Hello.I have a 1 year old staffie who has started to lick her feet quite badly.Up until now i thought she was cleaning them but today one of them looks quite pinky(she is white).She has had an itchy coat since we got her ,but it can be fine for weeks then she scratches really bad again.Any ideas what could be causing this?
She is fed on lamb and rice(james wellbeloved) hypo alergenic junior .
  Thanks

Hi Spike?  what do you wash your floors in?  plus her bedding?  Has she been wormed lately?  The reason i ask because dogs can be allergic to the chemicals we use to wash up with, so try washing your floors in non biolagical soap powder, also her bedding.  If you haven't wormed her recently i'd worm her as well because they can get hook worm which goes between the toes.  Good luck

Warm regards Susan

Hi Susan - waving :P

Typing at the same time - except you're quicker off the mark ;)

Hi Spike,

she may be having an allergic reaction to something in the environment that she walks, plays, sleeps on etc either indoor or outdoor (or both I suppose).  Do you perhaps use alternating varieties of cleaning materials on carpets, wood floors, tiles etc or in your laundry if washing her bedding?  This could be a reason why her itching is sporadic.  Alternatively is there a link between flare ups and where you exercise her - it may be that certain plants, grasses or chemicals used on fields / outdoor surfaces are linked?

Ideally you should have your vet examine her and perhaps take a skin scraping but if you could try and establish any possible patterns in your domestic set up that coincide with these periods it will help to identify or rule things out for when discussing with your vet.

HTH, best wishes Teri :)   

i am sure i have heard of a condition that makes them want to like almost obsessivly though i can tfor the life of me think what it is?? i would recommend the vets though and following the advice of the others too.