The Itchy Dog
‘Pruritus’ is the medical term used to describe itching. Pruritus is a clinical sign found in many different skin disorders, such as infections, parasites, and most commonly skin allergies.
Often when pruritus is present, we see it along with other symptoms or clinical signs, such as, redness, inflammation of the skin, hair loss and scabs. It can often lead to a secondary infection within the skin, because the dog breaks the protective barrier of the skin when they are scratching, which in turn, worsens the pruritus!
Cause
The most common causes of an itchy dog are: Flea allergy dermatitis, Food allergy dermatitis, Sarcoptic mange, Allergens in the environment (atopic dog), and pyoderma (skin infection).
Treatment
This totally depends on the cause and so it is essential for you to bring your canine to the Vet. This is so they can begin to try and pinpoint the problem, and start a treatment plan. Unfortunately it’s not always possible to do this, and it can involve a lot of different tests and treatments, and so skin issues can be a frustrating problem for both owner and vet!
Some issues are easily cured like infections and parasites. Some issues may require intermittent treatment for the rest of their lives, for example those sensitive to environmental allergens eg. pollen, will often require allergy injections on a seasonal basis.
Prevention
Go-Shine Is our Natural skin & coat health supplement for dogs. This is a tasty chew, which is super-powered with PhyCoidan and PhytoMara, these are unique active seaweed complexes, which support a healthy, and shiny coat!
Flea/Parasite control
It is essential that you have a antiparasitic program in place. Together withj your vet you can decide which treatment/drug is most appropriate as different parasites are found in different countries.
Diet
The most important thing with any diet is that it is of good quality. Dogs with a suspicion of having a food allergy (often caused by certain proteins) will go onto an ‘elimination diet’ to figure out what the cause is. The Vet will usually recommend a diet with a ‘hydrolysed’ protein source, i.e. the protein is already digested and so it won’t cause a reaction.
Only 20% of itchy dogs have a food allergy and so changing the diet for the other 80% isn’t going to cure the itch, BUT nutrition does play a role in maintaining the protective barrier of the skin.
Our seaweed complexes are boosted with Vitamin C and E antioxidants to provide free radical support for your dog’s skin health. We also add Biotin, a nourishing nutrient that provides skin support.
