Bully Itching Help
Submitted by RattyFat87 on May 7, 2012 - 11:43amHello everyone!! i am new to the forum, and have a 6 yr old male bully names Ratliff.. who i loving refer to as RattyFat :) Here is my issue:
I originally had him Holistic Select dog food, and LOVED it. Sadly a lot of pet stores are no longer carrying it (for whatever reason) so i switched him to Blue Buffalo. Just the regular green bag. He immediately started itching uncontrollably. Poor guy :(. I figured it was allergies as the weather here was starting to warm up and i usually have issues with itching around that time. Took him to the vet and she put him on meds for a skin yeast infections, and steroids to stop the itching while the yeast infection healed. Once the meds stopped, the itching instantly started back up. The yeast infection is gone, but the vet wants to keep him on steriods for the itching. I dont want to do that due to the long term effects of it. He figured out how to sit up against my bed frame and sway so that it itches his back. Problem is, his lower back just above his tail is hairless and a giant scab. :((
I found a feed store that sells the Holistic Select, so i am switching him back to that, but need to find a way to keep his itching subsided until his skin can heal. I have him on benadryl currently, which helps a little but he sleeps all the time which makes me sad because he is usually really playful. Any ideas??
Ratliff and his mom Kael
"Rescues are better than children!"
No vet but....
what about just putting some Gold Bond powder on his back??? Just a thought.
Katie & Tucker a.k.a "Porkchop"
well not
I guess that's not the best idea to put it where it's scabby but maybe just on the other itchy areas
Katie & Tucker a.k.a "Porkchop"
Thats what i was suggested to
Thats what i was suggested to do by a co-worker but was concerned about getting it on the raw part of his skin. I bathed him in a medicated oatmeal shampoo yesterday and it helped alot. i had to put him in bed with me last night to keep him from rubbing on the bed frame. ill try the gold bond today and see how it does.
Ratliff and his mom Kael
"Rescues are better than children!"
Also could try a Cortisone cream
They are used as an anti inflammatory and help to reduce itching.
Try some organic coconut oil
Farley gets little itchy "hot spots" sometimes and I rub a little coconut oil on them a few times a day and they go away quickly!!
i use this shampoo that is suppose to relieve itching...
i think that they have a spray that is supposed to help itching too.. it smells really good too.. you can get it on amazon...
http://www.eqyss.com/pet_microtek_shampoo.asp
sincerely, christine
Benadryl
Some folks use benadryl. It's a human drug for itching and bug bites.
The vet could tell you how much. I [when I use it] give Buddy one....I think they are 25 mg.
The new vet said that wasn't enough, but it worked for Buddy, so why dose higher?
I have one bully that has great skin, and one I have to work on. Brother had one spot on him this spring and Buddy has several.
I'm using Vets Best Hot Spot spray with Tea tree oil. This stops itiching, but I'm not sure if it is right for your dogs problem.
If I had a yeast problem, [Once I talked to the vet if it were bad] I'd use apple cider vinegar in the water I rinsed his wrinkles with. Listerine mouth wash the amber old style will kill yeast too. I add a little on a wash cloth and then dampen it with water to dilute. One or the other, not together and not real strong.
Steve
Mean people still suck
Habit
I forgot, seems a vet told me once a dog can get a habit of itching.....
Steve
Mean people still suck
update
ya we got the yeast infection cleared up with the last super expensive vet visit. I can alwasy tell when he has one because his belly will yellow. Ive been giving him benadryl and night and when i leave for work to keep him from rubbing himself raw on my walls when im not home. I also shut my bedroom door when i leave the house to keep him away from the bed frame.
I bathed him really well over the weekend, smothered him in gold bond medicated powder..he was a walking dust ball after that but it seemed to work until about the middle of the night last night. he had some slight itching but it wasnt as bad.
i feel like alot of his problemns have come up since my ex and i split and the babies got split up too.. is it possible that he is developing problems due to the loss of his sister? i would love to get him a new sibling, but its not financially smart at the moment. we have been through alot of changed through the last few months, so i am hoping that now that things have chilled out we can get a handle on it.
Ratliff and his mom Kael
"Rescues are better than children!"
Did you move?
Maybe it is environmental?
oh yes, it can definitely be the stress and trauma...
of the split... Some dogs develop like kinda of a tick or bad habit to help them cope with the stress. My Gabby had issues so she constantly licked her paws... some dogs start scratching and then they just get in habit of it. or like the last post said, if you moved, then maybe its the new carpet, surroundings?, even the new vegetation? new shampoo? new food? something.. good luck!
sincerely, christine
move
yea, we recently moved into a new place. our last place only had carpet in the bedroom, and now the new apt is all carpet. i figured that might be a factor in it too.
i love booba (ratliff) soo much and i know the poor guy has to be miserable itching all of the time. he is better now that ive stayed on top of him with powder and benadryl, and he is slowly getting back to his old ways. i have a pic to upload of him last night after i powdered him.. if i can figure out how to do it. he was PISSED at me and baracaded himself under my kitchen table and chairs with the most pathetic face.. it was oober cute!
Ratliff and his mom Kael
"Rescues are better than children!"
3 things Changed
His food, his home, his family.
I personally think the food is the first trigger, then the change of his family (stress can definitely trigger skin stuff). So change his food back, let him settle in his new place and if he is still having problems then it could be the carpets or something in/around the new home causing an allergic reaction.