Why is my dog itching?

Submitted by Jason Ast/Just Dog People

This is a question we are asked several times a day, especially over the last 4-8 weeks. You may even have a dog that’s itching — as a dog-dad of five furballs myself, I can tell you it’s not fun watching your dog spend the afternoon (or afternoons) scratching an itch that just won’t go away.

Sound familiar?

Here’s a few tips on how to narrowdown what could be making your dog itch.

Is your dog itching year-round, or just certain times of the year? This is probably the best question to answer first. If your dog seems to be itching every day of the year regardless of the season — I would start looking at something your dog is ingesting and/ or coming into contact with daily. This could be food, treats, certain grass and seed pollens, your detergent and even that faux-stainless steel (sometimes other types too) water/food bowl.

Hint: Try an LID (Limited Ingredient Diet) food, or a food with a different protein from a different manufacturer. Change your dog’s bowl for a week to see if the redness disappears around his mouth. Does your dog go to the neighbor’s kitty litter box each morning?

Guess what? That could be the culprit as well!

However, if your dog is only itchy or has dry skin at certain types of the year (for us in NC, this often means when you turn your home’s heat to AC, and AC to heat) there is a high likelihood that seasonal allergies are the problem. Sometimes environmental allergies just can’t be avoided. I actually replanted my entire yard with a different grass seed in hopes of helping one of my dogs, but it didn’t help. This is when it’s time to call her veterinarian and get a Cytopoint shot. Maybe your dog has dry skin? This time of year, almost every dog that comes into Just Dog People has dry skin.

You can especially notice this on brown/ black dogs, and short-haired dogs as well.

Sometimes it’s all in the genes and their first 8-12 weeks of life. Over the last nine years or so I’ve come to notice a common theme in dogs with allergies and weak bellies: Momma wasn’t able to deliver the puppy’s first round of ‘inoculations’ (mom’s milk).

While not scientific, I would estimate 95 out of 100 dogs who cross my path (as a dog nutrition consultant) have had an unfortunate start to life.

Often these dogs are raised without their mother or taken from their mother too soon. In fact, one of my five was the runt of her large litter (seven.) Bea was not able to get the same access to mom as the other puppies in her litter, and although we can’t prove this — we believe that her having thyroid issues could be connected.

It seems that when mom isn’t able to pass on the ‘good stuff’ puppies need in

their first precious weeks of life, their bellies are often left without the right biome required to digest/absorb/process the food going into them.

For these dogs, symptoms often appear as early as 12 weeks, while I would say most dogs that I see in the store for consultations are six to nine months old.

Tip: These puppies need strong probiotics — we often suggest petparents take home a $9 bottle of fermented goat’s milk to “test” our theory. Within about 7-10 days, mom and dad often see results such as: less gas, firm stool, increased energy and “playfulness” and possibly heightened energy to eat their food.

As always there are many considerations that go into diagnosing and helping a dog — always consult with your veterinarian if you think something is off about your dog.

If you’ve never visited us at Just Dog People, or need some help with your dog’s itching, nutrition — or would just like to see a store completely dedicated to crazy dog people, come see us!

We’re always happy to help!