Chronic Itching - Page 4

you just to have to invest in finding what the dog is allergic to, food or environment.


I have found chicken to be a culprit in several dogs over the years, I don't use it unless it's 100% natural, never in processed dog foods.

good luck,
Rik

The vet has put him on prednisolone to rule out allergy or whether it is nerves. If the biting continues he said it can be nerves

As I said before the skin looks normal except couple of tiny bumps

Sorry but the prednisone is the WORST thing you can do. Yes it works for the moment at lessoning the itch but does absolutely NOTHING to find the reason. It will actually make it worse because it completely suppresses the immune system. If you want to rule out an allergy then you will need to test for it. A vets first response is prednisone. It works but short term and all the while damaging the immune system in the process. Allergies IMO are immune related. My rescue dog has done the following less allergy testing which is out of my price range right now. This dog also does not have any bumps, spots, or yeasty looking or smelling skin. She does have flaky skin and its broken where she scratches a lot.

Meds for mange
Various kibbles (all grain free and most were holistic or organic)
Raw Chicken, Beef, Fish
Neem oil
Salmon Oil
Antibiotics
Prednisone (like I said it worked but I absolutely hate pred so took her off it)
Coconut oil
Vit C
Various herbs to boost her immune system

There is no grass where I live but I do have allergy trees. She lives inside.

Unfortunately there is no easy fix and I certainly wouldn't breed this dog.

Barb

I have an itchy GSD, she has suffered with this since she was 2 years old, she's now 10½ and still has flare ups of it.  She had skin scrapings done and it was diagnosed as autoimmune condition, resulting in pyoderma. After diagnosis was made she had a special bacterin made up for her which was administered by injections, one every two days then working up to one a month. They sort of helped but not noticeably so we stopped giving them. Now if she has a flare-up, more so now the new grass has come through and there's a high pollen count, we treat her with an invasive course of antibiotics, for at least 3 weeks....also bath her in Malaseb and if any raw spots we apply Fuciderm. I have changed food so many times and it makes no difference whatsoever so I keep her on raw

I have a friend whose GSD is exactly the same and as well as ABs she uses something called Bag Balm on the irritated skin.

I have found that you can alleviate the itching/scratching but not cure it. 

The article by Fred Lanting on autoimmune diseases explains how the skin can be affected. http://bit.ly/1cp9d8v

Obviously there are other causes of itchiness, but mainly it's an autoimmune condition and is quite prolific in GSDs.

It is unlikely that an allergy will manifest only in the afternoons. My dog started itching after his second distemper shot (I am still kicking myself over this). He would scratch on and off during the day and bite himself like he had fleas, but he will do that a lot more in the mornings...It took about 6-8 months for this to resolve on its own. The same happen with his rabies shot, itching came back, same pattern, took about 4-5 months for his body to resolve whatever was happening as a reaction to the vax.

There is something else going on and I dont think it is an allergy, it is a reaction of some sort and with his body being constantly suppressed by various medications, it would take a while for this to go away. Prednisone is rarely the solution, unfortunately.

I agree, allergies are not only present at specific times of day UNLESS they are the result of a allergen the dog in exposed to during that time only. That would be rare, but not impossible.

For some dogs, prednisone is a necessary evil to keep it comfortable. It may need to be used on and off throughout a severely allergic dog's entire lifetime. Every other day therapy is generally recommended for long term steroid use. It is not the treatment of choice, avoidance of the allergen or desensitizing the dog would be preferred. However, if an owner resists skin testing or doing what is needed to prove a food intolerance, the alternative is to allow the dog to be miserable and scratch 24/7.

2 of my 4 GSD's have suffered from inhalation allergies,. been there done that and I would ever again mess around with different foods and supplements, shampoos, etc. Skin testing and desensitizing offers the only hope of any long term success. Allergies are VERY common in the breed because breeders don't understand the underlying overactive immune system issue so think chronic scratching is "just a skin thing" and they use their scratching dogs or dogs that have produced scratching dogs for breeding.

I don't buy the notion that it's caused by "nerves", boredom maybe but that's on the owner for not providing the dog with a stimulating life style. If so that is easily remedied.  And vets do not dispense prednisone to rule out allergies. They dispense them to confirm inhalation allergies and to help the dog feel better temporarily. It also gives vets an idea if the dog is scratching due to something they are inhaling or contacting rather than something they are eating. Steroids aren't normally effective against a food intolerance.

I'd rather deal with almost any other condition in a dog than allergies. The treatment is on-going for the dog's life; they are never cured and odds are the dog will go on to develop more allergies in time. Desensitizing works in about 60% and it can take up to a year to see any benefit. Allergies not a fun thing to deal with in any dog. Just don't use them for breedng.

And never overlook the obvious, be 100% certain the scratching dog doesn't have fleas. I've removed fleas from my dog 2 weeks after I treated her with Frontline Plus. These topicals are not 100%.  A dog that is sensitive to flea saliva can scratch 24/7 after one bite, it doesn't take a herd of fleas to drive a sensitive  dog crazy.  Be especially vigilant if  you have multiple dogs or cats in the household .  They may not react to the bites, aren't scratching much or at all but still could have fleas. Every time the sensitive dog is bitten, it will set up a reaction not just at the area of the new bite, but in every area where the dog has been bitten previously. Fleas are easy to miss in a double coated dog. I put my dog on a old white sheet when I groom her. If I see any  black specks in the fur or on the sheet, I  use a tape roller to collect them and then wet the tape. If those specks turn blood red, that's flea excretement - the dog has/had fleas. It's time to switch to another flea treatment and preventative.

Dog allergies can be reduced by changing the food habit. There are also some methods to reduce the chronic itching. You may consult the Vet.Doctor for the treatment.

Thank you all for the nice posts above. Keep going !!

Blitzen,
My imported male who loves to preen himself has no allergies that I am aware of and yes he has bred my best bitch three times in six years ending over a year ago.
The dog I put down due to severe allergies was not imported, I never used him for stud.
I hope this clears that up for you.
He suffered daily, and expensive monthly visits to the vet failed to produce any results other than temporary.
He was from an amateur breeder in Tennessee and very inbred.

As I read down this thread I realize why I stopped posting on the dog side.

gautam,
if your dog only scratches in the afternoon and has no damage to coat or skin, then there is nothing wrong with him.
Stop giving him supplements and jumping food brands, keep a consistent basic diet.
If he's going in and out or staying in air conditioning put an end to that, GSD's by nature are not house dogs and do not do well under these conditions.


Moons.