ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

How to Help a Dog with Itchy Skin

Updated on April 27, 2009

Perhaps not many health ailments frustrate more than itching. Seeing your dog pitifully itching and scratching for half of the day may not be a nice picture of health and happiness. Some dogs may scratch until they develop raw spots, often referred to as ''hot spots'' other may also bite paws, tails and legs further aggravating the already irritated skin.

While there are some home remdies to sooth itching and provide relief, the most important factor to consider is figure out the underlying cause of itching. Unless the itching is related to a temporary issue such as a bug bite, very likely you may help provide relief but then if the underlying condition is not treated, the itching will very likely resurface with all its annoying symptoms.

Before, looking at home remedies, here is a list of possible causes of dog itching. Most are diagnosed through your veterinarian's investigative tools, therefore, if the itching is due to an underlying skin condition, seeking veterinary advice is fundamental in order to commence a proper treatment protocol.

Reasons Why Dogs Itch

1) Fleas

Yes, this may be obvious, but many times the fleas are not visible an owners may bypass this possibility. Owners may think that it is impossible that their dog has fleas because they think they live in a non flea infested area. However, fleas are very hardy creatures, they can live all year long in a home hiding in all the nooks and crannies of the home or they may be on your next dog neighbor's dog and hitch hike a ride on your shoes until they get to your dog.

The best way to determine if your dog has fleas is by looking for flea dirt. If your dog is light colored it may be quite easy to see some tiny speckles resembling pepper when parting the dog's fur. In order to find out if this is actual dirt or if it is actually flea dirt (which by the way is composed of flea droppings) you will have to place this dirt on a wet paper towel. If te dirt becomes reddish and leaves tiny blood stains, indeed you are looking of flea droppings.

2) Allergies

Allergies in dogs is very common nowadays. It could be to almost anything, but the most common culprit is food. Grains, chicken, preservatives, beef, can cause annoying skin allergies that tend to not go away until the dog is put on am exclusion diet. It may take weeks for the dog to finally feel better.

Other allergies may be caused by the environment, think of chemical products used to clean, air fresheners, pesticides in the grass, and many more. These allergies however, should get better once the exposure to the trigger is limited.

3) Infectious Agents

In this category are included yeast, bacterial, and fungal organisms in general that like to live on a dog's skin. If the skin appears to have an odor and looks greasy this is often due to the presence of yeast. These organisms are diagnosed via tests by your veterinarian. A skin culture is often a preferred method.

4) Anxiety

Just as humans bite their nails, a dog will lick, scratch and bite at its paws when under stress. The stress may be have various origins, generally dogs will become stressed after a recent move, a new family member, a new pet addition, or any general change of routine.

There are many more causes of itchy skin in dogs, so many that veterinarians are often left scratching their heads themselves, as the cause may be quite difficult to find at times.

Omega 3 fatty Acids; the secret to healthy, glossy skin

Source

Now, that some common causes of itching have been looked at, here are some good old home remedies that may help sooth the itchiest skins.

Home Remedies For Itchy Dogs

-Oatmeal

Oatmeal baths work great because they are soothing and a natural way to give relief to irritated skin. Colloidal oatmeal such as Aveeno added to the water in the bath tub may really make a difference. Use cool water only, cool water works much better than warm in providing relief. As much as you want to give relief, however, please keep in mind that too many baths may actually strip away the dog's natural oils in the skin making problems worse.

-Fatty Acids

The addition of Omega 3 fatty acids may work very well when dealing with dry, itchy skin. There are several fatty acid supplements available in pet stores or over the Internet. Some dog foods are also supplemented with omega 3 fatty acids. Results will show up shortly with a nice, healthy and glossy skin.

-Benadryl

Ask your veterinarian about giving your dog some plain Benadryl. According to this Pet Home Remedies website, it may help relieve itching. As with any medications there are risks for side effects. This should be given only short term until your veterinarian may assess the underlying cause of the itching.

As seen, there are various things you may do at home to provide some relief. But that's it: relief. If your dog is itching and scratching it means that your dog's skin is reacting to something that needs addressed properly. So give your dog the best relief it can have, having him seen by your vet. Only this way you can get to the root of the problem and hopefully permanently solve those annoying itching spells.

Dsiclaimer; the above article is not to be used as a dignostic tool nor as a substitute for veterinary advice. If your dog has skin problems please refer to your veterinarian for a hand's on examination.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)