Scratching

Hi!
For a long time Moa (14 month old) have a problem with scratching. She usually scratching ears and neck often to the blood. It takes for a long time we've tried all of the food changes (Acan, M.Muhle, Josera and home made barf) bathing shampoo, changing walking collars.....
Even a veterinarian does not know what it might cause.
all advice are welcome
Tnx

Have you looked at allergy possibles other than food? Dogs, like us, can be allergic to a wide range of triggers, including some fabrics, chemicals used in cleaning products, plants such as grasses, etc.

I'd look at things like the soaps, cleaning products, etc. you use as a first port of call. Also, have you discussed allergy testing with your vet? Also, when you tried raw did you add anything, and which meats did you use? And how long are you trying something before you change?

Yer a good one liz.xxxx

Agree with Liz - it may not be food.

Also, how often are you bathing her? Bathing too often can dry out the skin & cause irritation.

TNX LIzzP and others, I arranged a test with vet. so we will see. The vet. suspects it's a neurological.

- when i chage the food she eats a new food for min 1month
- bathing less then 1 per month

Okay, but once a month is still too often to bathe a dog. Has your vet suggested it?

Person, I wouldn't bathe more than twice a year, but I'd use wipes to get anything obnoxious off!

Hello, my staffy has this exact problem right now and it’s getting worse and worse.. he is 4 and half years and he sort of had always had dermatitus/allergy issues but nothing too serious. After getting him desexxed in July this year I have noticed a lot more severity. I have taking him to the vet numerous times which always costs me hundreds of dollars. I am not getting anyway with it and it has me worried and frustrated. I am thinking it is an attention thing however he gets a fair amount of love or it could be a boredom thing I don’t know. Here is a photo of his latest sore. I have got dermatitis shampoo and am washing him once a week no improvement he still manages to scratch his face off

Hi Jaszie. Please introduce yourself in the introductions section.
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Skin problems are sometimes connected to nervouseness/fear, but certainly not attention seeking,and unlikely to be boredom.

What colour is your dog & what food does he have?

Bathing too often can actually make matters worse, so I'd concentrate more on things you can add to he'll his skin... salmon oil, coconut oil, skin conditioning powders etc.

Okay will do Gillybrent, my dog is a blue English staffy. I tried to upload photo however did not work. ATM I’m feeding him lean meat cooked with winter vegetables from Woolworths with pasta.. I’m unsure of what to feed him at the moment because I read that they shouldn’t have cooked meat. Yeah I really need to help my poor dog, I have been working different hours and am not home at night time a few nights a week. My partner looks after him but he isn’t a staffy lover like I am.. the vet said he could be alergic to grass and another vet said he has exma..

Thank you.

One more question: were his parents also both blue?

If they were, it's possible that Yoda may have a form of hair loss called Colour Dilution Alopecia. It's fairly common in blues, although the severity varies greatly.

If it is CDA, there's nothing you can do to 'cure' it, and regular baths will only make it worse. You will need to improve his skin condition as far as possible - massaging coconut oil into his skin twice a day may help. Also, try adding salmon oil (or a very small amount of coconut oil) to his food.

Is the food you buy a dog food, or something you put together yourself? It's not something that I recognise in the UK.

I would advise you to get a better quality food, if you can afford it. You need to get one that does not contain wheat, and preferably no poultry. Poultry is a common allergen, and may be making matters worse.

Maybe try a fish based food?

Dogs can have cooked meat, but not cooked bones.

Oh that is interesting I will bring it up next time when I go to the vet. Yes I’m changing to BARF raw food diet and avoiding poultry thank you for your advice

If you're changing to a raw diet, what I'd suggest is trying just one meat type at a time for a good 10 days or so, and just feeding that (no veg, no carbs, no treats, nothing). If after 10 days Moa is still itching, it's either not food or it's that particular meat. If the itching stops or reduces, then it's likely that it is food but not that meat.

If it doesn't stop, then switch to another meat (or fish), which should then rule in or out the previous one. If it still doesn't stop, it's not food.

And if you do get an improvement doing the above, once the itching has settled only add back one ingredient at a time, giving ample time between additions to able to notice any changes.

You can, as Gilly says, give raw bones but if you're doing the above make sure they are the same as your meat. If you're using beef, do be wary feeding beef limb bones as they are very hard and can damage teeth.

I hope that and/or the vet helps, being itchy is not nice!