Itchy Dog

[HighDesertDuck]

So last week, the dog was itchy. Really Itchy. So itchy he would stop mid retrieve to chew his leg.

My wife ended up taking him to the vet, who diagnosed an "environmental allergy, with secondary bacterial infection. He prescribed Zyrtec, antibiotics, and a special shampoo. The bacterial infection was from him irritating his skin. The only things that have differed from our routine are; a romp in the mud and puddles in a runoff area behind the house, the first swim of the year in the river, and a fresh bag of food.

The itching began 3 days after playing in the runoff area, and two days after the trip to the river and the new bag of food. The itching is confined to legs (knees/elbows mostly), belly, and his junk. He didn't show any redness for a few days, until the scratching/chewing began to irritate him. No sign of fleas.

The run off area is where we normally run our marks in heavy cover. The river was the same as it always is, although maybe muddier than the hunting season, and there was two herds of horses in the area. The food was the same brand (blue buffalo wilderness, chicken), but the kibble looked to be larger than in the past.
We don't get a lot of rain here so the mud and puddles is something we haven't had in the past. He is not itching behind the ears, the back, or the tail all which got wet in the river. Blue buffalo doesn't appear to have changed its recipe.

He seems to be improving slowly.

Any thoughts or recommendations? The vet recommended washing him after working in the water, but I am worried about stripping the oils out of his coat. BTW he is a 2 year old Toller.

[assateague]

Sounds like he's got chiggers.

[Redbeard]

Chigaway?

[HighDesertDuck]

I wouldn't have thought of chiggers. But we have been pretty wet of late. He seems to be on the mend. Mostly only chewing his feet now, and still not enough to give himself hot spots.

[HighDesertDuck]

Well almost a month since the dog went to the vet. It did not appear to be chiggers. He had one follow up last week, and they ended up giving him a cortisone shot and prescribing an anti-fungal "just in case". I have opted against the anti-fungal for now.

The Itching is getting a little better and the one or two hotspots he had developed are gone. He is also back to working without being distracted by the itching. Still hear him chewing and scratching a couple nights a week. I've decided to try the zoom dog "itchy dog formula". I'm also going to try the marsh mutt shampoo after river work to get the mud outta his fur. I'll post an update when i have a verdict on the new stuff.

[assateague]

Another thought that comes to mind is maybe some benadryl for a few days. I know that if they get even a little hotspot, the itch will "feed" off of itself, even if there are no outside factors. Maybe if you can get him to STOP itching for a few days, the itch wwill go away on its own. Sort of like scratching a mosquito bite- if you can not itch it, it'll go away, but once you start, it seems like there's no stopping the itch or scratch. That's been my experience with a dog's hotspots as well. Just an idea.

[rebelp74]

Mange?

[HighDesertDuck]

AT he was on zrtec ( non sleepy benydril) for the first couple of weeks seemed to help some. The cortisone shot was supposed to do the same thing get it calmed down and got him to leave it alone.

Reb, He doesn't seem to be showing any classic mange symptoms. No hair loss, or redness. All the hot spots are gone.

I wonder if he just sort of got in the habit of chewing when I was itchy and is doing it when bored. I don't see the itchiness during the day when I am with him. Maybe allergies. He is on the mend and maybe the upcoming change if seasons will help.

Thanks for the help with trouble shooting. I'll update if anything changes.