Itchy skin

[Andrew]

My puppy seems to have very itchy skin… no evidence of fleas or anything. He frequently bites at his legs and toes. His skin, so far, is not showing any signs of his frequent biting, but I'm afraid he might end up hurting himself (I once had a dog who had a flea allergy & bit part of her tail off scratching one day). I think it might be the cold, dry weather & dry heat indoors. Are there any products we can use to help relieve his itchiness? Or does this sound like a different problem alltogheter?
Thank you

[Mantis]

Hi Andrew, Itchy skin eh? Well it could be your basenji's diet causing a food allergy, could be the soap you bath him in if you have bathed him, or could be something in your house.

The easiest and cheapest thing to do is to change the environment one thing at a time and see if there is improvement.

Try switching the bedding to a towel.

Try bathing him with a non soap shampoo.

Feed him boiled chicken to test if it is his food.

These are just a few suggestions.

Caesar and Beta both had very scaley skin one year and it was probably the Eukanuba I was feeding them. The vet gave me oil supplements to add to their diet which fixed the problem. Later on I found out that there are better foods out there than you can find in Petsmart.

The best thing to do is be very observant and rule things out so that when you talk to your vet, you have better information.

[red and white furever]

Mantis's suggestions are right on - food is a huge allergy trigger.
One product I've found and use with great success for "winter skin" on my pups is Dreamcoat by Halo. It's essential oils - I used it after Storm had an outbreak of hives from Advantix flea treatment. The dogs love it, and it makes their coats really soft and helps to alleviate dry skin itch.

[Grace]

ok- i really need help! My puppy Tyllie woke up yesterday with a swollen eye and her vulva was swollen and pink! I gave her 1/2 of a Benadryl and she slept. By 7:00 pm, her whole body had hives. She began crying and rolling and rubbed her body against the carpet to relieve the itchiness. It produced more welts- We gave her more benadryl and we had a tough night with her sleeping as best she could next to us but waking often in crying distress. I took her to the vet this am. She could not determine the cause but she gave her a cortizone iv and she said to proceed with benadryl and prenazone beginning tomorrow. I have tried to figure the cause of this and I cannot. Anyone else have an experience with this?

[tanza]

@Grace:

ok- i really need help! My puppy Tyllie woke up yesterday with a swollen eye and her vulva was swollen and pink! I gave her 1/2 of a Benadryl and she slept. By 7:00 pm, her whole body had hives. She began crying and rolling and rubbed her body against the carpet to relieve the itchiness. It produced more welts- We gave her more benadryl and we had a tough night with her sleeping as best she could next to us but waking often in crying distress. I took her to the vet this am. She could not determine the cause but she gave her a cortizone iv and she said to proceed with benadryl and prenazone beginning tomorrow. I have tried to figure the cause of this and I cannot. Anyone else have an experience with this?

I would guess it was an allergic reaction to a bug bite… many times you will never find the source... Spiders are the usual reason...

But on the off chance that it is food, what are you feeding her? Anything with corn or wheat?

[Grace]

I feed her Blue- However, she was at a friends for a few hours Thursday night and he fed her something different- I have called to find out the contents- I will let you know! THe vet did not think it was a food allergy due to the severity of her welts (all over her body)! Is it possible that it is dry skin and needs Dream Coat by Halo?

[tanza]

@Grace:

I feed her Blue- However, she was at a friends for a few hours Thursday night and he fed her something different- I have called to find out the contents- I will let you know! THe vet did not think it was a food allergy due to the severity of her welts (all over her body)! Is it possible that it is dry skin and needs Dream Coat by Halo?

There is no way, IMO that dry skin would ever cause welts like that…. I would still put my money on a bug bite.. and honestly food can cause that kind of reaction, but typically it is immediate from eating the food if that bad. My Kristii has corn and oat allergies and she would start breaking out while eating anything with corn....

So again, I would bet something like a spider

[Grace]

Thanks Tanza for your help! The friend also gave her a piece of bacon which may have been the culprit! Her welts are still really bad but benydryl and the iv have helped her to sleep. I hope it is over soon!

[tanza]

@Grace:

Thanks Tanza for your help! The friend also gave her a piece of bacon which may have been the culprit! Her welts are still really bad but benydryl and the iv have helped her to sleep. I hope it is over soon!

Hope that she gets better soon….

[nobarkus]

@tanza:

There is no way, IMO that dry skin would ever cause welts like that…. I would still put my money on a bug bite.. and honestly food can cause that kind of reaction, but typically it is immediate from eating the food if that bad. My Kristii has corn and oat allergies and she would start breaking out while eating anything with corn....

So again, I would bet something like a spider

Your Kristy has oat allergies?

[tanza]

@nobarkus:

Your Kristy has oat allergies?

Yes, Kristii has allergies to corn and oats, even barley to some extent

[nobarkus]

@tanza:

Yes, Kristii has allergies to corn and oats, even barley to some extent

Interesting as I hadn't heard of oat and barley allergies. That could of been what was affecting my past 2 Bs. They ate Solid Gold for most of their lives which has barley.

[Lori B]

@Grace:

ok- i really need help! My puppy Tyllie woke up yesterday with a swollen eye and her vulva was swollen and pink! I gave her 1/2 of a Benadryl and she slept. By 7:00 pm, her whole body had hives. She began crying and rolling and rubbed her body against the carpet to relieve the itchiness. It produced more welts- We gave her more benadryl and we had a tough night with her sleeping as best she could next to us but waking often in crying distress. I took her to the vet this am. She could not determine the cause but she gave her a cortizone iv and she said to proceed with benadryl and prenazone beginning tomorrow. I have tried to figure the cause of this and I cannot. Anyone else have an experience with this?

We are having the same problem with our new puppy, we don't think it's the food because we kept her on the same food that the breeder was giving her. We had the same problem with our last Basenji every spring and fall. I suppose she may have been bitten without us knowing but we think there may be something else in the environment, either in the house or outside.

[tanza]

Have you discussed this with the breeder?

[Lori B]

Not yet, the breeder is out of town. As soon as she gets back we will be calling her.

[Grace]

I think that our puppy probably suffered from "dry skin"! Nothing else makes any sense! She also has flaked and had dry patches in the weeks following her sickness. She often lays on the floor vents of the heater- I have added "halo dreamcoat" to her diet- it is a food additive for healthy coats- I am hoping her reaction will not return- it was truly awfull!!! Is your puppy exposed to hot air vents? I am curious!!! Your puppy looks like ours!!! 4 mos old!

[Whoalookitsme]

There is something that we normally call at the vet clinic 'Puppy Pyoderma' it is most often described as dry skin with dandruff? and sometimes even scabs. Usually the bacterial infection can be easily treated with some medication.

more info
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2111&aid=878

[KiroGurl]

hey grace! my dog has had weird things going on for about 4 months that are very simaliar to yours…..

tpoday i came home and AGAIN she has welts surrounding her one eye! it has become a weekly occurance and i have tried so many things! not the halo tho! i havent given her anything strange and its just one eye today. i was at work for like 8 hours and i close the doors so i have no idea what the issue is!

if you figure something out let me know, but know that im dealing with the same things.

[lvoss]

Food allergies can develop at anytime, even if it is an ingredient they have had all their lives. Usually, when it is food allergy the symptoms are foot chewing and itching.

Hives seem much more common in bug bites reactions. It seems that spring and fall seem to be the worst for these allergic reactions. Many times the exact culprit is not found which can make it difficult to then avoid. I am always careful about letting the dog explore too much in thick vegetation because that seems to be a favorite place for troublesome bugs.

[KiroGurl]

Kiro gets hives or bumps right around the inside cornners of her eyes…. some on her forehead and they go right away with benadryl. Ill come home from work, and i cant tell if she had just gotten them from me when i walked in or if they were there before i came home. She only gets them about 1/7 days and if its somthing on me i cant tell! Ill take a picture the next time. Its strange beacuse when shes allergic i tend to be allergic to something as well...we both pop benadrly together!