Hi I am new to this forum. I have an eight Month old Cocakpoo. She has had an itchy face from the time I got her at 9 weeks but
but seems to have got slowly got worse. I have tried the following to help her.
1. She has been treated by the vet with prac-tic and Advocate by the vet for possible fleas / mange
2. Tried several kinds of food including JWB puppy ,Barking heads, Natural Instinct but am now using Wafcol potatoe and salmon -
    I have also cut out all treats:(
3. Have Indorexed the whole house
4. Use only Non Bio Washing power and no harsh chemicals around the house
5. Several shampoos including head and shoulders for itchy scalp but am currentkly using Dermacton shampoo and creams ( although the
    creams usually just end up in her fur!!)
5.  Yumega plus & Evening primrose oil
6.  Various antihistimines
7.  Hibiscrub washes
8.  various ear cleanners but I don't think her ears are the problem as they are nice and clean with no odour

I thinks that's the lot!! She has also started nibbling her front legs and has a couple of bald patches ( above her knees)..

There a so many products online claiming 'miracle cures' that I just do not know what to try next...I have already spent a fortune but
this is not my main concern. Betty is otherwise a really happy / live wire little dog who I love to bits...I would just like to find some
relief for her tichy face so any suggestions welcome!!
Thanks
Colin

Has the vet taken skin scapes ?
My gsd developed unknown itching on his paws I tried lots of things and eventually had to accept antibiotics for  a6 week course form the vet incase of any underlying bacterial infection.
It certainly did the trick inspite of my disliked of anti b's unless really necessary

Next step at the vets is skin scrapes but I wanted to try other possibilites before this. Betty has had antibiotics recently as
she had a bit of an infection after swallowing a Xmas tree bauble!! They seemed to make her even itchier and we stopped them
before the end of the course (with the Ok from the vet)...it's really strange its always around her face and not on her belly etc..
her skin is never red/scaly/dry etc - there are no outward signs ..
I think some of it may be habit as if you are out walking or playing with her she does not scratch. Other times you can tell her
not to scratch and she wont but other times she is really inent on it... it's sooo frustrating.

thats difficult if the antbiotics made things worse unless she needs a different type. You could try diatmaeous earth powder available over the internet just rub it in like talc this has on some itchy dogs had good results.
I sympathise its so frustrating trying to help them when nothing seems to work. You are right that it could be a habit diagnosis is made mmoe difficult when there are no outward signs. Been there too

Is it itchy all over her face or in specific areas - for example, is she showing signs of hair loss around her eyes. She needs skin scrapes as Demodex springs to mind as this started on a pup of mine with scratching around her eyes first then face and neck and then showed itself on areas of her body. After her face it was her legs then her back and under arms. A skin scrape will eliminate the concern of Demodex.  Demodex is not usually a major issue but more of a nuisance to cure over time.

She mainly itches either side of her muzzle or the area between her mouth an ears or under her chin...
I think the Advocate was supposed to treat for Demodex which was given two weeks ago..I sometimes
think she has lost fur around her eyes but this could just be her puppy coat changing. She is practically white
in colour so does look a bit bit pink around her eyes. She has also started to get a pink tinge on one side
of her muzzle but had wondered whether that could have been from the Wafcol Salmon and Potatoe food
as it only started since then - again about two weeks ago.
Oh and she is always much more itchy first thing in the morning or after a long sleep...

It sounds like mange to me. If the advocate was only given 2 weeks ago it will be up to 6 weeks before you see any improvement. The cycle is around 3 to 4 weeks and the advocate will only kill the live mites. Eggs will be hatching up to 3 weeks or more and then they lay eggs and so it goes on. Keep using the advocate monthly and if it is mange (sounds like it) you should see an improvement eventually.

Hi Belgianique

Thanks for your reply - that's really interesting because the day after giving her the advocate she seemed
a bit better so that could have been the live mites being killed off but subsequent one have now hatched etc..
I spoke to the breeder and she claims that none of Betty's simblings are affected by itchy skin.

My pup had twice weekly baths with Alludex for 5-6 weeks and then was completely clear, and has been clear since. She was not given Advocate - I think different vets use different ways. The main thing is that it works and kills the little blighters.

I do wonder if it is mange having looked online at symptoms - demodex seems to evoke patches of hair loss with little itching...scartopic mange seems a bit more all over the body and intense....it's such a puzzle

The intense itching comes mainly from the 'pruitus?' (something like that) which is the poo and muck and debris from the live mites when they are burying and living under the skin, also the dead mites are quite deep in the epidermal layers and will set up a reraction until they are absorbed and got rid of if this makes sense.

Demodex can be seen as they are much larger and live in the hair folicle, a vet should be able to rule Demodex out easily whereas sarcotic mmange is almost impossible to find they are so small and bury deep in the skin

>The intense itching comes mainly from the 'pruitus?' (something like that)

'Pruritus' just means 'itch'. You can get pruritus anywhere on the body, with numerous causes.

> Demodex can be seen as they are much larger and live in the hair folicle, a vet should be able to rule Demodex out easily whereas sarcotic mmange is almost impossible to find they are so small and bury deep in the skin

It's the other way around it is Demodex that lives in the deep layers and most dogs aquire them shortly after birth from theri mother, and they only cause issues with immune compromised individuals allowing the numbers to build up to levels that cause problems.

Sarcoptic mange if the kind that is transmitted, often by foxes and the main problem foxes have.

I agree with Brainless, the Demodex is the hard one to find, often with skin scrapes coming back clear as they are so deep in the fleshy layers.

I have had 2 dogs with this mite, the first a gsd and the second a pup 2 years ago. The gsd was incurable as she had immune problems and even though she spent a lot of time at the Bristol uni they could not cure her and eventually she was pts aged 6, however my pup was cured in 5-6 weeks. So a vet visit is important to get her diagnosed whether it is Demodex or just an allergy to something else.

Added - my pup did not actually scratch herself but her face must have bothered her as she would rub it along the carpet and chairs until the treatment started.

How old was your pup when she was diagnosed???? What she diagnosed by skin scrapes?? Were there any time of the day when she seemed better or worse...I am sure part of bettys scratching ( she also does the carpet rubbing thing - also sometimes on the patio which must hurt and really upsets me..) is habit....we have just driven to the coast for a walk along the beach and have been out of the hours for about five hours with no scratching but the moment she comes through the door she starts to scratch ...she can't have been in more than a couple of mins so sure it is nothing in the house that is irritating her. I also have another question....I have been feeding Betty wafcol salmon and potato as understand it is good for allergies but the fur on one side of her muzzle has turned pink!!!! Do you think this could be the food...she has been on it nearly three week... I really appreciate all you good advice.

My pup was very ill at 6 weeks and I think this allowed the Demodex to take over. She was diagnosed about 12 weeks ( going by memory it was a round the 3 month stage she had the scrapes done) but suggest a vet visit should be arranged asap when they open after the hols.
Quite often the coat will turn pink if they suffer from allergies or if they lick that area a lot, however she will be hard pushed to lick her own face, but the rubbing could cause this. Is the skin red at all ?
It could be so many things and only a vet can see her and decide what the best treatment is.

The skin itself looks fine although she does have one small scab on her muzzle..
When I first take her out of the house she will nearly always sneeze a few times...I wonder if this is significant?
My dog was attacked at 12 weeks by a GSD and nearly died - it was touch and go for about a week so wonder also if this could have allowed the demodex to take hold?? Anyway will go back to the vet although struggling to get them to take it serious enough...I know vets don't like dealing with allergies etc.x

Such terrible stress could well have triggered a demodex increase. 

Often it attacks puppies immature immune systems receive a challenge, changing homes or a first season.  It is often difficult to find any mites as they go so deep and sometimes treating them as if it is and the problem resolving shows that it was this problem. 

At least now there are spot on treatments that will tackle it, compared to the unlicensed (for dogs)Ivermectin treatments used in the past, or other washes that needed to be done frequently.

I took Betty back to the vet last night as she is still scratching and now badly nibbling her legs... the vet is
very confused by her symptoms as he thinks she is too young to have developed allergies ( she has always scratched from getting her at 10 weeks old) - but does think it could be flea allergy. He has put her on steroids
(Medrone) which I didnt really want but has assured me this is only a temporary measure until they find the root cause.