Itching Like Crazy???

[vicster605]

Is anyone else having problems with their Chows scratching and itching like crazy????? I just put Advantix on Kearra & Kyra 2 days ago and they are still itching as bad if not worse than before I put it on them........what the heck is up with that???
Kyra now has a lg hot spot on her tail. Not sure if all the storms have made the flea problem worse....or not. Lily is white and she was covered with fleas although she doesn't get Advantix....I bathed her, got all the fleas off of her and put a flea collar on her and a flea protector from Walmart can't afford to treat three with Advantix....shes fine now but K & K are scratchin' so bad that I swear Kyra scratched 10 mins straight last night....until she woke me up scratching and I had to tell her to STOP. I have to treat the yard today.....but do you think it can be they are itching from starting to grow in their winter coat or something else.....bad Advantix??? Something....geez enough is enough already......

[Chow Chow Mama]

I am very fortunate that I have not had any flea issues. (knock on wood) I don't know if that is because the kids are on Sentinel, I don't have carpet in the house, or if it's just because I've been lucky. My co-worker is going through a terrible flea problem with her indoor cats - she brought them in on her shoes and is having a problem getting them out.

That being said, this is the time of year that Holden gets particularly itchy with allergies. Do you think that either K or K might have allergy problems, too? Maybe the change of weather flared something up and that is adding to the flea itching.

[vicster605]

Thats what I'm trying to figure out IF this is a flea issue as I just treated them with Advantix which I use because of the mosquito protection as well as fleas.....OR something else like regrowing their winter coats or allergies.....they haven't really had allergy problems before but guess it could be??? But BOTH of them??? But we have had a change in the weather but Lordy thats alot of scratching!!!

[Jeff&Peks]

Think its time to trash the Advantix and try something else. The way i see it with Meds if it wasn't happening before the meds why use it again, trash time for me. Are you reading the instruction carefully gotta watch that flea and tick stuff.

Kind of like some of the post, I just gave my Chow some meds and she started throwing up blood and having siezures its never happened before i gave her the meds, do you think its the meds? Oh no not at all, it must be her diet.

[vicster605]

LOL Jeff!!! I've been using Advantix for 2 yrs with Kearra now, and never an issue....well guess I will try something new next time....with the fleas and mosquitos down here we have to use something or they will be eaten alive ummmm just like us for that matter

[TJordan]

Butters has a new spot on his leg today and has walking around thumping his hind leg in an effort to scratch. But he has some seasonal allergies. Also, he is still shedding and having some itching with that. I don't know anything about advantix so can't help there.

[jacqui]

we use Advantix and only Kai is scratching.I believe its allergies.I tried changing his food and he was scrathing more
did you see any fleas on them?if its allergies you could try a Benedril and see if that helps.

[Jeff&Peks]

LOL Jeff!!! I've been using Advantix for 2 yrs with Kearra now, and never an issue....well guess I will try something new next time....with the fleas and mosquitos down here we have to use something or they will be eaten alive ummmm just like us for that matter

It might be just the one tube or a combination with the weather if you have been using it for 2 years and no problems I wouldn't change, Just make sure they haven't started making it in China, probably is made in China like everything else so its probably just a combination of a few things. any new carpet shampoos ot cleaning supplys?

[fillyok]

Ping's been scratching lately too and was nursing a hot spot on her front paw. I don't see any fleas on her. I've used Frontline in the past when the neighbors dog gave the pack fleas...it worked right away. I've only had to use it that one time. I keep a package of Benedryl on hand just for my pack...used it several times...you might give it a shot.

[vicster605]

I don't see any fleas, their coats are pretty thin and I don't see any. Good idea could try a Benadryl, I'll do that and see

[WildThings]

Fiona itches like crazy right now. She has a yeast problem with her skin and ears. She has big patches where her fur has gotten very thin. She has patches of thick, yellowish flaky skin. Her skin is red from digging at it. The only reason she doesn't have hot spots right now is because a few weeks ago, I couldn't stand to see her scratch anymore, benedryl wasn't working so she got an allergy shot (before I realized is was yeast and not allergies). The fleas are horrible right now...Frontline no longer works on her so I tried a new one (can't remember the name) which took care of the fleas, but the itching hasn't slowed down. Even if it was a flea bite allergy, the shot would have taken care of it, but the shot only gave her relief for a day or two. Because she doesn't have any open sores, I've been spraying her down with 50/50 apple cider vinegar/water solution to at least control the itching until I can find away to get the yeast under control.

[vicster605]

What does the apple cider vinegar solution do??? I've heard it helps keep the fleas off of them....but nothing else....Kearra & Kyra's skin looks good...well except for Kyra's hot spot. Kyra's coat hasn't been right since she was spayed, her mane and front grew back in but her back end is sad... was hoping her coat would grow back in, the way it was, with this winters coat. I gave them each a Benadryl and it has helped some....maybe will give them another before bed.
Also considering getting Kyra's Thyroid re-checked next Vet visit as her back legs look like a bad poodle cut....almost like I shaved her up to mid pants, she has those lil' poofy things on her back feet. She does look strange these days and could be having some new issues to go with her HD.
Fiona poor baby, her pics you posted, her coat looks just beautiful....she probably needs an antifungal to get rid of the yeast....I swear its miserable watching them scratch and hearing them at night.

[CoraP.]

Molly and Dusty (who is not a chow) have both been itchy lately. Dusty had advantage put on a few weeks ago, but not Molly because they didn't have the dose for her weight, so I got hers later, but still haven't put it on yet (I hate putting so many chemicals into them!). They are both itching about the same, so I am thinking it is allergy time. I gave Dusty a bath, which seemed to help a little, but he still itches quite a lot.

[kingalls]

I've only used Frontline. I have purchased it on eBay for a very reasonable price but lately the source on eBay has been outside of the US and I won't get it unless it's from the US. I have used petedge.com and dog.com to buy these as well. Our Chowdren don't seem to have much of a flea problem so I only apply it if I see the flea dirt.

[vicster605]

I wish we could say we didn't have much of a flea problem but this yr has been TERRIBLE for fleas. I have treated my yard, Chows, Boxer many times and they still seem to be a problem. Way worse than last yr or the yr before. Lily the Boxer is white and short haired and you can see every single flea so I base the flea problems on how she looks since she is outside way more than the Chow girls. Easy to remove on her and see when she has a problem.
I started to get Frontline a while back and the Vets office I was trying to get it from said they had a bad batch of Frontline that wasn't working so they weren't selling it so I stayed with the Advantix. Think it was a local problem.
I've had the girls on Salmon Oil for a while now and ran out.....do you think that could have something to do with the itching???They were off of it for a wk. Maybe they are dry or something....started them back on it today. The itching hasn't been as bad since I gave them Benadryl so maybe it is allergies to something but I also treated the yard yesterday too. So beats me as long as something slows up the itching. They itch in harmony....

[Coco Chow]

I've been to a dog show last week end. When I discussed with chow owners, most of them told me their chow had been bitten by insects (I think you call them chigoe in English), and most chows had been scratching and itching. Those are not chow chows who have skin problems usually. So you are definitely not alone in that situation!!

I think the products against fleas we put on our chows don't protect them from every insect around, and when it gets hot, they get bitten by those other insects...

If you have a flea problem, I've also been told you need to put a product against fleas IN the house, on every spot your chow is laying in your home, and the car, etc... Or it will be bitten again.

[Chloe's Mom]

Chloe's been scratching herself quite a bit lately. She's on Frontline and I haven't seen fleas on her at all. In January she had two nasty hot spots on her back legs under her tail. The vet diagnosed her as being allergic to flea bites (even though she's groomed daily and I'd never seen fleas on her ) and put her back on the Frontline (she'd been off since "flea season", at least here in the Northeast, was supposedly over.) I'm thinking there must be some allergen around here that must be affecting her as she's also started rubbing her nose
(and has a small raw spot) on the carpeting. She hasn't done that since last autumn.

I can only imagine what the people downstairs from me must think...when she starts scratching she sounds like Thumper from Bambi.

[Kris L. Christine]

Butter has been dealing with serious allergic reactions recently which we first thought was something in his food, so we've been doing an elimination diet. Then we started to think he may be reacting to all the mushrooms that have sprouted up in the paths we mow in the fields for him to walk in (of course, he licks his paws after a walk and must be ingesting mushroom spores, etc.). Here in Maine we've had 13 inches of rainfall above normal and the mushrooms are producing at a pace we've never seen before.

When he'd come in from a walk after eating dinner, he'd get small swellings all over his legs and belly, which disappeared overnight without medication. Once after walking through a heavily mushroomed area, his reaction was so bad that his ears had a couple the size of small ping pong balls (he got 3 benadryl to help him deal with that). To try to eliminate any triggers, we do a mushroom harvest in the path every day before he walks and have mowed the fields, which have helped enormously. He's still on a lamb and rice elimination diet.

In reading several sources on canine allergies and trying to figure out the cause, I've come across many references saying that flea collars are a common trigger for allergic skin reactions in dogs. We don't use flea collars or any commercial flea/tick control as we've found that giving Butter a lukewarm bath with water with white vinegar in it kills not only fleas, but the eggs, so that hasn't been his source.

Also, because of the increased rainfall, the mold index has been extremely high this year, so perhaps that has increased Butter's sensitivity to whatever it is. Butter is 5 and has never had allergies before, so this is all new territory for us, and we're thinking it could have something to do with the unusual weather and the huge mushroom population.

[strongraven4u]

My boys get this every year around this time. some times bad sometimes not so bad. How much benadryl do I give for a 60 lb body?

[fillyok]

You can google for dosages, but this seems to be the most consistent.
Typical dosages: for cats and dogs under 30 pounds, give 10 mg ... dogs 30 to 50 pounds, give 25 mg ... dogs over 50 pounds, give 50 mg. Use only the plain Benadryl formula.

I give mine one regular adult pill when they need it.

[chris]

Im glad I saw this before I re-posted. Steel is just fine.. no itching... but ROXI my (chow in training) pom is itching like a maniac... I figured the season and alergies.... I just gave her 1/2 of a benadryl (25 mg). I will keep an eye on it and see if it works.

[Kris L. Christine]

We just narrowed down the source of Butter's allergic reaction -- brewer's yeast, with a cross-reactivity with other fungi (mushrooms, mildew, mold). Anyone who might suspect a similar source for their dog's symptoms can read about cross-reactivity with fungi here: http://www.squidoo.com/food-allergies-cross-reactivity .

This link will give you interesting information on the cross-reactivity with specific foods that are triggered by ragweed, birch pollen, and grass pollen http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/ ... ns?src=rss if you think there's a seasonal link with your dog's itching and the food they eat.

[chris]

ooo, geeze... i just discovered a hot spot on roxi's belly on top of her being so itchy all over. Luckily I already had some spray stuff from the vet handy. (needed it for the GSD a while ago) ... LOL.... Steel is the only one WITHOUT problems... hahahah