Lab won't stop scratching

[tracr]

I have a 4 year old lab. Over the last couple of weeks she started scratching a lot. We have not changed her food or any of her treats. I bath her every 4 weeks using the same shampoo I have used for years. My vet said to give her omega 3 fish oil tablets (one a day) which I have with no improvements. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. My lab is itching for a cure...

[Bobby Bass]

Try some benadryl, if it works then ask your vet for a script for it, much cheaper buying it that way then over the counter. Daughter has lab that she medicates this way and helps reduce the scratching.

[Randy Kaar]

sounds like dry skin, low humidity in the winter will cause
this. i give my lab a couple of eggs cooked in the microwave
then cooled. may be a old wives tale but works for me.

randy


ps  i used to give my dogs raw eggs, but dont anymore with all
the warnings on raw eggs

[Bobby Bass]

sounds like dry skin, low humidity in the winter will cause
this. i give my lab a couple of eggs cooked in the microwave
then cooled. may be a old wives tale but works for me.

randy

My ma would do that with her dogs to, suppose to be good for the coat. Might also try not washing the dog so often. I only wash mine 2 or 3 times a year but do keep them brushed and ears cleaned weekly. they are Lab Springer mixed so they do have rather large ears but different coats. As for the eggs Bud likes the Denny's Grand slam breakfast and his eggs sunny side up!

[Woody]

and ketchup on the hash browns too I suppose?   

[kingfisher1]

one thing that I would always do with my dog is put the juices from a can of tuna in her bowl when I'd open one.  I'd also give her an occasional whole can with her food.  I always got compliments on how soft and shiney her coat was.  That might help with the scratching, too.

[beeker]

benadryl is good, just check the weight dosage as you can fry a dogs liver with improper dosage.. also tylenol is good if you dog is hurting.  they sell a "conditioning shampoo" that can help with skin conditions a few baths with that can help.. or just like with chicken poxs an oatmeal bath may help the dog like it helps the kids.  I always dump the bacon greese on the dog food and the dog is silky soft.. plus we use the furminator on her coat.

on a sadder note my last dog inhereted a genetic disease that caused a form of mange that popped up from time to time.  we ended up putting him down at 7 for health reasons.

[Cody Gruchow]

my lab was doing the same thing, vet told me to him him 2 benadryls with each meal, so 2 in the morning and 2 at night until it stops, i bath my dog once a week, so i guess it could of been that but nothing has changed and the itching went away.

[Bufflehead]

What kind of food are you feeding?

Do you feed any corn to the deer in your yard or corn to birds or other animals?

Dog food has went down hill for the last coupe of years with ethanol sucking up a lot the quality corn. several times now, there have been recalls on different brands of food because of mold and other things in the food from poor quality ingredient. Also, since the closing of horse slaughter plants in this country. Dog food producers have had to use poor quality meat by products from beef & chicken(some lamb).

 I have seen a ton of problems with dogs on Science Diet.

 Watch over using products like benadryl...only masks the problem. I question a vet that recommends that instead of finding the real problem causing the itching

 You may need a steroid to relieve the symptoms over the long term.

 Good luck, I'll keep a watch on this thread to see how it's going

Chuck     

[streetrodder]

There is a product made by Zoom Dog called itchy Dog.  My Golden Retreiver has a problem and this helps her check out www.zoomdogsupplements.com.  Good luck!

[tracr]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will post which one worked the best in a few days. I will try the benadryl 1st along with the tuna juice. I was also told to stop using the furmanitor on her every day but to do it every other day, has anyone heard of shedding you dog to offten causing a dog to scratch a lot?

[Big_D]

Couple other thoughts:

1. Are you bathing the dog too much?  Removing the natural oils (specially on a lab)
2. Thyroid problem?  My dog doesn't scratch, but licks his leg until it's raw...thyroid condition, pills don't help much, but a sock on his leg works when he leaves it on.

[thunderpout]

Yeah, first Id' look at food/diet Dont feed em anything with corn/corn gluten....  Could be allergies or over bathing....

[tracr]

No she gets bathed every 4 weeks, And no her food does not have any corn or gluten in it. It is the same food she has been eating for the past 3 years.

[Bufflehead]

I have raised trained and owned a kennel for more than 25 years.

IMO, you have a possible food allergy issue.

Dermatologic (Skin) Disorders of the Dog:
A Multipart Series

Allergic and Non-Allergic Food Reactions Causing Skin Diseases

 

Adverse reactions to food are difficult to differentiate from "atopy" in the dog because presenting symptoms are typically identical for both conditions. Additionally, although food reactions occur as a non-seasonal dermatitis, many instances of atopy will similarly demonstrate no seasonal pattern. One factor that may be helpful for differentiating these two conditions is the observation that many dogs with food reactions will demonstrate skin lesions localized to the ears only. Therefore, dogs with recurrent ear infection even in the presence of bacterial or yeast infections should be considered suspect for a primary adverse food reaction. On average, adverse food reactions account for up to 10% to 30% of hypersensitive conditions in the dog, and of these, 80% of dogs with adverse food reactions will have a concurrent condition of atopy (refer to the previous section for more information on atopy).

Cause. Adverse reactions to food may occur as a result of allergic reactions to food or non-allergic reactions.

Food Allergies:

Adverse reactions associated with food allergies are believed to be associated with a type 1 immune response to a particular allergen in the diet. When the individual is first exposed to the allergen in the diet there is initially no reaction; however, upon first introduction the body initiates an immune response to the allergen by producing immunoglobulin E antibodies. When the food containing this allergen is ingested at a later time, the IgE antibodies bind to the allergen and initiate an inflammatory reaction. The idea of an immunologic adverse food reaction in dogs is considered controversial, since there is no evidence to show that IgE does indeed play a role in hypersensitive reactions to food in the dog.

Although food preservatives and dyes are most often blamed for inducing adverse allergic food reactions in dogs, separate clinical studies (253 dogs total) to identify the most common food allergens associated with allergic food reactions in dogs refuted these commonly held perceptions with the following data:

Food Allergen
   

Association with Adverse Reaction

Beef, dairy products, wheat
   

68% of cases

chicken, chicken egg, lamb, soy
   

25% of cases

Non-Allergic Reactions:

Non-allergic food reactions differ from food allergies in that the dog may develop symptoms upon initial exposure to the ingredient; however, by all outward appearances it is difficult to differentiate between non-allergic and allergic food reactions. For this reason, the incidence of allergic versus non-allergic adverse reactions in dogs is unknown.

Though food additives, such as dyes and antioxidants, are commonly believed to cause non-allergic food reactions (since these chemicals can directly cause release of histamine, a chemical responsible for inflammation, from the mast cells), there is an absence of clinical data to support this notion. Histamine itself, as well as other vasoactive amines (chemicals that cause dilation of blood vessels) are frequently contained in pet foods, particularly those foods containing fish products. Though the levels of these substances in pet foods are not believed to be high enough to induce a non-allergic reaction, feeding food containing these chemicals may predispose some dogs to developing allergic food reactions by lowering the dog's tolerance threshold to certain food allergens.

[redbull135]

I had a friend tell me his dog was doing the same thing he ended up switching to a fish based dog food. now the onley time his dog itches is when he gets  a hold of table scraps.

[thunderpout]

One of my setters had food allergies, would lick his front paws non-stop.... dealt with it for years.... did find out it was in his food, but was hard to pin point exactly what ingrediant it was... switched around brands and types and eventually  got rid of the skin issues....

[beeker]

what types of food were you guys using? and what type did you switch too? wondering if it's the same combination? 

[Bufflehead]

Corn and wheat can the two big ones. First off, I would look for a food with no corn in it. Diamond makes a Lamb & Rice with no corn. Your vet may have something that in non hypoallergenic as well. Although they can be very expensive.

 

[redbull135]

He switched to purina pro plan lamb and rice

[Stensethfan]

Maybe try a pet dermitology center?  There is one locate in Coon Rapids called Veterinary Dermatology And Allergy Centre the web address is http://www.vetdermcentre.com/4.0_About_Us.html and my mom also happens to be the head technician there.  I am guessing it would not take too much effort to figure out what might be going on.  Sometimes dogs get allergies in life like humans do they just appear for seemingly no reason.

[Bufflehead]

Stensethfan, thanks for the link

He switched to purina pro plan lamb and rice

 That still has corn in it

http://www.petco.com/product/7864/Diamond-Pet-Food-Lamb-Meal-and-Rice-Formula-Dog-Food.aspx

http://www.canidae.com/dogs/chicken-and-rice/canned.html

Kirkland Signature Range Super Premium Puppy Chicken, Rice and Vegetable Full Ingredients List:(Made by Diamond) sold at Costco's around the United States.

Chicken,chicken meal,whole grain brown rice, cracked pearled barley, egg product, beet pulp, chicken fat(preserved with mixed tocopherols and Vitamin E), potatoes,fish meal, flaxseed,natural flavors, brewers dried yeast, millet, potassium chloride, salt, choline, carrots, peas, kelp, apples, dried skim milk, cranberry powder,salmon oil (a source of DHA), rosemary extract, parsley flake, dried chicory root, vitamin E supplement, iron proteinate, zinc proteinate, copper proteinate, ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, potassium iodide, thiamine mononitrate, manganese proteinate, manganous oxide, ascorbic acid, vitamin A supplement, biotin, calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, riboflavin, vitamin D supplement, folic acid.
--------------------------------
No corn, no wheat, no beef

Still has beet pulp and may still bother your dog, like some grain products

Taste of the wild, grain free dog foods

 http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/?utm_source=MSN&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=%20invirro%20pet%20food%20&utm_content=Natural+Pet+Food&utm_campaign=1197593940

There are lots more, just a few as a example

[thunderpout]

I switched to Diamond Lamb and rice never had issues after that.....  Buffelhead was right, its removing the fillers, Corn and corn products and certain grains possibly.......

[lenny7]

I've read that a few different dog foods have changed formulas lately, sometime with detrimental effects.  A couple I can think of are Nutro & Royal Canidae.  That might trigger an allergic reaction.

I switched my lab from Diamond large Breed Puppy to NutriSource Large Breed Puppy and got rid of his itching and firmed up his stools as a bonus.

[tracr]

lenny7 you where correct. I looked in it and the food I have been giving her changed their recipe 3 months ago I will be switching her to beneful.

[lenny7]

lenny7 you where correct. I looked in it and the food I have been giving her changed their recipe 3 months ago I will be switching her to beneful.

How's she doing now?  For her sake I hope I was right and you'll tell us all is well.

[The General]

I use Diamond Naturals lamb & rice in the off season and switch to Diamond Naturals Extreme Athlete during the hunting season.  Never a stool problem, scratching, etc.  Just a non stop healthy hunting dog.

[blabman]

Give your dog fish oil capsules or salmon oil with each meal. It is good for your dog, and will relieve ithcing in many dogs as well as improve the dogs coat.


Chuck

[tracr]

Lenny 7

She is doing much better. We are starting her training again for field and water hunting.
Thanks for the advice