still itchy

[debbie and bones]

we are going crazy here with stratching constantly.It feels like I have tried everything for Bones. He has been on Nutro Max lamb and rice meal since birth but itch itch itch and scratch scratch scratch...so the vet recommended another lamb and rice meal from California - California Natural Lamb meal with rice but no change for over 1 month. I went to the doggy health food store and they sold me a formula of oils that I put over his food once a day and said I would see a change within 1 week but nothing has changed in 2 weeks. He is scratching and itching and now licking constantly. I brush him regularly and feel the skin and I will hit a small raised bump occasionally (vet says this leads her to believe it is allergies).
What else can I try? I am tired for Bones for his constant irritation- it is really affecting his quality of life. HELP!!
Debbie and Bones

[Zhuyos mom]

Poor Debbie and Bones!

If the vet says that there is nothing medically wrong with Bones and it's food related and you've checked his treats for the itchy chows "red flags". Then I'd recommend you ask your vet for an Rx of Hill's Prescription Z/D Ultra dry dog food. It's their "uber" allergy free food. Zhu has been on it for a year or so and I started PB on Nutro lamb & rice (green package) but she would throw it up and would sneeze and itch. So now both are on the prescription food and have had not skin allergies to date. Pooh Bear has stopped itching and sneezing too.

The smaller bags run $20 and the 18lb bag is $40. It's pricey stuff but it's worked well with my two. Oh, one more thing to keep in mind. If the Z/D doesn't work out, you can return it to the vet.

Also, before Zhu was on Z/D Ultra, any treats with cheese or if I gave him a taste of pure chicken or beef would just send him to a licking frenzy and before I knew it, there it was, the dreaded open sore. Now he's okay with cheese and pure chicken and beef. I sometimes sprinkle Italian cheese on top to their meal. Would not have been able to do that before.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[Zhuyos mom]

Woops, so sorry to post another reply... but I forgot to mention to you to check into his shampoo, conditioner, his flea meds and also do you use carpet powder when you vacuum? Maybe the fragrance is irritating to Bones. Also, your backyard, anything he might be rubbing against that the pollens might embed? Just some food for thought.

It's such an icky feeling worrying about our babies!

[Shan&Kayla]

Canadae? My chow has the itchies too! I have family members in the veterinary field, and (after I bought the nutro *sigh*) They said that Canadae is the awesome stuff. My gal friend says she sees a lot of itchy chows, even those on Nutro l&r, and she told me that if Kayla is still itchy on the nutro to get Canadae...really good stuff, and supposed to be better then science diet too. I don't get to talk to her too often (long distance call) and of course she tells me to get Canadae AFTER I already transitioned Kayla to Nutro, then bought a big bag...oh well, I figure if her itchies stop with nutro we are fine, but if it continues, we will then try the Canadae. You can google it to find stores that sell it in your area. I dont think petco or petsmart carry it. I hope you can figure out what is causing your chow's itchies!

[SusanScales]

We got our dog from a rescue group and she had been feeding her some cheap stuff from a tractor supply store. She was covered in hotspots and just really itchy. We put her on Iams and had no more problems after that. We used the Chicken and Rice. Nutro will take back the food and give you your money back. I know a supplier. It's in their gaurantee. My dog is allergic to beef and we found out after she got into the trash one day for some leftover steak. (Can't fight those dog urges) I agree you should try to Science Diet Prescription food. I can't believe your vet isn't being more diligent about finding the problem. Rosie made sure we all knew she was miserable with her itchy skin. She got in bed with us and would just about shake us out with all the scratching. Also, if you aren't using Frontline for your dog's flea and tick treatment that could be it. I've heard some bad things about the other and it is worth it for me not to have any problems. I have recently switched to Nutro for the glucosamine since my dogs are getting older and Yikes! maybe that wasn't so good.

[debbie and bones]

Thanks all for your responses - I have printed off the page and will be reviewing and deciding how to help and getting my vet to look at again so that I can try get the poor boy out of his misery. Just gave him a really good brush and will take him for a bath tomorrow. Thanks again! Debbie and Bones

[Deanna]

Hi Debbie,

We went through the same thing for months with our Tika. We finally switched vets because we weren't getting any answers. We found out from the new vet it was several things. She was put on lamb & rice also. We started with Neura and then switched to Iams. You also need to read all labels on treats. She could not have anything with beef or beef biproducts. Lamb, turkey, chicken and rice only. We also found out she had a knee problem called bilateral patella luxation and hip dysplasia. Both of which caused her pain and just like when you have a tooth ache you sometimes bite down on it, she would chew and pull her fur out on her legs from the discomfort. Also every spring it would act up because of pollen allergies.

We just really had to watch what she ate and eventually had surgery on her knee to relieve her pain and that seemed to help. Later we found that when we bought our house and changed the carpets, her itching stopped completely. We think even though we had the carpets cleaned of the apartments we lived in there may have been something in them to make her itch as well.

Best of luck to you. It's so sad to watch them be uncomfortable.

Deanna