# Itchy skin... when to see the vet



## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

Polly, since she was able 3 months old, has had slightly itchy skin. When you scratch her skin, her leg goes a mile a minute. She never scratched her skin herself except for the skin under her neck... and she'd only scratch that skin maybe twice a day. Well, the past month it's gotten to where she's itching multiple places on her body but still only occasionally... maybe once an hour or every 2 hours. Her stools have always been nice and firm and I have no other concerns health wise with her.

There are no sores or red spot.... no hair loss. So, I'm not sure if she needs to be seen by the vet. I'm also worried that if we go to the vet, they'll just want to put her on prednisone or other meds. 

I emailed our breeder to ask if she'd seen anything like this with the siblings or parents. 

What would you do? Wait it out? See the vet?


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I would look at what I am feeding. Maybe changing the protein source and going grain free if not already. If it continues, I would maybe have testing done by Dr. Dodds called Nutriscan. 

I am sure you have already ruled out fleas, but I would probably also apply a flea repellant.


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## Carley's Mom (Oct 30, 2011)

I agree, stay away from the vet and their shots. Change her food, get something chicken and grain free and don't forget treats as well. READ they slip chicken meal in a lot of foods that you may not notice. Bathe her in cool water, don't make it too uncomfortable , but as cool as you dare. Use medicated shampoo . Is she more itchy after clips? Use baby powder on her if she is and clip her more often. I put Stella on California Natural Kangaroo food and she was itch free before the bag was empty, so I highly recommend you give it a try. Hope you get this under control before it gets bad. Good Luck.


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## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

Thank you both for your advice! I've been in denial about her itching because I dread having a dog with problem skin. I worked for a vet for 6 years and saw how people struggled with trying to solve the problem. I can't deny her itchiness anymore and now I need to try to figure out what the problem is. 

Nope, no fleas and I just picked up Frontline Plus since we've been seeing ticks around here. 

I've been using a gentle "for itchy skin" shampoo but it certainly doesn't seem to help. What medicated shampoo or ingredient should I look for?

On one hand I hate to start playing around with her food and treats because it's fun and easy to be able to give her a variety and not have to worry. I have a dairy allergy and it's enough stress to figure out what I can eat.  But I'd certainly rather her have to be on special food then to have to medicate her. 

We have Trupanion insurance for her and wonder if it might be worth a trip to a veterinary dermatologist before playing around with expensive foods. Any thoughts?


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## georgiapeach (Oct 9, 2009)

You don' have to get special vet food (in fact, please don't), just grain free. There are lots of choices out there. I also feed California Natural grain free to my allergy dog - the Salmon and Peas variety. Another one that works well for my dog is Zignature Grain Free Turkey.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Well, I will tell you that a Veterinary Dermatologist saved Taylee's life - he got her off of all steroids and managed her symptoms for the rest of her life. My only regret was the years of suffering and the money wasted with the regular Vet before I discovered him. If Timi should wind up to be an itchy puppy, I would take her immediately to the Dermatologist, as early intervention could only be good! And thank goodness she also has insurance (Petplan) I spent thousands a year out of pocket on Taylee's allergies her entire life! In fact the reason that I picked Petplan over Trupanion was because the Dermatologists exam fees were so high, and I figured that if I ever needed him again....but still any testing, medications, and shampoos would be covered by Truepanion, so still not a bad deal!


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## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

TinyPoodles, I'm so glad you had such great luck with the canine dermatologist! I didn't even know there were such things until I read one of your recent posts  

Thanks to that info, I called the closest one to us (A veterinary dermatologist and ear specialist about an hour and half away in Charlotte, NC) and talked to a very helpful receptionist/nurse. I feel so much better after talking to her. 

1. She said they need a referral from our family vet so to make an appt. to be seen by our regular vet. (I did that. He'll see Polly tomorrow)
2. She said most allergies are inhaled allergies (especially since she has NO G.I. upset, and the itching has gotten worse in the past few weeks) and that this spring has been a horrible spring for allergies. She said they're seeing tons of dogs that have never had problems with allergies before because the pollen has been so bad. She said not to jump to switch foods yet.
3. She said that if our vet finds no other source for the itching and thinks it's seasonal allergies, there are many safe anti-histamines that don't cause drowsiness that we could try with Polly. 
4. She also said to apply the Frontline (I have to wait one more day since I bathed her Saturday) to be absolutely sure there are no fleas. 
5. She agreed that I should be worried if the vet jumps to put her on prednisone or other heavy meds like that. She said if he were to recommend that, I should call her back.  

So, I'm breathing a little easier. I'm going to take Polly in to be looked at tomorrow afternoon and we'll go from there. I'm so glad I decided to get pet insurance!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

BeckyM said:


> TinyPoodles, I'm so glad you had such great luck with the canine dermatologist! I didn't even know there were such things until I read one of your recent posts
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I am so glad that I could help spread the word! I only found out about the Dermatologist when Taylee began losing her hair from the steroids that they regular Vet was giving her, and a friend suggested the dermatologists for that - I never knew that Dermatologists were really allergy specialists too! The one around here is great, but almost two popular - easily a 6-8 week wait for an appointment, and even when I was a known client, and would calling them begging that Taylee was having a flare up, could they fit her in sooner, he might squeeze us in in two - three weeks?


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

BeckyM not sure how far you are away from Greenville SC but my dermatologist here is great. She also has hours in Asheville NC.

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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

poolann said:


> BeckyM not sure how far you are away from Greenville SC but my dermatologist here is great. She also has hours in Asheville NC.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



Always good to get a recommendation - I am sure that not EVERY dermatologist is great!


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## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

poolann said:


> BeckyM not sure how far you are away from Greenville SC but my dermatologist here is great. She also has hours in Asheville NC.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks! It looks like the one near you is the same specialist (Is it Southest Veterinary?)... just a different location. Looks like they have practices in several southern cities. That's great! Let's hope my "branch" is as good as yours!  Hopefully they have all the same training and practices.


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## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

Tiny Poodles said:


> I am so glad that I could help spread the word! I only found out about the Dermatologist when Taylee began losing her hair from the steroids that they regular Vet was giving her, and a friend suggested the dermatologists for that - I never knew that Dermatologists were really allergy specialists too! The one around here is great, but almost two popular - easily a 6-8 week wait for an appointment, and even when I was a known client, and would calling them begging that Taylee was having a flare up, could they fit her in sooner, he might squeeze us in in two - three weeks?
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Yikes! 2-3 weeks for a regular patient! They must have a busy office! Thank goodness there are such great specialists now that can solve some of these problems that have been so hard to cope with in the past!


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

BeckyM said:


> Yikes! 2-3 weeks for a regular patient! They must have a busy office! Thank goodness there are such great specialists now that can solve some of these problems that have been so hard to cope with in the past!



Yup, lots of great specialists - although my one complaint about Petplan is that they only cover specialists at 80 percent, even when you have 100 percent coverage for the regular Vet. So I will take my girls to the specialists, but always try to get as many meds and testing from the regular vet as I can. 


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

BeckyM said:


> Thanks! It looks like the one near you is the same specialist (Is it Southest Veterinary?)... just a different location. Looks like they have practices in several southern cities. That's great! Let's hope my "branch" is as good as yours!  Hopefully they have all the same training and practices.


Yes and Dr Bauer travels to Asheville so I think she is the in house derm there. I will warn you that she will prescribe the vet food but I'm sure she would be open to a different grain free/protein change option.She had no issues when I changed my guy over to Flint River because of the cost. She and her staff are very gentle and understanding with my fearful shepherd and I went to her with Racer's ear infection. I haven't spoken to her about Dr Dodd's test but I will once I have disposable income. 

I trust her and appreciate the level of caring with my pets.

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## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

poolann said:


> Yes and Dr Bauer travels to Asheville so I think she is the in house derm there. I will warn you that she will prescribe the vet food but I'm sure she would be open to a different grain free/protein change option.She had no issues when I changed my guy over to Flint River because of the cost. She and her staff are very gentle and understanding with my fearful shepherd and I went to her with Racer's ear infection. I haven't spoken to her about Dr Dodd's test but I will once I have disposable income.
> 
> I trust her and appreciate the level of caring with my pets.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Thanks so much for all the info. That'll help me know what to expect if we have to go. Having someone you like and trust really makes a difference, I'm sure!


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## poolann (Jan 31, 2013)

BeckyM said:


> Yikes! 2-3 weeks for a regular patient! They must have a busy office! Thank goodness there are such great specialists now that can solve some of these problems that have been so hard to cope with in the past!


That seems to be standard for a chronic condition but they will work you in if there is a cancelation and also try to do better for an emergency. At least they do at my branch of Southeast.

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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

poolann said:


> That seems to be standard for a chronic condition but they will work you in if there is a cancelation and also try to do better for an emergency. At least they do at my branch of Southeast.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App



No, with my vet- Dermatologist, 2-3 weeks is how they work you in for an emergency - the wait for a regular appointment is more like 2 months! He really is brilliant though - I wish that he could be my girl's regular Vet! I sometimes call him just for his advice on any issue if I am not confident in what the regular vet told me.


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## BeckyM (Nov 22, 2013)

Update: Just got back from the vet. He said her skin looked great and he was so happy to see how well she was groomed. I have a feeling he sees a lot of matted poodles. 
He said she wasn't showing any signs of any skin conditions. He said in his experience/schooling that allergies to food and pollen start during the second year of a dog's life. He said that it's possible that her coat change (which started a month ago) could be causing some minor itching. 
He wanted to start her on a mild anti-histamine (Clemastine) and see if that made any difference in her itchiness. Also, I'll apply Frontline on her tonight before bed. 
He said to make sure her shampoo had oatmeal and aloe in it but he didn't see a need for medicated shampoo at this point. 

So, we'll just wait and see. Hopefully it won't ever become a big deal. Fingers and paws crossed!


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