Chronic Itching - Page 2

Just beef would be better, NO rice;  rice is a carb they do not need which turn to sugar in the dogs system.  Just meat;  if all goes well in another 2 weeks you can add another meat source, but one at a time and leave him on one meat for 2 weeks.  If all goes well and itching is better then you can add another meat.  Drop the kibble altogether, since you mentioned Royal Canin, I know it's your food.  Good luck  Nan

Food accounts for less that 10% of allergies in dogs. If you want to prove a food allergy you must use a homemade diet with as few ingredients as possible. There are many recipes on the net.

I used to work for a vet dermatologist, so the best advice I can give anyone with an atopic dog is to not waste time and money switching from one commercial food to another. Take the dog to a vet dermatologist. Also, Jean Dodds, Hemopet, now offers a blood test for food allergies. BTW even if  you get the allergies under control the dog probably should not be used for breeding for reasons I won't get into. Allergies are not just "skin problems".

Yes nerves can also be a problem. But he walks and retrieves ball every other day. 

Perhaps the dog is just preening himself, as many dogs will do, sometimes a lot.
You keep shoving all that crap down his throat and on his skin he will get worst that's for sure.
Maybe he does need more activity but if he likes to clean himself and has nothing better to do your not helping him at all.
I say let him scratch and stop with the gimmick cures, suppliments, and designer dogfoods.
Also stay away from vets.
Relax.




 

A dog that scratches 24/7 is not pruning itself. Dogs like that end up at the vet's sooner or later or they end up being so tormented by their itching that they suffer 24/7. If one doesn't want to use a vet for an atopic dog, then the dog should be humanely put out of it's misery rather than allowed to suffer day and night. Most atopic dogs will also develop secondary bacterial skin infections that only adds to their misery. Dog with allergies are immune cripples that over-react when exposed to allergens that would be harmless to dogs with a "normal" immune system. In my experience,  those dog will often go on to develop other autoimmune diseases like lupus, or lymphatic malignancies.

Ever think about having him skin tested for allergies?

If there is no damage to the skin, then it can't be too much scratching.
My imported male scratches licks and chews all the time and he has no problems other than he likes to look his best....LOL

Too many people abuse their animals trying to find something wrong with them when there is nothing wrong at all,  it's a mental illness as far as I'm concerned.
Too many crap supplement's, shampoo's, and cure alls.

I've had dogs with allergies and the difference is very obvious from one who does not.

If this is a 24/7 problem and the dog is suffering and has obvious damage, then put it down and move on.

Just don't torture it, like I've seen so many do.

It's either gone for good, or there to stay.....


 

Can you recall what happened before the chewing started? Was he vaccinated for something or change in diet? IMO, you should definitely switch his food to at least limited ingredients, preferably grain free (so no rice, wheat), no soy, or ideally species appropriate diet (raw meat). He probably needs to detox from all the stuff he has been on, definitely will need probiotic (kefir or yogurt or powdered, make sure it has E.faecium and Bacillus coagulans among the other more common bacteria) to restore digestive flora. Why is he on vit. B supplement? It looks like the RC has enough vit. B, so I doubt that he is vit. B deficient, I would stop that. About the salmon oil, check if it has preservatives, rosemary, Vit.E (soy) - all these are known allergens.

If it is an allergy of some sort, I would focus on supporting and balancing his immune system. At 14 months, he is still growing and the immune system is maturing. Eleuthero is immune adaptogen, so it will support the immune system if needed or calm it. I would probably add some nettle for general detox and milk thistle for the liver after all the medications he has been on. Generally, by feeding him better quality food and giving him a rest from all drugs/medications, you should see some slow improvement. For bathing, I would use Dr. Bronner's castile soap, it is very, very mild, won't strip the coat from the oils and so on.

Oh, and get a new vet.

HTH.