# My Chloe is itching now all the time.



## Chloe

Hi all I am not sure what is going on. My dog Chloe three days ago or so began itching like crazy. She had her flea meds and all so not sure why she is itching herself and gnawing at herself so much. I have not changed anything as far as food ect. She does not normally have allergies that I am aware of.

I have been giving her a little Benadryl to help but is not doing much. 

Any ideas?


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## AliAlfie

Poor Chloe, must be driving her bonkers!  Donna on the forum (with Jake and Willow) had similar issues with Jake recently and there's a thread about it, you should have a read through it; she tried Benadryl (not much help,) and was at her wits end. She is the best one to ask what helped/didn't help.


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## dmgalley

Chloe said:


> Hi all I am not sure what is going on. My dog Chloe three days ago or so began itching like crazy. She had her flea meds and all so not sure why she is itching herself and gnawing at herself so much. I have not changed anything as far as food ect. She does not normally have allergies that I am aware of.
> 
> I have been giving her a little Benadryl to help but is not doing much.
> 
> Any ideas?


How old is she? For Jake it started in the spring right around his first birthday. 
I can't tell you what it is but I can tell you that benadryl, zyrtec, skin eze and vetericyn did not work. 
Our vet said the first step is to put him on this chemically produced diet, hills zd, to see if he is allergic to his food. The"food" they want him on was so gross I wouldn't use it. 
I did get him off chicken for three days and then he got really sick. 
He was off food for three days. 
He is now back to his regular diet while we wait for allergy blood work to be done.
He is actually doing better. Maybe what was bothering him is gone for the season. I am giving him coconut oil because it is all natural and one of it's many benefits has to do with allergy and skin issues. I can't promise this is what is helping but boy does he eat his food now!! 
Don't let her make a hot spot digging. Take her to the vet. Everyone tells me the allergy shot if needed work. Good luck and keep is posted. 
Oh and big hug from us cause I know how stressful it is. 

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## edenorchards

In my experience dog food is the main culprit when it comes to doggie itching, hotspots, allergies, etc. The fact that Benadryl has done nothing to relieve the dermatitis is a big red flag that diet and deficiencies are probably to blame here.

What food do you have her on? Most commericial extruded kibbles are just awful for your dog, to be honest, and veterinarians are taught in school very little about canine nutrition and furthermore vets and nutrition studies are funded by big dog food producers (like Hill's Science Diet... who is it that sells all those over priced "prescription" diets? Oh yes. Hill's) These foods are garbage for the most part.

Good foods are usually very costly, though, so that is the kicker. The best brands available are Orijen and Taste of the Wild. If you can afford one give her a switch and in about a month or so her itching should have resolved.

In the meantime I recommend sardines. Sounds smelly and gross but the Omegas in sardines are awesome and they can really help out her coat and skin. It doesn't take much. Give her one smelly fish every other day. See if that helps. More is not better when it comes to sardines. Don't overfeed them. A tin/week should help her coat in just a couple weeks' time.

As a relieving treatment you can put Chloe in the bathtub and massage olive or grape seed oil into all of her skin. Don't worry about saturating her hair. That is unnecessary. But rub it into her irritated skin. Let it sit in a warm bathroom (try running the hot shower for ten minutes before you go in there to heat the bathroom-the warmth helps oil to absorb into the skin) for 5-10 minutes and then gently wash her coat with an oatmeal shampoo formulated for babies. You can follow the wash with a coat conditioner. I like "Mane and Tail" This horse conditioner is used for skin and hair and can be left in as well. I use this on my dogs after a bath (about once a month) and in the dry wintertime I rub it in and leave it on after their baths. 

Keep at it and you will find a way to relieve your doggie's itchy problems. Remember when you go to a vet that Rx foods are insanely expensive. If you're going to spend that money consider spending it on a top-brand food before a Rx. (of course my disclaimer is to always talk to a vet...) and also remember that if the vet prescribes steroids for your dog these do have serious side-effects to include the destruction of bone tissue and the lowering of the immune system. These can be amazing and necessary medications-even life saving in some cases-but medication should always be a last resort to diet or lifestyle changes!


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## dmgalley

Jake was on orijen when all this started. 

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## edenorchards

dmgalley said:


> Jake was on orijen when all this started.
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2


exactly why I think dog food is garbage ;-)

Origen is like Restaurant cuisine and Canidae is like McDonalds and Ol' Roy is like eating leftover frozen dinners out of someone's garbage can...

I feed my dogs home-made. We all know that carefully selected, prepared meals with fresh whole ingredients and variety are the most healthful options.

That and food is only one cause of itching (whether if by allergies or malnutrition). It might be the most common cause of itching apart from flea-allergies, but it is certainly not the only cause! Either way it is a real monster of an issue to sort out!


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## edenorchards

Oh-I've also heard a lot of people have great success with really tough cases by putting their dogs on a boiled chicken and rice diet. 
I personally don't like boiling the chicken because it makes it rubbery and can destroy nutrients, I prefer other methods of cooking-like steaming or just sautéing. 
Anyway in a serious pinch that can be a good temporary remedy. It isn't a complete diet so it can't be fed continuously except with a vet's guidance and supplements.


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## Chloe

Thanks Yes I switched her onto a better food. But she is still itching. We moved from Texas to Central Cali so I am also wondering of it is the weather switch too.


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## Lexi&Beemer

Chloe said:


> Thanks Yes I switched her onto a better food. But she is still itching. We moved from Texas to Central Cali so I am also wondering of it is the weather switch too.


So I don't know if this is true in central Cali but my friend in southern Cali said that they have a horrible flea problem. So bad that they use multiple layers of protection (oral, topical, and shampoo) but they never had to before they moved there. Could be new place new bugs. When we visited earlier this summer, my two were nonstop itching.


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## edenorchards

Chloe said:


> Thanks Yes I switched her onto a better food. But she is still itching. We moved from Texas to Central Cali so I am also wondering of it is the weather switch too.


I would say it depends *where* in Texas you moved from. Central California isn't as dry as southern-and even still-California is so huge that your climate does depend on *where* in central Cali you moved from. So Cal is so arid as to dry everyone out (I grew up there) and dog itching is a huge issue because of the lack of relative humidity. We saw this problem at the vets' I worked for a lot.
Central Cali-all I know about is the Bay area, Monterey and Salinas area and all around there. That area has a lot of fungal problems due to the high humidity and moisture and rain and fog, etc. Yeast skin infections are more common there for sure.

I wouldn't be surprised if your move had a lot to do with the move.

Also I grew up in Southern California and worked at multiple vets' offices as a tech and I never heard of fleas being a problem. I also worked at an animal shelter for years and years. Dogs with fleas do tend to get dermatitis from them and treating the dog with Advantage (or these days Advantix) was all that was needed... perhaps that other woman lived in a different area of southern California where I was at.
Fleas suck. Poor woman and her pooch!


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