What foods make dogs itchy

Itchy Skin Conditions In Dogs

Itchy skin for dogs

Unfortunately for our four-legged friends, itchiness and uncomfortable scratching can be a fact of life for dogs. The proper veterinary term for the unpleasant feeling of itchiness is pruritis. Any dog can suffer from pruritis at any age for a variety of reasons, which weve detailed below.

How do skin conditions affect dogs?

In dogs, chronic itching or scratchy skin has a huge impact on wellbeing. Just as in humans, where chronic itching is said to be as debilitating as chronic pain due to the impact on quality of life. Similarly, weve noticed that pet owners have reported that their dogs demeanour, following treatment of their itchy skin, is hugely positive. Weve had owners describe them as having a new lease of life, being more playful, eating better and seeming more interested in interaction suggesting that conditions and skin allergies can have huge impact on quality of life for an itchy dog too.

Skin problems can cause great discomfort and irritation for your dog. They are rarely life-threatening, but if not treated promptly and properly can cause a great deal of suffering and make your dog uncomfortable. Your pet will likely become irritable, withdrawn, restless and in some cases, painful.

Which dog breeds are affected most by skin diseases?

Certain dog breeds are more commonly affected by allergies and are more often seen by our vets with skin problems and itchy conditions. These breeds include, but are not limited to:

• West Highland White Terrier (Westies)
• Shar Pei
• French Bulldog
• English Bulldog
• Cockerpoo

What causes a dog to itch?

A dog scratching is a sign of an underlying skin problem, including bacterial infections, dog food allergies, and more. The most common causes of itching in dogs are parasites, infections, and allergies.

Parasites

Parasites such as fleas and dust mites are the most common cause of itching in dogs. Itchy dogs scratching at flea bites can lead to bleeding, red skin and bald patches.

Unfortunately, some flea control preparations available from supermarkets and pet stores are no longer fully effective in controlling parasites, due to resistance developing. Spot-on treatments become less effective if your dog swims or you bathe your dog.

Dog skin infections

Infectious causes of itching include bacterial and fungal (yeast) skin conditions. These are sometimes secondary to other causes such as an allergic reaction or systemic illnesses causing weakness in the dogs body or damage to the skin. Infections are often accompanied by patches of missing fur, scaly skin, odour and discharge.

Dog allergic reactions

Allergic itching or allergic dermatitis can be caused by insect bites, food allergies or environmental allergens such as pollens, mould and dust. Allergies may be seasonal or all year round, depending on the individual dogs triggers.

Find out more about the most common dog skin conditions on our blog.

What are the symptoms of itchy skin in dogs?

In most dogs, itching may be generalised or focal (confined to one area). This means you might find hot spots or areas of bald skin, or you may just notice your dog scratching all over.

Common symptoms of itching in dogs include:

• Excessive scratching
• Chewing/ biting at the skin
• Licking (and saliva staining of the fur)
• Rubbing the skin against furniture or on the ground
• Rashes and redness of the skin
• Flaky skin
• Irritability
• Being unable to settle or rest

Excessive licking, scratching and rubbing can cause damage to the skin, leading to inflammation, thickened skin, hair loss (alopecia) and skin infections.

How to treat your dogs itchy skin

There are several treatment options to try to get your dog to stop scratching. Successful vet treatment of your dogs pruritis depends on diagnosing the underlying cause.

If your dog is suffering from itchy skin, contact our friendly call team or book online to make an appointment at your local Animal Trust vet clinic for expert advice. Our vet consultations are free (except for out of hours) and our veterinary surgeons will examine your pet for any lesions that may indicate the cause of their itching.

Our veterinary medicine nurses and vets will offer investigations of your dogs skin condition based on their findings and outline any lab fees involved. They will then plan with you the most appropriate management of your pets skin condition. This will consider your dogs age, the condition of their skin, hormonal imbalances, other underlying medical issues and other symptoms, and will ensure the plan is affordable for you.

Common dog skin condition treatments

There are a number of options available for your dog, which our team of vets will discuss with you at consultation.

Treating itching in dogs with antihistamines is one of the most common forms of treatment. However, in many dogs the response to antihistamines is variable, and their use is not supported by current research.

Prescription strength parasite control, ideally in tablet form, will be required to clear mite infestations for an itchy dog. These tablets can treat the entire flea life cycle where fleas are found.

Anti-inflammatory steroids are often considered the most effective medication to manage itching. Unfortunately, they can cause multiple side effects if used systemically for long-term courses, so are often used for short-term management or applied topically.

Where infection is found to be present, antibiotics or medicated shampoos will be required to clear the infection and relieve the itching. Sometimes this treatment may be required for a month or more.

Prescription hypoallergenic food trials (similar to an elimination diet) may be advised for 6-8 weeks to feed your dog to test for food allergy or intolerance. These diets can be used for longer-term management if they help to control the itching.

If a cause of itching cannot be identified, or the treatment of underlying diseases does not control the itch, then medical treatment may be required for longer-term management of your dogs pruritis. These medications include steroids, Apoquel, cyclosporine and Cytopoint injections. These act on the dogs immune system to prevent the excessive release of inflammatory mediators in reaction to an allergen.

Further things which may help relieve your dogs itchy or dry skin include:

• Keeping up to date with parasite control. Fleas are prevalent all year round. Dogs at increased risk are those who encounter other dogs, cats and wildlife. However, 95% of the flea life cycle is in the environment, so all animals are at some risk of fleas. Some parasites, such as ear mites, demodex and scabies mites are only treated by prescription-strength medications.
• Avoiding strong detergents or biological washing powders if your dog has sensitive skin.
• Avoiding possible triggers eg., certain fields where grass/ plants have triggered a reaction, particular walks where your pet has become irritated.
• A hypoallergenic food trial, removing all additional treats and foodstuffs which may trigger gastrointestinal or skin reactions.
• Various skin care supplements are available to add into your dogs food or be given as treats. These often provide omega fatty acids, which help to improve the oil content in your dogs skin, soothe itching and reduce excessive moulting.
• Shampoos can be useful to moisturise your dogs dry or sensitive skin, which can relieve irritation. Washing your dogs paws after a walk will also remove allergens such as pollens and dust. Medicated shampoos may be required for dogs with skin infections or conditions (such as sarcoptic mange or folliculitis).

Home remedies for a dog with itchy skin

Our advice would be to contact your veterinary surgeon as the first port of call before trying a home remedy for your itchy dog. Your vet will offer a professional opinion on the likely causes of your dogs itching. They can also offer investigations where appropriate and can prescribe medication or advise home remedies as deemed appropriate to alleviate your dogs discomfort.

Can you cure your dogs itchy skin?

Potential cures will depend on the underlying cause for your dogs itching.

For example, if irritation is caused by a parasite, contact with an allergen which can be avoided, or an infection, then the itching can be cured with appropriate treatment.

However, for many dogs, there is an underlying hypersensitivity to food, allergens in the environment or atopy. In these cases, lifelong management of your dogs condition will be required. This may include control of your dogs diet, allergen avoidance, occasional or long-term medication, and treatment of any complicating factors (such as infection, conditions like an autoimmune disorder and more), may be required to keep them comfortable.

Skin conditions can be complex. Always follow your vets advice to avoid unnecessary flare ups and discomfort for your dog. If you do not feel that the current plan is working, or your dog suffers a relapse, please contact your vet for further advice.

Seeking a veterinary opinion in the early stages of skin disease may help to prevent the signs worsening, avoid suffering and ultimately reduce the amount of treatment required.

To speak to a vet about dog skin disorders or to arrange a consultation for your itchy dog, get in touch with your local Animal Trust clinic.

Can dog food make a dog itch?

The short answer is yes, dog food can definitely make a dog itch. This is usually due to a food allergy if the dog food is directly involved. Common allergens include chicken, wheat, beef, oats, dairy,cornand rice. Other reasons why a dog may itch include fleas, ticks, infection, or a reaction to something.

The skin is the largest organ in your dogs body, responsible for providing a natural barrier against harmful germs. As one of the first lines of defence against infection, its really im-paw-tant it stays healthy and intact. Did you know that dog skin is much thinner than ours? This makes them prone to skin conditions.

Dogs naturally itch themselves but when theyre constantly scratching or stopping doing something that they enjoy, such as chasing a ball or eating, to itch then they could have an issue. Sensitive skin is one of the most common reasons why a pet owner would visit the vets, so dont worry youre not alone. The good news is that it can be diagnosed and fixed relatively easily.

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One of the most common reasons why a dog itches is because of a food allergy. When your pup eats the food allergen their body reacts to it as it would abee stingor an infection. The other top cause is the typical fleas and ticks. These can cause allergic reactions, skin reactions or even infection. For fleas and ticks make sure youre using good preventatives (such as collars, sprays and shampoos) and giving your pup a bath regularly. In this article, were going to focus on food allergies.

There are a few potential allergens that dogs are typically allergic to. These include:

• Wheat

• Oats

• Dairy products

• Corn

• Rice

• Lamb

• Soy

• Pork

• Egg

• Rabbit

• Fish

• Barley

For a dog to be itchy from one of these it has to currently be in their diet or be something theyve eaten recently. The itchiness could happen anywhere on your dogs body, but its more common to find the ears, paws, rear end and stomach is itchy. You may also see some other symptoms such as gastrointestinal issues (vomiting, diarrhoea and passing wind), a swollen face or hives.

All dogs could be subject to a food allergy, however, there are some breeds that are more prone to a food allergy, these include:

You could in more rarer situations see some behavioural changes, such as restlessness, frequent shaking/scratching of the ears, reduced interest in playtime, disinterest in food or an increase in scratching on furniture/owners legs etc.

The best way of finding out if your dog has a food allergy is by utilising an elimination diet. This should ideally be done with the assistance of a vet or nutritionist. To carry out an elimination diet you should feed one specific protein and ideally one carbohydrate for 8 to 12 weeks. This can be hard to do because youd need to feed a chicken and rice orsalmonand rice diet that you would need to cook specifically every day.

You could do a pseudo-elimination diet where you switch foods and then observe the reaction over 8 to 12 weeks. Were really looking to see if things change on a different diet without eating potential problem foods. But again, its best to do this with the help of the vet or a nutritionist to get a set of solid results. Many poor-quality dog foods including kibble and canned foods include obscure ingredients that can be hard to understand or additives that could cause issues which is why a nutritionist or vet is important to consult.

As well as elimination diets, vets could opt to try a blood or patch test, these are much rarer to see, however.

We would always recommend going to the vets to make sure theres a problem and to figure out a long-term plan. Vets may prescribe an antihistamine or skin cream to help ease the symptoms in the short term.

There isnt one dog food thats best for allergies as theoretically your dog could be allergic to anything. You need to find what theyre allergic to and cut that out of their diet. Its always best to go for the best quality of food possible too. Ditch the highly processed kibble and go for a healthy, human-quality diet.