Itchy the Dachshund in real life!

doxiechar

Hello all,

I am new here and have a question about my long-haired Dachshund. I have had him for about three years now and he itches from time to time but never anything serious and it is never persistent but just normal dog itchiness.

In the past month he has been extremely itchy, more than normal. I probably make it seem worse than it is but I want him to be comfortable. He does not have any open sores or any hair loss. I have tried giving him a bath and used conditioner afterward. I used the same shampoo and conditioner I've always used. He has been on the same food for the past year or more and never had a problem. He is treated regularly for fleas, although he has never had any.

I am not really sure what to do about this at this point. I have read other threads but it doesn't seem like people are experiencing anything similar. Is there something I can do for him?

I had a couple of ideas but I thought I would run it by you guys first. One was using some diluted witch hazel after a bath to cleanse his skin and calm his coat. Another would be adding oil to his food, any ideas what type I can use? Anything I can buy at the grocery store?

Sorry it's so long but I am puzzled by this one. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mikey

First-welcome to the forum!!

The first thing I would do is see a vet. It's impossible to know, and you could be treating with baths, for something that is untreatable in that respect-like fleas, ticks, allergies-anything. It's really important to determine what is wrong *first*.

If he has parasites or allergies, adding oil to his food will do no good.

The vet could certainly recommend, provided nothing is medically wrong, a course of action.
Your vet may also give you a medicated shampoo which may help as well.

If I were going to add oil to my dog's food for coat/skin quality-I give him salmon. It's healthy oil. I've also heard of giving a small amount of bacon fat-and I know of no dog who would object to that course.

fawkese1

i would definately find out the cause for the itchiness first...there could be a skin condition that needs addressing here...i that is ruled out...flaxseed oil and sunflower oil have been recommended for skin and coat...salmon oil/fish oil are good too, but you have to be careful about mercury levels and i'm not sure about the oil w that

Mikey

For mercury don't feed 'big' fish like tuna Bioaccumulation is what causes the high mercury levels. Not that any fish would be exempt but it's the big fish who have the big amounts of it

fawkese1

ahhh....good to know, thank you

Mikey

Heheh no problem Salmon is my favorite to feed (I give 1-2 servings a week) as it's full of omega 3's and -it's stinky so Mikey loves it.

Here are mercury levels in different species Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish

And here is info from the gov't here on Salmon "
The levels of mercury in the muscle tissue of salmon are very low. Separate studies have identified other chemicals, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in the fat of both wild-caught and farmed salmon. These chemicals can be found in most fish and in many other foods, but at low levels that do not cause concern for human health. Health Canada has posted a Fact Sheet and Questions & Answers about PCBs in salmon on its website."

fawkese1

oooh, that is even better! thank you mikey!

Aunty Marg

Here is Australia we have lots of itchy dogs. Sometimes age will contribute to increased sensitivity. Are there any new plants in your garden ? , Many of my clients have sucess with eliminating wheat, Royal Cannin have a good range of foods already coated with fish oil.
Many customers and ourselves use fish oil as well....good for old joints too.
Make sure anything you put on the skin is designed for dogs as they have a different PH to humans.....good luck

Criosphynx

Emma was being fed duck based food and the oiler skin.... made her itch.

she was so oily the skin would just mound up and get thick..then when the thick skin got wet she'd itch...I had to use coal tar to strip it off and then switch foods.

I no longer supplement HER with any oils...the other dogs get oils...with no problem. Anyway...you may want to look at the other extreme of the spectrum.

doxiechar

Just thought I'd give you guys an update. I took my boy to the vet (he needed his rabies booster anyway). The vet said dry skin and maybe fleas but most likely not because there was no flea dirt or fleas that he could find. Otherwise he told me he was in EXCELLENT condition and to keep doing what I was doing, maybe with the addition of some oil.

I kinda knew it was the dry skin thing. Anyway, anybody know a cheap type of oil I can feed for his skin and coat? Even though he is a Doxie, he has absolutely no problem with being overweight so it's not a big deal if it's fattening. He scores usually around a 4 or 5 on the condition scale and he is on free feed, go figure!

All help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!