# Tess is Scratching a Lot, Could it be her Food?



## Linda1270 (Sep 7, 2012)

Tess will stop in the middle of playing or training and start to scratch or bite the area on her rear backsides. She has been doing this very frequently these days; while I have her on Frontline and checked for fleas, which I haven't found, I'm wondering if it could be her food. I have her on Blue Buffalo LBP food and I'm finding that she doesn't seem to like it anymore and it also gives her very loose stools. Although I do give her bully stick's too, so that could be part of the problem too. She barely eats what I put out for her these days. 

I have a bag of Innova LBP, which I wanted to put her on when I first brought her home from the breeder, but that too created loose stools. I really don't think I gave it enough time though. These past couple of days, I have started mixing a tiny bit of the Innova in with the Blue Buffalo and find that she will pick the Innova out and leave most of the Blue Buffao. Where I have a full bag of the Innova and it is considered an excellent food, I am going to give it another try, moving her over slowing over a two week period of time.

I was wondering if maybe the grains in her food could be causing her to scratch all the time. I plan on asking her vet when I bring her in next Monday for her 3rd set of shots.

I'm wondering what other's think about her scratching, or if anyone else has run into this problem. Tess is 12 weeks today.....my how time fly's.


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## Jo Ellen (Aug 30, 2011)

Go the obvious route first. Fleas are hard to see, and back-end biting and scratching, especially when it's sudden, it's a huge red flag for fleas.

I just went through this with Spirit. I looked for fleas, didn't see any, so dismissed it. Then he got a skin infection so I took him to the vet ... took her all of 5 seconds to spot a flea. Boy did I feel stupid.

Have your vet check for fleas


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## Linda1270 (Sep 7, 2012)

Thanks, I will do that. Can she possible have fleas even though I applied Frontline to her on 11/4 and her breeders vet applied it to her and he litter mates on 10/4? I would have thought that the Frontline would have killed them. I'm wondering where she could have got them, the only time she's been around other dogs was at training last night and she's been itchy for a while now. Even at training, she stayed pretty much away from the other dogs, as they were a little older than her and she's still very young.

I did run a flea comb through her fur, after I dipped it in soapy water and didn't see anything but like you said, they don't really appear visible to the naked eye.

My husband thinks it's dry skin, our house does tend to get pretty dry in the winter, I'm thinking of getting a humidifier to help with the dryness. I also read on another post that puppies will start scratching a lot when their fur changes, have you heard anything like this before?

Thanks for the advice, this will be the first issue I bring up when I take her to the vets next week.


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## GatorBytes (Jul 16, 2012)

Or maybe she's having a reaction to the pesticide you are putting in her blood. She's not even 12 weeks old, on spot-on treatment and going for a Third round of vaccines???

It might just be that Her immune system is malfunctioning and it hasn't even fully developed yet...she should defininately NOT get any more vaccines until you know what is wrong.


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## N Smith (Aug 25, 2011)

Yes, she could have a sensitivity to the food, but its way more likely an environmental allergen or a flea sensitivity.

Frontline will stop the fleas from living on and reproducing on your dog, but it will not stop a bite. Your dog may have a sensitivity to the actual flea bite.

Do a white sheet test, where you stand your dog on a clean white sheet. Comb the dog very thoroughly with a fine tooth comb, or even a flea comb. Then check the sheet for flea dirt. If you see small black flecks, add a drop of water to them, if they turn red, its flea dirt.

I would also start making sure that the environment is as flea free as possible. (Wash, Vacuum, D. Earth etc)

It is important though to get the digestive tract happy again. Was she ok with just the kibble? Did the loose stool first appear with the bully sticks were given? Any other things added to her diet right now?

Is she on fish oil/coconut oil? Probiotics?

I agree that the preventatives could also be causing some problems and would be something to look at as well. Have you discussed with your vet the prevalence of the pests you are treating for in your area?


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Only when playing or training? Outside?

I would suspect an environmental allergy if it's situational.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

check for tapeworm


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## Linda1270 (Sep 7, 2012)

GatorBytes said:


> Or maybe she's having a reaction to the pesticide you are putting in her blood. She's not even 12 weeks old, on spot-on treatment and going for a Third round of vaccines???
> 
> It might just be that Her immune system is malfunctioning and it hasn't even fully developed yet...she should defininately NOT get any more vaccines until you know what is wrong.


I will leave that up to her vet on whether or not she should get her third round of shots. I've been with this vet for a long time and she hasn't steered me wrong yet.

I did the white sheet test and nothing, no small black flecks at all. Although there is a lot of dry skin flakes, but I'm not a professional so I will let her vet check her out and find out why she is scratching. 

As for her food, she's gone through almost a 30 lb bag of Blue Buffalo LBP and never did get firm stools, they were always a little bit loose and now, she only picks at it. When I add a little Innova to the kibble, she eats a lot more and if she leaves any, it's the Blue Buffalo.

Thanks for all your input and advice, it is very much appreciated. I will find out what is going on with Tess' scratching, whether it be fleas, allergies to her food or something else or just plain old dry skin, I will find out what is going on and work on fixing it immediately.


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## kelina (Nov 17, 2012)

Frontline just does NOT work. It worked for my cat but not for my 2 gsd pups! Try washing her with tick and flea oatmeal shampoo.. it worked for my pups perfectly. 

Or it can be dry skin, or even the food! 

But to be on the safe side, gotto the vet clinic and just get it checked


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Frontline kills ticks, but is not so good for fleas IMO. Advantage works much better for fleas. The biting at the rear end, and the fact that she will do it suddenly, right in the middle of playing, is consistent with flea bites. If she has a flea allergy, one single flea can bite her and jump off, and she will have a reaction for days to that one flea bite. So even if you don't see any fleas on her, it could still be a flea allergy that is driving her nuts. 

Do you see any red or raised areas where she is chewing?

I would not immediately suspect a food allergy, but you could try a grain-free food and see if it helps.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

If the scratching was only during training, I'd say it was stress. But in the middle of playing, probably not. Hope you get some answers soon.


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## Linda1270 (Sep 7, 2012)

I was curious about the Frontline myself and thinking about eventually switching to Advantix, although I have been using Frontline for years and never had a flea problem with any of my past dogs, but there's always a first.

As I stated below, I plan on having Tess checked from head to toe by her vet, we have conversed over the telephone and I have an appointment for Tess next week. Trust me, we will get to the bottom of it, whether it be fleas, dry skin or allergies, I will not leave the office without an answer. Although, on a good note, she hasn't been scratching much at all these past two days, I wonder why. 

Freestep, no, there are no red marks whatsoever where Tess has been scratching, I've checked repeatedly, all I see is flaky skin. I have no idea what fleas look like so I could be missing them, although if the white sheet and flea comb really works, there were no black flecks at all, so who knows. 

As soon as I get an answer, I will let everyone know. Thanks for all your advice and help.


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## DollBaby (Oct 31, 2012)

With Frontline, and the others, fleas have to get on them to die. I've switched to Advantage and it does seem to control better.
Mine got the runs with Blue Buffalo too. After trying other kibble, we've settled on Halo.. a very good kibble and they have solid stools.
Doubtful BB is causing the itching as it doesn't have the corn, soy etc that typically causes food allergies. It's more than likely fleas, and if he/she ingested a flea or 2 then could have tapeworm. Off the wall could be 'mothers mange' (demodectic mange) which are mites they get from their mom. 
If you're bathing a lot because of the itching, stop. Frequent bathing will dry out their skin causing itchyness and dandruff. Your vet will examine per your input and take care of this I'm sure, and sure it will be an easy fix. Good Luck!!


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Linda1270 said:


> Trust me, we will get to the bottom of it, whether it be fleas, dry skin or allergies, I will not leave the office without an answer.


I hate to be a stick in the mud, but often times even the vet will not have an answer for this kind of thing. 

Itching can be caused by So. Many. Things. If it's an allergy, there are a million things (literally) that the dog could be allergic to: food, grass, pollen, mold, dust mites, fleas, even her own body. In order to rule out everything it's not, you'd have to live in a bubble. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just letting you know that answers aren't always straightforward and don't get mad at your vet if he doesn't have an answer for you. Itchy skin can be one of the most frustrating problems! 

Hopefully it is only a transient problem and it will resolve itself, or the vet will be able to find something definitive, like a flea. Fleas are tiny, smaller than the head of a pin, and they are very sneaky little critters that are good at avoiding detection. As I said, it may have been one flea that jumped on her, bit, and then jumped off... one flea bite will itch for days, like a mosquito bite--even though the offending mosquito is long gone, the itch remains for a while. Let's hope it is something as simple as that.


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## Linda1270 (Sep 7, 2012)

Not to worry, I will not get mad at my vet if she can't figure out exactly why Tess is scratching. Hopefully, she will be able to get to the bottom of it, and as soon as I know, I will let everyone else know.


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## arizona (Mar 27, 2012)

i had the same problem.try switching food and if its not the food put salmon oil with her food.it helped with my dog a lot!


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

As soon as we had the undercoat coming in, we had scratching. The coat changing from puppy to adult seems to be a valid culprit. Of course, dry skin doesn't help either! Try a puppy oatmeal shampoo bath and add moisture to the air with a humidifier. Try to remember exactly when it started. I feed Innova, too, and I think it's a good food. I'm thinking about trying Orijen... but I'm on the fence since the Innova goes over well. I DO feed cooked meat also, though...to add in some additional protein. If you make the switch over to Innova, you may want to do this. So far I've used chicken livers and stew meat. It seems that BB can cause loose stools in pups. You can make a total switch over in 10 days according to a couple of vets I've seen. 

If you noticed the scratching starting with the coat change, then that's where I'd start. You also mentioned seeing dry skin, so up the moisture in your house. I don't know if you use carpet powder (the kind you vacuum up), but I've had that cause scratching with past shepherds, too. If you're not seeing fleas and you've treated for fleas, I wouldn't go down that road. At this point, a food allergy wouldn't be the first thing on my mind. If you do the oatmeal bath and increase the moisture and you're still having the problem, then I'd think about a food allergy. I don't know how often you're brushing, either. It seems to help some.


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## Linda1270 (Sep 7, 2012)

Went to the vet today and the good news is, NO FLEAS! Turns out that she does have dry skin, due to her coat change and the dryness of my home. The vet gave me some supplements to give her for the dry skin and I will also be purchasing a humidifier to help with this issue. All in all, Tess is doing very well, she had her 3rd round of shots today and her nails cut. Hopefully, if I keep working with her, she will eventually let me cut them. She is like a little vibrating lunatic when I even attempt to trim her nails, clawing, biting and trying everything in her power to keep me away, she gave the vet and technicians a way to go today also..

I really am looking forward to the day when she stops biting us and all of my furniture, I thought she was getting a little better but today, she made up for the lack of biting me for a couple of days. Oh the joy of puppyhood!


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## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

At 12 weeks old, she is too young to be allergic to a food. Can't be allergies until she's closer to 4-5 months of age.

I think a lot of puppies get really itchy when they start getting those adult guard hairs coming in.


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## lbcoopman (Dec 5, 2012)

I am very new to the GSD. I asked a lot of people and did a lot of reading.... Most recommended Blue Buffalo but warned me that since she was not used to it-It would cause loose stools to start due to fact of it being really rich. She did have loose stools for about 4-5 days now they are normal. We do not know for sure if it was the buffalo or a change in food for sure (Calli is a rescue) but just thought I would pass on my experience.


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