Beagle pup with flaky skin and itchy - Page 1

 Okay, before I get slammed for posting this in the GSD section, let me mention that the Beagle section has very few people visit it, so the likely hood of me getting my question answered is low.

Here's the situation; I have a 9week old Beagle puppy who has flaky skin/dander/dandruff and is itching like crazy. She does NOT have fleas, of this I am positive. 

I wrote her breeder and was told to try rubbing a small amount of baby oil into her coat and letting that sit for several hours and then washing her with baby shampoo.

I was told by a groomer friend of mine to wash her with Pert Plus shampoo/conditioner as it was good against fleas/ticks, cleansing the coat gently and would moisturize her skin/coat.

I was also told to feed Olive Oil in her food, which would help in the long run, but she is miserable NOW and needs help NOW.

I would like other suggestions what to possibly do for her, or if anyone has tried any of the above methods. Thanks, and PM's work too :)

Hello, very sorry to hear about the highly discomforting situation regarding your Beagle puppy.  My first thought is whether your puppy is allergic to her diet?  So what food does she have?  (I had a puppy some years ago itching and scratching, which I finally discovered was an allergy to her diet - that got me interested in the ingredients of dog food).

My second thought was your Vet. 

Lastly, are you using any type of cleaning chemical on floorings at home, that again, she may be picking up on her paws and showing a reaction.


Hopefully, you will let us know how your puppy gets on.  I do hope you will find the solution quickly.


Kind Regards,
Vixen

Vixen

Good response, diet is usually the number one cause. May want to try putting some Gold Bond powder on the dog to help ease the itch until you or your Vet find out the cause.

Feel free to ask for assistance on the "Shepherd side" anytime. Lots of knowledgeable people here to assist you.

 Thanks so much for the great responses, I had a GSD pup of mine with similar issues, switched her food and she was fine.

Okay, going to try to answer questions here;

Breeder had her on Purina Puppy Chow (I am NOT a fan) and I've only had her for about a week now, and I am slowly switching her over to Iams Smart Puppy chow. (Yes, I know, some love it, some hate it, but I've always had excellent results with it)

Since starting the food conversion, her itching has decreased a LITTLE bit. So I suspect the food allergy part is accurate. 

According to the breeder, the first few ingredients in the Purina Puppy chow is all corn meal, corn by product, and such. On the bag of Iams, the first ingredient is Chicken. Not chicken by product, CHICKEN.

Her eyes and ears are both clear of smell/discharge, her feet are fine, the only part SO FAR that seems to be bothering her is her back, which is the only part she nibbles, and scratches and the only part that has the flakes.

Now, as for cleaning agents. My husband and I are semi truck drivers, we live in the semi (I assure you, with my husband's account, she get's PLENTY of exercise) I only use a broom to clean the floor, we do not want to use cleaning products in the Company's tractor, because if anything happens, it would be my husband's duty to cover damage costs.

As for the veterinarian. The breeder's daughter in law was the veterinarian. She is licensed as a DVM, and she administered all shots, dewormings, etc... so Hollie (my puppy) never actually went into a veterinarian's office.

Thanks again, hope my additional information helps!

Hi welcome so sorry that your pup is having problems with her skin please read this perhaps it will help www.aromesse.com good luck and keep us posted

Very possible that she is allergic to the chicken. While looking for a food for my highly allergic GSD, I found that even the advertised limited ingredient dogfoods are often sprayed with chicken fat to increase taste and fat content. This is not included in the ingredient list on the bags. The only brand I found worked out for my boy is Wellness limited ingredient Rice and Salmon. Give it a try. It is better than any of the limited diets from the vet too. I went through many many foods.

What also helped for the itchiness was Selson Blue People shampoo. It cools the skin, medicates the itch and flakiness, and remoisturizes. Used it once a week. I hope I spelled it right as I didnt have the need over the last year.

 UPDATE:
Tonight my husband and I (upon recommendation of a GSD breeder friend of mine) bought 1000mg and 600mg gel caps of Fish Oil and Omega 3 Fatty Acids.

We gave Hollie one tonight, with food.

Here's the game plan: fully convert Hollie over to the Iams Proactive Health Smart Puppy chow, and have her on nothing but that for one, full week, along with the gel caps. If we do not see any improvement at all, my husband and I will go to TSC and pick up some Blue Buffalo or Taste of the Wild puppy chow.

As to not shock her system, we will have her on the Iams for at least one full week before even considering getting a different brand of puppy chow. Neither my husband nor myself have any qualms about switching food if it will help her skin, but since starting her conversion to Iams her skin IS getting a little better as the days go on, and she is itching less and less, so I don't want to give up on the Iams just yet.

I am more than happy to reply or repost about Hollie's skin in a week or two, to report if anything has helped.

THANKS SO VERY MUCH TO ALL WHO TRIED TO HELP AND RESPONDED!

 **Forgot to add, I will be testing her for allergies when she goes in for her Rabies vaccine, so around Christmas time.

Thanks again!