Itchy Skin - Page 1

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Sorry I hit submit i guess,

I have two GSDs one 13 mos and the other 4 mos both of them eat canidae dog food and both get baths once a month and neither of them have fleas. I can't seem to figure out why they itch so much still. They its as if they do have fleas or something crawling on them because they scratch vigorous or chew on the backs and sides trying to get whatever it is. They both have beautiful coats and I don't see anything on them. What could it be?

My boy had that and i changed his food to Wafcol potatoe and Salmon no more itches and loose stools,

I found it was the food that was sending him into these itching moments, As long as there skin is clear and no dry or weepy patches you will probably find it is the food you are feeding.

Good luck.

gimme10,rule out Sarcoptic Mange,( very easy to misdiagnose with food allregies)then if its found that it is not that then your next step should be to find a food that has a different protein source other than chicken.In otherwords change his food.Surprisingly alot of dogs have problems with chicken.I would say that if you try the food change first that will be the easiest way.YES i lived with this for almost 2 years  and with 2 different dogs at different times.It could also be inhalent allergies but i would say it will more than likely be the food.If you need any help with this feel free to  e-mail me privately as i dont want to see any dog  OR owner go through this.

I also believe that bathing a dog once a month is way too much.. you are stripping all the oils out of their skin and coats... also try adding some Essental Fatty Acids... fish oil, salmon oil.. no food has everything every dog needs in it.. that would be an impossible feat!

A change to a raw diet might also help since the protein sources are not even close to what they get from the real source, like apples and oranges... it is the process and additives that give most dogs trouble. Hope this helps

In addition to the suggestions above, some dogs seem to get itchy from Flaxseed.  Canidae has flaxseed, so try a food without that ingredient.   Make sure any treats you give are without flaxseed as well (many biscuits contain flax of some sort).   Foods without flaxseed should contain an alternate source of fatty acids, and if not, you may have to add this yourself (salmon oil, etc.). 

I once read in an old version of a German Shepherd dog book, someone stated, "Never bath a German Shepherd" And to mention, if you really think about it, did the shepherds you grew up with have skin problems? Let alone go to the vets much, I remember going to the fire station for their rabies shot.   Anyway, sometimes all your shepherd needs is a good combing and brushing, too much perfume and soap just strips away those precious oils they need to keep their skin healthy.     I bath my dogs maybe once a year, but they do love, love, love, to play with the garden hose, or swim in the ocean, I couldn't see bathing my dogs, then letting them swim right after too, that would be a waste, I find after a swim in the ocean, their coat actually glows!!!

Well I bathe my dogs once a month because they are inside dogs. But I will try the supplementing fatty acids. Thanks everyone

Lol---ooppss... i have to bathe boss atleast every other week--if not more...he has been getting what i am guessing is hot-spots, so last time i finished his bath with a coditioning shampoo and after i rubbed Cradle Cap Treatment on his skin...espc where the hot-spots were...that was about 5 days ago and he is just now starting to scratch again...

Here is something i have been wondering about...the most common solution you hear for itchy skin is diet/ start feeding raw....I was wondering if maybe a dog eats mostly dry dog food, maybe the ?bacteria- stuff?? that breaks down things like simonella, and germs are not being used enough...maybe this healthy bacteria starts to attack the organs (which we all know largest organ is the skin)-- kinda like an auto-immune disorder---maybe the raw food is helping because these bacteria are being used for what they were meant for....lol.. like you give the bacteria its job to do , or else it's gonna get idle hands and go goof off where it's not suppose to....does anyone know what i mean by this?..lol

Maybe this is why most dogs we've all had while growing up never had these problems...when i was a kid dogs lived mostly off table scraps- leftovers- food that was going bad--and I never had a dog with skin problems...Now boss is the only one who i have not been feeding much table scraps to--and he's getting skin problems...hmmm..

If I had a dog with itchy skin I would consider the following:

Adding enterically coated probiotics to the diet, digestive enzymes, Fish Body Oil with a high DHA/EPA content, NATURAL Vitamin E, Starflower (Borage) Oil and of course remove as much grain as possible, particularly flaxseed (linseed), maize, additives, ,colourants etc.

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