Itching

[juliehainsworth]

Ok since having Ty at the new house he keeps itching in certain spots, I have checked for fleas and am getting some stuff to get rid of fleas just in case I'm missing them but I'd have thought I'd have noticed fleas by now as they normally attack me and there are normally other signs. I also thought that fleas normally occur in warmer weather (from what I remembered with my old dog)

I was wondering if there is anything else such as stress that might cause him to itch? I cant see any other signs of irritation and not changed anything that were using in this house except for that we have laminate flooring not carpet!

Anyone got any ideas as to what could be causing it?

 

[YoungFishBreeder]

is the area wet, Is he licking it.
I would go to the vets just to make sure.

 

[grahamsokel]

My imediate thought is have you used anything like shake and Vac or some other carpet freshener since you moved to the new house ?I know a few people with dogs that react to some of the carpet fresheners

 

[LisaLQ]

If you think for every flea you find on your pet, there's 200 living in your floorboards/carpet, it is possible to miss them. To quote a site I just found:

How will I know if my pet has fleas?
Unless your pet has a very severe infestation, you may actually never see a flea. Fleas are very quick, and you have to be lucky! However, the absence of seeing an actual live flea does not mean that your pet does not have fleas. A very simple test for the presence of fleas is to comb the coat thoroughly and look for little dark specks of dirt that turn into a red/brown dot on wet cotton wool. This is flea faeces and indicates an active flea presence. The redness is blood from the fleas’ faeces dissolving in the water in the cotton wool.
Dogs and cats may show mild irritation and scratching if infested with fleas. If they become allergic to flea bites, which is a not uncommon situation, they may show a severe dermatitis, which often starts around the rump. You might see thinning of the hair coat here and inflamed red skin. Fleas are the number one parasitic cause of skin problems in cats and dogs, so it is essential to treat regularly.
It is far better (and also easier and cheaper) to prevent fleas than to try and treat them once your pet has a problem. Regular use of products such as Program, Frontline or Advantage will help prevent the problem from occurring, so, hopefully, your pet will never be troubled by fleas!

I'd get a vet check, my vet's do a free flea clinic with the vet's nurse - might be worth asking if yours do? Pets can get fleas at any time of year - it's not just a summer thing - that used to be the norm pre-central heating, but we have year round flea temps now so you should treat your pet, fleas or not, with a preventative/treatment such as Frontline or Stronghold (Stronghold's the best as it worms them too and prevents against and kills ticks, ear mites - the works).

One thing to remember is that you should never bother with pet shop remedies for fleas. Not only do they cause severe allergic reactions in many pets - they just dont work, and you'll end up with a big problem (if it is fleas that is). You end up paying ten times as much as you would for the stuff from the vets, and still having an itchy dog/cat.

If it's definitely not fleas, your vets may need to take a skin scrape to check for mange or other skin diseases. It could be something as simple as a food allergy - what are you feeding him? I always recommend as natural a dog food as possible, as the big name brands are notorious for causing allergies or tummy problems - and they're really full of colourings and additives. Autarky, Burns, Wafcol and the like are the best you can get - avoid Pedigree, Bakers, Pal and the like - oh and Frolic, which is positively day-glo lol!

 

[KathyM]

Send him here. I used to be a vet nurse.

OK sorry, just couldn't think of a better opportunity to steal Ty *lmao*. It's bloody years since I vet-nursed, but it was worth a shot.

Lisa's posted what I would've said, hope he feels better soon! Give him a gentle scratch from us lot.

 

[grahamsokel]

I have actually just finished changing all of our adult dogs over to Autarky they are on the Chicken with rice,herbs and vegtables and i have to say they love it and have reccomended it to quite a few people.
We did have a couple of our dogs got the runs even though they changed over gradual but all back to normal now but the 2 that did get the runs get them even if they just have a different dog treat
Does anyone know if you can get a puppy version of it??

 

[KathyM]

Yes you can get puppy Autarky - its the "Springtime" one

The thing though about recommending new foods for itching is that if it's food related, you need to work out what the allergy/intolerance is to.

Dharma for example has food intolerances that make her skin bad and give her terrible colitis. We had a tonnes of people recommend one food over another as "hypoallergenic" (mainly Burns and Autarky), but it was rice that she was intolerant to (she had an exclusion diet to work this out). So while some foods profess to be "sensitive" they only really are if they don't contain what that specific dog has a problem with *lol*.

Autarky is a cracking food though (NatureDiet's even better), have used it for our previous dogs with great results. Shame it makes Dharma explode.

 

[grahamsokel]

Yes you can get puppy Autarky - its the "Springtime" one

Thanks i will try and find it as i have the 2 pups here
I can only get the chicken one at Costco and the petshop here does not stock it and will never order anything in for you
Joys of living in the sticks

Edit:
Just done a search and Springtime is for pups from 8 months old

 

[KathyM]

Well that must've changed very recently then. Springtime used to be puppy and junior, Summertime was adult, Autumn was senior.

I know Autarky make "Gusto" too and their range might be different.

 

[LisaLQ]

Nope, it's 8 weeks to 2 years

Oooh heck, their site has changed since I last looked - might be worth emailing them?

I'd feed Autarky all the time if I could, Sky did really well on it - her coat was fab, even her arthritis wasn't as bad. Thing is, she wont bloody eat it any more! She's now on Burgess Senior, which is...well...better than big brands but not as natural as I'd like. We've tried everything, this is all she'll eat now.

 

[KathyM]

Graham - I think it's the website that's wrong. When I researched for my Ciao review on their foods, it was 8 weeks to 24 months. The website has changed since then, so I'd email them to make sure their new info is right, because it doesn't ring true considering the adult food is for 8 months onwards.

Edit - Lisa check out the Autarky website - looks like a typo to me, does it to you?

 

[LisaLQ]

Oh and I forgot CSJ, their food is virtually identical to Autarky, bit pricier though - but apparently well worth it I'd only personally use their Command Performance range, as their normal range has BHA and BHT in it (I'll leave Kathy to explain why that's bad lol because I cant remember!).

http/www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/viewPr...duct=14#details

Yep looks like a typo to me too. Just to add - on the CSJ site you can order Autarky for home delivery
http/www.csjk9.com/productcart/pc/pjwwcustomindex_a.asp

 

[grahamsokel]

way too much info to take in
I will email them and see what they say as it does say puppy/junior so maybe it is a typo error

 

[KathyM]

as their normal range has BHA and BHT in it (I'll leave Kathy to explain why that's bad lol because I cant remember!).

BHA and BHT are waste products from the petrochemical industry, used as preservatives. Ethoxyquin is another. They all are known to cause cancer (BHT and BHA cause liver disease also), and in human foods there are safety levels above which point it is illegal. However, the government on't afford such care to the animals of this country and it's been found that in many brands the levels of these preservatives is way higher than safe for humans, never mind smaller mammals. The info I have on those petfoods is mainly US, but I prefer not to take the risk if I can help it. However, it's incredibly difficult to find economical dog food without these preservatives in - Autarky doesn't contain them, but their other brand "Gusto" does. Even harder to find one free of these chemicals AND rice for Dharma. She had to be a fussy mare.

 

[juliehainsworth]

Thanks guys, still no sign of fleas or their mess in his coat, he kinda chews at a certain spot on his back but still cant see any sign of irritation but going on what graham was saying about food (only got time to quickly read through things at mo sorry) it made me think that it could actually be because I've got him on a cheap bag of bakers complete which I took round to put in his treats ball but havent got round to taking his proper food down to the house yet so perhaps its causing him to have an allergy. I will keep you posted but unfortunately I wont be on as much as now on maternity leave and havent got internet access at home yet....

Kathy M: So your still after pinching my pooch, he really wants to meet Dharma one day!

I'll have to go get some more stronghold I'll admit I've been slacking lately in not buying it, can I still apply it when pregnant? If not I'll have to get Chris to do it for me...