Green Barley, Dried Kelp, Lecithin, Garlic and Yucca Schidigera Extract).

She's a completely different dog - her hair's all grown back, she's happy and bounces around like a puppy - full of energy, I can't seem to tire her out!

I would say, however, that while this has worked for my dog - every dog is different, and it was by trial and error that I found the solution to my dog's dilemma.