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I have a mini daschund and she smells very strong of dog - stinky and itchy!!
We have tried many specialty shampoos and have changed her diet many times from high end vet food to the cheapest stuff. She constantly scratches and the vet is at a loss. They have done skin scrapings, tried creams and meds and still she continues. All they can determine is that it's an allergy, but does anyone know of ANYTHING that may help relieve her? She is only 2 years old and it started after about 6months of age.
When you switched to high end food did you eliminate certain ingredients one by one and give it a few weeks in between?
Maybe there's a meat in the food that you're dog is allergic to.
My dog is allergic to chicken and I didn't notice how he started to scratch more and more over time. What I did notice was he started to smell like a dog who hadn't had a bath in years. Like he had been in a kennel.
I only bathe him once or twice a year and he maintains a normal dog smell that's not offensive at all, but when I had him on a (high end) food that had chicken in it, that all changed. We're back to a lamb based diet and back on twice yearly baths.
I'm thinking it's still something in the foods that is causing him the scratching. Eliminate all grains, corn, wheat, gluten, etc. Lots of grain free foods out there. Give that a few weeks. If no change, switch out the meat base in the foods. But grains are usually the cause of excessive itching and sometimes chicken.
answered on Sep 7th.
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Answers
Hi there!
Sorry the vet hasn't helped... try the following:
1. Ask for a list of common dog allergens, and check your house and yard for anything that might be triggering it.
2. After walks, wipe her down with a damp wash cloth to remove pollens and dust. Reduce number of baths
3. Ask the vet about an elimination diet to isolate food allergens. You can also try this yourself, but do a little research to make sure you keep the nutrients in the right balance. Dogster has a forum on feeding raw, which is another way to go.
Sometimes food from the vet has things that your dog is allergic to, so don't rely on price or marketing - read the ingredients!
My Katie has allergies to corn, wheat, soy, and gluten. She also gets itchy if her food has too much chicken. She eats Taste of the Wild, and is doing fine now.
You can read the ingredients of dozens of major dog food manufacturers at www.dogfoodanalysis.com - and this site also includes ratings and reviews. GL!
Sassy always smelled and really started itching at age 13 years. I just thought it was her but now she is on a very simple home made diet and no longer stinks. I was amazed. It could also be the very powerful probiotic she gets for her kidney disease. I would try one of the simple kibbles that Natural Balance, Wellness and California Naturals make. Try a version that has new foods for your dog. Also try a good human probiotic. Dog supplements aren't as well labeled.
Fish oil is THE supplement needed if kibble is fed. Capsules keep potency better than a liquid in a pump bottle. I just last month changed her fish oil to one without soy and [knocking on wood] she seems less itchy this past week. Years she has had this oil and it was the soy? Maybe, better late than never I guess.
Hmmmm. Have a recent experience with that. I thought the dog may have mange (skin mites), but scrapings were negative. It wasn't until I got a rash on my left calf - where the dog always leans and bumps while on the leash - that we confirmed she does have mange. The Vet put her on Revolution, every 2 weeks for 3 doses then monthly afterwards. She is improving slower than I am. Itchy, itchy!
She only has a few pimples under her armpits and one or two on the belly, many healing scratches all over. It makes it very hard for the Vet to get any mites in the scraping if they are not plentiful.
Neem oil is soothing and comes in a wipe under the name BugGone, an insect repellent for pets and people. This is only a comfort measure.
Swithching to Revolution covers flea, tick, hookworm and heartworm - no need for a second medication. If you have deer and deer ticks you need the Preventic collar with it, my vet gets it free to go with Revolution.
You might want to try fish oil capsules in your dog's food. They helped with my dog's skin and ear allergies. Just check with your vet on the proper dosing. Good Luck!
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