Puppy scratching a lot especially face

[Adina]

Hello,

I went through this with my last pup and my current one. I think it’s a immune triggered reaction to chicken. He will scratch until he bleeds and it will take days for his immune system to calm down once exposure has stoped. I would stop the chicken and all derivatives. I would get a vet to check him of course just to make sure it’s nothing else topical.

My 3 yr old pups immune system is now triggering to most everything. It’s a big challenge. My adult dog is temporarily on Apoquil to get his most recent reaction at bay so his skin can heal. He last reacted to lamb.

I wish I had a solution but I can say it’s highly likely it’s chicken. The good news is if you stay away from all poultry and eggs for a while things should calm down and you might be able to phase in tiny cooked bits in his food later on to see if he grows out of it.

Best,
Adina

[vicyuv]

She can be allergic to chicken. One of my dogs is exactly like this if I give him chicken in any form.

[tanza]

@ashleyignacio - Like noted many breeds have chicken allergies... not just Basenjis. Lamb is many times a trigger too. Corn for sure or beet pulp.... sometimes you can see the allergy very young, sometimes as they mature. One of my Basenji became so allergic to corn that she would just about bite the pads on her feet... once stopped NO issues.

[ashleyignacio]

@jengosmonkey thank you! I’ll definitely try that. When puppies teeth they usually scratch their mouths that hard? I was so worried when she started bleeding :(

[ashleyignacio]

@eeeefarm there’s no hair loss thankfully. I’ve been logging her actions and monitoring her as closely as I can. I stopped the treats and she hasn’t been scratching vigorously thank goodness!

[MorseSA]

time to visit the vet ????

morse.stafford@gmail.com

[tanza]

Since the trigger might be the chicken, best to stop that and see if it gets better. Will take a few days for it to get out of their system. Not that a Vet visit is a not a good idea to rule out anything else. Since you have already noticed a difference, see if it continues to improve.

[Adina]

Hi All,

Another note, please be careful using tea tree oil. I do not use it as it can be toxic.

Online it says the following-

Although products containing low concentrations of tea tree oil are not expected to be a problem in pets, the use of pure tea tree oil directly on the skin is potentially very serious in pets and should never be used. Exposure may cause ataxia, salivation, lethargy, coma and tremor.

Regards,
Adina

[Pawla]

If it is an allergic reaction to chicken, it could take up to 3 weeks for it to clear her system. Read ALL labels for food and treats carefully. I once bought something labeled lamb and it contained chicken.

[tanza]

@adina - I have used tea tree oil for years and never had an issue...

[Zande]

@tanza So have I. Nary a problem.