General itchiness

[MightyThor]

I've noticed in the past week Thor has been itching a lot more than normal. He's not itching one specific spot, and I've done a head to toe inspection and I don't see any flaky skin or irritated spots.

There have been a lot of changes recently, so I can't pinpoint one specific thing that might be triggering the itching. Off the top of my head several things come to mind:

1. Change of food 2 months ago (but we switched to a higher quality grain free food. Pro plan to Nutrisource PureVita grain free)
2. Recently started swimming more - he's in the water a few times a week
3. Running through tall pasture grass
4. Chickens. I have eight new chicks who have been in a brooder in our mud room. I moved them to the coop yesterday so they are no longer in the house. Wondering if he might be allergic.
5. It's been a couple of weeks since rain and humidity is very low.
6. Fires in the state mean smoke blows through occasionally

With all of these variables I can't tell if it's an allergy or something environmental. I'm thinking I'll start giving him coconut oil or fish oil supplements at first, and if that doesn't help I'll try benadryl if it keeps up (in case it's an allergy). I don't feel like it's a vet issue yet since he doesn't appear to be uncomfortable or have any skin issues I can detect visually, but if I can't solve it or it seems to get worse I'll take him in. Any other ideas?

[BaconsMom]

My Lily had severe allergies, and there were a lot more signs than general itchiness. She would get really bad hot spots, her skin appeared red and inflamed. That being said I don't think you can completely rule out allergies-It may not be food, just environmental (new plants, weeds, etc). Lily got fish oil to help with her skin, along with several medications and medicated baths.

One thing to mention, when Bacon goes hunting in tall grass, he tends to be itchier because his skin gets irritated by the constant poking of grass and other plants. It could be that.

I hope others can be more help, and I hope Thor is less itchy soon!

[Labradorks]

Welcome to Oregon! Grasses are a big environmental allergy and tansy is bad this year.

If I were you I'd leave it alone, watch it, and see if there are changes from summer to fall. If so, you'll know it's environmental. Letting him dry off might help, too. If he is always wet and staying wet for long periods, you could get some yeast issues.

[Snowshoe]

Maybe he's about to shed? Even more than he does now, I do know he's yellow.

More and more allergies are thought to stem from gut issues. This was just in an email I get from Dogs Naturally Magazine. In hindsight it certainly seems to be true for Oban as once the gut issues were cleared up I was able to keep him off the summer time allergy med, Atopica. I guess the problem is identifying a gut issue early enough to avoid the resulting associated issues. Anyway, something for you to consider?

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[SunDance]

What do you do after he goes swimming?

My guess is that it has something to do with repeated dunking. Even if you rinse/wash him off each time, it would be drying out his skin a bit...maybe not to the point of flakes, but to the point of tightness. Also, as we dog shampooers all know, water tends to loosen about-to-be-shed hair.

Hope you figure it out for sure.

[Snowshoe]

Yes, the swimming is a good thing to look at. OUr weather has been very hot and humid resulting in algae blooms and more of bacteria that cause itching in people and pets in ponds, lakes, streams.

[Annette47]

Chloe spent the past 2 months quite smelly and a bit itchy although her skin looked fine. I attributed it to all the swimming she had been doing. They spent a week at a kennel (where they swam in a pool every day rather than a lake) and were groomed right before we picked them up and she hasn’t smelled or itched since. She’s been in the lake once since then, but can’t right now because of a harmful algae bloom, and she is much less itchy and smelly although sad she can’t swim.

[Macy]

When we began Macy's environmental allergy issues, she was itching all over but specifically her legs and tummy- where the tall grass would hit her as she ran through it. Our regular vet suggested wiping her down well with a baby wipe or damp paper towel, giving her OTC zyrtec or Allegra, adding salmon oil to her diet. The one thing he did say he felt was important was that she allowed to do her doggy thing and run in the grass, etc. We eventually ended up at the derm vet- not food related. Macy got skin tested and is allergic to everything in the world, ragweed, human dander, dustmites, local grasses, etc. She is now on Immunotherapy, and occasionally Apoquel. Initially, I also removed all chemicals, added humidity to the air, and washed her bedding all the time. Some of those things helped Macy short term so may be worth a try.
Maybe when it freezes, you will see less itchiness with Thor. I hope so.

[MightyThor]

Thanks for the ideas. Generally, after swimming he air dries himself by zoomies around the yard and lounging in the sun. Sometimes I hose him down if he's managed to find himself mud to roll around in, too. I think I'll try the coconut oil this week (he just WOLFED down a treat with a small dab of it and then sat and begged for more, so getting him to eat it shouldn't be a problem) and also hose him down every time he gets in the pond. If he doesn't improve I'll try some of the other suggestions.

[Labradorks]

You could also go back to your old food and see if it makes a difference. I'd keep the changes simple for now.