Ditch the itch

Hello,

I would be pleased to have your opinion with regards to my cross Cairn approx. 9.1/2 years old. She was found on a very busy motoway here in Spain and we have had her now for 8 years. Obviously we do not know how she faired prior to this.

She suffers from itchy skin, but only in the summer when it is very hot here. she can get quite a few sores, loss of hair etc. The vet prescribes Atopica 50 mg. this we give her in the beginning for the hot weather, and she has Omega 3 all year round. Usually around July she has to have a cortisone injection which last approx. 6 weeks when the itching will start again, through the last 4 months of the year she will probably have 3 cortisone injections, which we know is not very good for her, but it makes her more comfortable.

It is very frustrating that we cannot seem to do much to help her. I have tried all the itching sprays without a lot of success.

I would like to here your views. She only has fresh turkey, mixed with Royal Canin Dermocomfort meal. daily with a few treats in between which cannot be the cause of her itching as she only itches during hot weather.

I look forward to your comments.

Regards

Carole Hall, by email

Common culprit

I have a two-year-old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier who scratches a lot and her skin is a bit flaky. She just looks so uncomfortable, poor thing. My vet has confirmed she doesn’t have mange and has suggested it might be an allergy to an ingredient in her food, so I have changed brands but this hasn’t had much affect.

A friend at training suggested I try an elimination diet to see what the cause might be. Could you tell me if you think this will help, and if so, what are the common culprits as I think I should begin with one of those?

Ms Sanders, by email

Itchy and flakey

My dog has dandruff and scratches all the time. She has big patches where the hair has fallen out and vet cant help. Any advice?
Via Twitter

Start from scratch

Hopefully the Think Tank can help as to why both my collie and Tibetan Terrier puppy scratch at their mouths and under their chins? The Tibetan seems to have more itchy skin usually at the back near the tail and went through the frantic paw chewing on the pads but that has eased right off, thank goodness.

I just hate to see him so itchy and have tried changing food. I have them both on Advocate so certain its not fleas, and I’ve added Evening Primrose Oil to try to help. They are both wormed with Drontal and the poor puppy even had the vet clear his anal glands as they thought that may be the reason for the back gnawing. I can only think some sort of allergy, but help!!!

Thank you for your time, very grateful,

Kim, by email

Suffering from an allergic skin disease

My Japanese Shiba Inu has just been diagnosed with Canine Atopic Dermatitis (CAD). She is not four years old yet and I noticed she seemed very sensitive after I had had her for just a few days, so she has been tested for many things.
It is a horrible disease. She scratches - and not like a normal dog - she removes all the hair from parts of her body. She can’t go outside on a sunny day as she is so sensitive to heat and over the past few weeks has gone downhill and it has become very difficult to get her to go outside as she has no energy and spends most of the day sleeping.
I have a very good consultant who has tried putting her on steroids, but she has had a bad reaction. We are now trialing her on deflazacort, which is an anti-inflammatory, for the next two weeks to calm her skin. If this proves unsuccessful we will try her on a lower dose of steriods, together with antihistamine tablets. However, she has had antihistamine tablets before and they just knocked her out, and I don’t wish to tire her out anymore than she already is. She really perks up when she sees people so I have asked friends to come to the house and see her as she is just too tired to go outside. I am very worried I will soon have to let her go but am very much hoping to hear from anyone with a dog who has CAD and how you have coped with it. I completely trust my vet’s decisions but I do not want to keep her on steroids that cause her further problems and would rather she was at peace.
My vet says in his opinion it is hereditary and this is the first case he has heard of in the UK. Does anyone else in the country have a Shiba Inu with this problem, or know anyone who does?
Thank you very much.

D. Mills, by phone

Scratching post

Bailey, my three-year-old chocolate Lab, has wet eczema on his face. He is already taking piriton for a separate matter - because he is allergic to several types of tree and has very sensitive skin. We have been giving him monthly autoimmune injections too and last week the vet gave him a steroid, which was a last resort and we didn’t really want to give it to him. I don’t want to keep pumping him full of different things because he is so sensitive. A friend has suggested evening primrose oil may help but if anyone has any suggestions of anything else I can try for both Bailey’s wet eczema and his hayfever (and other allergies which are bound to appear!) I’d be really grateful as he just looks so sad! Thanks very much.
Dianne Woodrow, Camberley

Richard Allport, alternative vet, advises:

It’s certainly very worrying when a three-year-old dog has already had to have an anti histamine (Piriton), hyposensitization injections, and now steroids – all these treatments can have side effects and all tend to work less well with time, in my experience, and/or new allergies develop that don’t respond.

I would strongly advise you ask your vet to refer you to a vet using holistic therapies such as homoeopathy and herbal medicine, in the meantime I’d expect the following supplements to help any dog of a similar size with these symptoms:

Vitamin E 1000iu daily
Royal Jelly 500mg daily
Fish Liver Oil 1000mg daily
Evening Primrose Oil 1000mg daily
Dermagel (herbal gel) – apply to any sore area of skin twice daily
Kelp (Iodine) sufficient to give equivalent of 600 micrograms of Iodine daily
Zinc 15mg daily

These will all help general health and vitality too.

Finally look at diet – preferably give my old standby, a raw meaty bone based diet; if you don’t want to make your own up, use a company like Darlings (www.darlingsrealdogfood.com) that provide ready-made balanced raw food diets. If not, choose a diet that is low in carbohydrate, definitely wheat-free and preferably organic, such as Lily’s Kitchen (www.lilyskitchen.co.uk). Again, not only is the allergic problem likely to be less evident, but Bailey will be happier and healthier all round.

If you would like any more information on any of the supplements mentioned do contact me on info@naturalmedicinecentre.net. I do hope Bailey manages to keep off those steroids in the future!

Scratching the surface

I have two Border Collie bitches, both spayed, one is five and the other 13. The oldest bitch has always had a problem with loud noises, fireworks, thunderstorms, rain on the conservatory roof and the like.
At night she has started to scratch at the kitchen lino in one corner so we put a rubber mat there to prevent damage to the floor. When we go out for a couple of hours she has been going upstairs and doing the same thing in the bedroom.
She also does the same in the conservatory. I am concerned at her behaviour but at a loss as to why she has started to do this. She is walked twice a day and is very fit and healthy for her age. Can you please throw any light on this matter? I would be grateful for your help.
Josephine Soraka, Farnborough, Hampshire


Carol Price, trainer and behaviourist, says...
There are several reasons why dogs scratch the ground in the way you describe. In entire bitches this can be classic 'nesting' behaviour, prior to having pups, but all dogs can go through nesting rituals like this, prior to settling down to rest or sleep.
In your bitch's case, however, I think the behaviour is an anxiety-releasing device, as it seems to occur only when you leave her. Your dog may always have been highly attached to you, emotionally, as well as having issues about noise, but as dogs get older they can become even more fearful and clingy. And this is what can lead to more anxiety-related problems when you leave them.
The thing I would suggest doing, as a priority, is making your older bitch her own special and safe 'den' in the kitchen. Get her an indoor kennel, large enough for her to easily stand up in and move around in, and cover the top and three surrounding sides of this with a blanket. Then install some really cosy bedding inside. Get your bitch used to going into this and sleeping in it gradually, and start feeding her in there. Do not just stick her inside and shut the kennel door or she will be highly distressed.
Start practising leaving your dog to rest in her 'den' with its door open for an hour or two, while you are still at home. If she then tries to follow you from room to room, keep putting her back there until she finally stays put and settles. Each time you leave your bitch in her den, also put some specific item in front of it that she can later associate with settling and resting there. This can be anything from a chair to a kitchen bin or ornament. Each time you come back to your dog, or invite her out of her den, take this symbolic item away again. Only when your bitch is really happy about resting in her kennel 'den' for an hour or more with the kennel door open can you then try shutting it.
All this retraining can take a bit of patience, but if done properly should do a lot to reduce your dog's anxiety about being left, and thus the behaviour that goes with this. Of course, as an older dog, there could be some age-related changes going on in her brain that are contributing to her anxious state and behaviour, or exacerbating it. There are certain medications or supplements that can be of benefit to older dogs in this regard, and which you might want to consult your vet about.

June Williams, COAPE Association of Behaviourists and Trainers, says…
Have her health checked by a vet. Emma Milne wrote an article in the July 2006 issue of Dogs Today about senility with a list of behavioural changes to look for (including restlessness at night, aimless wandering) and how Hills b/d, rich in antioxidants, has good results. What you describe, my younger German Shepherd will do when over-stimulated and she seems to be trying to make a nest to lie in.

How can I be flea free?

I have just taken on a three-year-old Cocker Spaniel whose previous owners couldn't look after her any longer. However, over the past few days she has been scratching constantly and I am worried she may have fleas. How do I know if she has been infested and can anyone recommend a product to get rid of them? Her previous owners had two cats. Could she have picked them up from them and how do I prevent them from returning?
Claire Tolliver


You will need to use a spot-on treatment from your vet to clear the initial infestation from your dog, but once she is clear you should prevent the fleas from returning. We give each of our dogs a 2mg garlic capsule every day and haven't seen a flea for 14 years. Garlic also keeps ticks at bay and is good for the heart.
Bill Knight, Dogs Today Advisor

Hopefully, you will have treated your dog by the time you read this and all will be well. The only advice I would like to add is to ensure that the flea product you have used will also break the life-cycle of the flea in the environment. Otherwise, you will find that your dog may well become re-infested from your own home, even after the short time she has spent in it. A flea only spends 5% of its life on a dog! If there is not a claim on the product you have used for being effective in the environment (by which I mean the house, car, caravan, garage, shed, tree-house, and so on, if there is a real problem!), then you will need to treat the environment separately, and do ensure that what you use will kill all stages of the flea’s life cycle and not just the adults. If you are not sure, then do ask at your veterinary practice for advice.
It is also worth remembering that your dog is not the only way for fleas to be introduced into a house, and I am not just thinking of cats! I have to confess that I have often inadvertently brought fleas home with me after seeing a dog or cat with fleas at the practice. We can carry the eggs under our shoes as well. Estate agents are the commonly cited example: on walking into a house which has been empty for a long time, apparently the fleas can be heard hatching out! Some form of routine flea control is therefore often needed, although the risks are greatly reduced if you do not have a cat.
Owners with house cats, ie the cats never leave the house, will often not treat for fleas in the mistaken belief that there is no way their cat can pick up fleas. It takes some explaining when a routine run through the fur with a flea comb yields live fleas, or flea dirts. Unless the household is a truly closed community, with none of the inhabitants (two- and four-legged) having any contact at all with the outside world, then flea control will still be needed, albeit less stringently than if the cats were roaming at will outside. After all, the human occupants will still be going about their daily business, visiting friends, going to work, and so on.
If your dog is still scratching after thorough flea treatment, it would be worth running a flea comb through her coat. Flea dirts look like black commas, and dissolve in water leaving a tell-tale red trace. If there are none, then she may simply be going through a heavy moult, or the temperature of your house may be warmer than in her previous home.
If she is still scratching for no reason you can fathom, then a visit to your veterinary surgeon is warranted. It will be useful for your dog to have a health check anyway, having just taken her in, to ensure that she is fit and well.
Alison Logan, vet