# Puppy with itchy skin



## MD3689 (Dec 28, 2010)

Please Help
I have a 5 month old female German Shepherd. She is biting and itching herself like crazy!! It is not fleas, I have checked her many times with a flea comb and treat her with flea medication. When I took her to the vet it was not very helpful. They did give me medicine to treat the sores, but said she did not need to be allergy tested, just treated for fleas and given this special wash that they themselves made. I am feeding her blue buffalo large breed puppy. I dont know whether she might be allergic to some ingredient in the food, or environmental allergen. But she is going crazy itching and biting, it is causing her to get sores on her back above her tail again. I am bringing her to the vet to treat the sores again but has anybody experienced this with their shepherd or have any advice. Thank you


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## MD3689 (Dec 28, 2010)

Please Help Cont'd
What I think could be causing it could be dry skin. She does seem to have extremely dry, flaky skin. I have been giving her fish oil but it doesnt seem to be doing anything. I was thinking maybe switching to a dry food based on fish (orijen 6 fish or solid gold-barking at the moon)


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

Sounds like a good idea. A friend of mine has a black gsd with very dry itchy skin and she switched him to Natural Balance Duck and Potato so he would have a limited protein source and it's been working really well. His coat is so dark and shiny, no more itching. I feed Orijen, the red meat formula since Stosh doesn't tolerate chicken too well.


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## jakeandrenee (Apr 30, 2010)

It could be food or environment....also I know that Jake did so much better when we went grain free....AND I really brushed him ALOT to help remove all the puppy fuzz and dead skin. Did the vet suggest some Benedryl to ease the worst of the itching?


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## DoggieLover (Oct 14, 2010)

Food can definately be a HUGE cause of itchy skin- this has happened with my pup and we have gone through about 4 foods to find a decent one. Look for wholesome ingredients and you can't go too wrong  Also, there is a bunch of good info on causes of dog allergies if you think that may be the cause of your dog's itching (it's http://www.mycanineallergies.com) good luck!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I would do a search for VARL or Spectrum Labs and call them and ask if there are any vets in your area that use them. Then I would have an allergy test done. 

An increase in vit E and omega 3 fatty acids might help. 

My boy has a combination of food and environmental allergies, you really want to get at the cause of them - Benadryl will have at most limited action.


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## allexblake (Sep 14, 2010)

What kind of flea medication do you use? Our dog has the same simptoms as yours. We were told by the vet it's the advantix application the breeder gave him. He has the sores your referring to and itches all the time. The vet said until the flea meds run their course, he will itch but don't give him any advantix. And they told us to give a soaking in Dawn dish soap.
We feed Wellness LBP.


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## crboggs (Nov 13, 2010)

In a young pup, you may want to consider allergy testing.

We spent too much time chasing ghosts with our labrador and he has the scarring and hair loss to show for it.

After a year or so of "trying things" with our vet we finally went to a specialist and found out that he was allergic to wool, grass, birds, and a laundry list of other stuff. 

I'm generally opposed to running to the vet for daily aches, pains, or weight loss ... but in a pup that young you still have a chance to catch and treat allergies before it hurts itself scratching, biting, or rubbing.


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## AggieVet (Feb 25, 2011)

It's unfortunate, but a lot of vets don't do a lot about itchy skin. It's pretty much the number one thing that's seen in a small animal clinic, and I think some vets get bored and don't treat each case individually. 

Switching to a food that is grain free or less likely to cause allergies, like other have suggested, would be a good help. But if that doesn't clear it up, either request an allergy test or find a new vet. There's no reason for your dog to be miserable forever. 

I'm just so thrilled that your vet didn't just give her steroids.


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## Pizzapiepan (May 31, 2015)

Our GSD puppy had severe itching from 8 weeks (when we adopted him), and it lasted for about 3 months! We tried Benadryl, special shampoo, changing food, but nothing stopped it. The itching disappeared completely as he got older and started actively teething. He is 6 months old now, and no more itching. Hope your pup gets over this soon!


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