How to cure dog itchiness

[Guderian]

 

My small dog, half Chihuahua and half poodle, has had a problem with itching for a long time and it isn’t getting any better. The vet’s been treating her for close on a year for the condition with no discernible long-term benefit. The main treatment has been to use the Masaleb shampoo, which I gather is only available on prescription. I’ve gone through four bottles of that, twice a week letting it soak into her skin for twenty minutes before rinsing her off, but it makes no difference. I don’t much like this stuff as it’s poisonous, and it’s difficult to be sure she doesn’t ingest any during the bath.

Since then the vet has prescribed an oatmeal shampoo which is supposed to reduce itchiness of the skin but again it makes little or no difference. More recently, off my own back, I’ve tried her on dog shampoos containing activated charcoal (that made her itchier if anything) and Neem tree oil (I’ve only just started using this one so the jury’s still out, but I’m not over-optimistic).

 

I went to see another vet to get a second opinion, this time the large Eastern Pet hospital which is the premier pet clinic in Pattaya. The treatment suggested was exactly the same, use the Malaseb shampoo, so I don’t think my vet is missing anything much.

 

Over the last year two medicines have fixed the itching while she was taking them, but it soon came back when she stopped. One was a steroid, that worked very well in stopping the itching but had such nasty side-effects that she won’t be taking those again. The other was an oral antibiotic that the vet gave her to help with the side-effects of the steroids (coughing up blood). While she took it the itching stopped, so I assume it’s a bacterial problem with her skin, but as soon as she stopped the antibiotics it came back again.

 

Does anybody have any suggestions for curing excessive itchiness in a Thai dog? It’s mainly a problem on her abdomen and around her teats, but also on the neck and around the face, ears and eyes. None of the commercial shampoos seem to make any difference to her condition, I wonder if there are any Thai folk remedies available using natural herbs or whatever that anybody knows about? Any other suggestions, I think the vet’s run out of ideas.

Thanks for any help.

[Gulfsailor]

It could be that your dog is allergic to something in its environment. Steroids would show a reduction of the symptoms, so that fits. You could try a antihistamine drug such as Benadryl or Zyrtec. If that makes a noticeable difference you can move on to find the actual allergen and remove it. 

[Guderian]

12 minutes ago, Gulfsailor said:

It could be that your dog is allergic to something in its environment. Steroids would show a reduction of the symptoms, so that fits. You could try a antihistamine drug such as Benadryl or Zyrtec. If that makes a noticeable difference you can move on to find the actual allergen and remove it. 

We've tried antihistamines several times but they had no helpful effects. The vet is also a big fan of vitamins and the poor dog has been on various different tablets for months and months, again to no effect. I've told the vet I'm not wasting any more money on vitamins. We've also tried changing her diet in various ways, low salt, low protein, and so on, but all it does is make to the poor animal unhappy, she likes her food too much.

[Naam]

38 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Does anybody have any suggestions for curing excessive itchiness in a Thai dog?

i'm not a vet but have some experience (nearly 10 years) with both our dogs who are "atopics".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atopy

after going like you a couple of years through all the shampoos and a dozen different diets our dogs are OK with the drug "cyclosporin".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclosporin

both dogs are taking it since 7 respectively 8 years, initially daily and then slowly reduced to three times a month.

 

[Guderian]

21 minutes ago, Naam said:

i'm not a vet but have some experience (nearly 10 years) with both our dogs who are "atopics".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atopy

after going like you a couple of years through all the shampoos and a dozen different diets our dogs are OK with the drug "cyclosporin".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclosporin

both dogs are taking it since 7 respectively 8 years, initially daily and then slowly reduced to three times a month.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but if it's a case of hypoallergy then I don't understand why the oral antibiotics fixed the problem, at least while she was taking them. That sounds to me like it's a bacterial problem rather than an allergic reaction. Also, when I go back to the UK twice a year for a month or so the dog goes to stay with my GF (who's actually her owner, though I'm the caretaker if you like). She has the same problems there as she does staying in my house, while her surroundings and diet have changed completely. Obviously I'm a layman not a vet, but it makes me a bit doubtful about the allergy explanation. I'm aware of what cyclosporin is, it used to be the most widely-used primary immunosuppresant used in solid organ transplant patients, though I gather that tacrolimus is preferred nowadays. I'm seeing the vet later this week for the dog's annual shots so I'll mention the possibility to her if I don't get any better explanations or ideas, thanks. It's much less blunt-edged than steroids at cooling down the immune system so given that the steroids worked (though at a heavy price in terms of the side-effects) cyclosporin might do the trick I guess.

[Naam]

3 minutes ago, Guderian said:

It's much less blunt-edged than steroids at cooling down the immune system so given that the steroids worked (though at a heavy price in terms of the side-effects) cyclosporin might do the trick I guess.

we are lucky having never experienced an side effects but both dogs have a blood test every six months.

[Naam]

5 minutes ago, Guderian said:

Thanks for the suggestion, but if it's a case of hypoallergy then I don't understand why the oral antibiotics fixed the problem

oral antibiotics have zero affect on most allergies.

[Guderian]

7 minutes ago, Naam said:

oral antibiotics have zero affect on most allergies.

Exactly the point I was trying to make, the oral antibiotics worked which makes me think it's a bacterial problem.

 

Of course, the steroids also worked, but I don't know enough to say what that means about it being a bacterial problem. Anybody?

[Naam]

13 minutes ago, Arjen said:

The steroids, Pretnison to boost the immune system.

Prednison does not boost but suppresses the immune system who's overreaction might have caused the problems mentioned before.

[Naam]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

Exactly the point I was trying to make, the oral antibiotics worked which makes me think it's a bacterial problem.

 

Of course, the steroids also worked, but I don't know enough to say what that means about it being a bacterial problem. Anybody?

if it is a bacterial problem the various vets you consulted should have made relevant tests (blood test and skin biopsy) .

[lemonjelly]

Have you tried dusting the animal with flea powder/talc for dogs? Try it every morning and evening for a couple of weeks and see if there’s an improvement


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[Naam]

1 hour ago, lemonjelly said:

Have you tried dusting the animal with flea powder/talc for dogs? Try it every morning and evening for a couple of weeks and see if there’s an improvement

are you for real?

[jvs]

did you try sulpher powder?It works for our dog.

[drtreelove]

In my opinion, what goes inside is more important than what you put on the outside.  Just like human health and plant health, addressing nutrition is generally more important than external treatments. There are exceptions of course in extreme cases. 

 

In traditional medical systems like TCM and Ayurveda, human skin problems are a reflection of the condition of the blood and chi or prana.  Clean and nutrify the blood and the skin problems can often be cured; burdock root, dandelion root and other western and Chinese herbs are good blood purifiers that often clear up skin problems.  

 

With plants, you can spray them with everything under the sun, but best results at resistance to pests and diseases comes with addressing soil fertility and plant nutrition, along with water management to insure uptake and metabolic processes.

 

With pets it's the same from my experience, there are of course external conditions, genetic predispositions, aggressive pests and diseases, but the place to start is with nutrition and hygene.  I was taught, since I was a kid learning how to take care of our pets, along with basic good food, to give a dog a bath and raw egg and milk once or twice a week. Seems to help. 

[car720]

16 hours ago, Naam said:

are you for real?

Any chance of something akin to a spider mite here????  Serious question.

[NightSky]

We've kept dogs in Thailand for a decade. There are some excellent vets in Thailand however there are also some vets that maybe are not as experienced, just out of college and heading up the entire veterinary. Take your dogs to another vets for a second opinion.

[Guderian]

Thanks for the replies.

 

1. The Malaseb is an extremely potent shampoo and will kill any parasites on her skin. I'm pretty confident she's bug-free. She's also on Nex Gard Spectra so doesn't have any flea, tick or worm-related problems.

 

2. Flea powder, etc., was tried in the early stages when the itching started, some years ago. It had no effect.

 

3. Diet - as mentioned in the OP under the vet's direction we've tried modifying her diet but it hasn't helped, it just made the dog unhappy that she wasn't getting her usual food.

 

4. Also as mentioned in the OP I took the dog to another vet for a second opinion but they didn't say anything different to what my vet had already told me.

[nobodysfriend]

Dogs often have dry skin ... they need to be fed some vegetable oil with every meal , it helps .

Another good thing is fish oil -- https://www.lazada.co.th/-i158279005-s189494288.html?spm=a2o4m.order_list.detail_image..66116108ply0GV&urlFlag=true&mp=1-- can buy from Lazada .

[sandrabbit]

Does your dog like the sea, seawater is well known to help some things like this and thats why they take race horses to the seaside for infections, help healing and muscle tone. I see you're in Pattaya, we are in Rayong and well down from Map ta Phut but water still not brilliant but our dogs love the sea and it does help any skin problems they have. You just have to wash them down in fresh water afterwards otherwise any salt left will make them itch by itself. 

[Farang99]

One of our dogs had the same problem - frequent scratching with no apparent cause. The vet prescribed anti-histamine tablets, half a tab after evening meal (in peanut butter), and it works like a dream with no apparent side effects

[ronaldo0]

My soi dog I adopted has similar problems for the last year. He was fine for first two years then the scratching started.

The vet told us to use same shampoo as you which is toxic almost and expensive. We have tried loads of shampoos but no avail. Just started using Nano scrub shampoo that I found on lazada and it is not toxic and seemed to calm his itching in his feet for a few days so now we try wash him twice a week with this. Was only about 300 bht. The vet also gave us tablets at 100 bht a pill and said give half two times a day but recently the price went to 180or 200 bht a pill so we went to another vet who said was still only 100 bht a pill they charge ! Even still I am not in favour of my dog eating pills for the next 10 years or so not to mention the cost so I hope it stops soon.

There is a company online that make treatment oils that seemingly cure a lot of dogs from itchy skin problems . It is called Stinky stuff for dogs. I bought the ear drops and the oil that you rub into the dry skin areas and it seems to do a good job . My dog also suffers from itchy ears and despite them being clean and us using products to clean them and mite killing drops etc his ears still seem to get very dirty some how.

We did think it was something in his diet but changed a few things but no success and also we thought he might be allergic to grass as when he walks on it at times it looks as if it is annoying him but this could be hypersensitive feet from dry skin.

[dick dasterdly]

2 hours ago, ronaldo0 said:

My soi dog I adopted has similar problems for the last year. He was fine for first two years then the scratching started.

The vet told us to use same shampoo as you which is toxic almost and expensive. We have tried loads of shampoos but no avail. Just started using Nano scrub shampoo that I found on lazada and it is not toxic and seemed to calm his itching in his feet for a few days so now we try wash him twice a week with this. Was only about 300 bht. The vet also gave us tablets at 100 bht a pill and said give half two times a day but recently the price went to 180or 200 bht a pill so we went to another vet who said was still only 100 bht a pill they charge ! Even still I am not in favour of my dog eating pills for the next 10 years or so not to mention the cost so I hope it stops soon.

There is a company online that make treatment oils that seemingly cure a lot of dogs from itchy skin problems . It is called Stinky stuff for dogs. I bought the ear drops and the oil that you rub into the dry skin areas and it seems to do a good job . My dog also suffers from itchy ears and despite them being clean and us using products to clean them and mite killing drops etc his ears still seem to get very dirty some how.

We did think it was something in his diet but changed a few things but no success and also we thought he might be allergic to grass as when he walks on it at times it looks as if it is annoying him but this could be hypersensitive feet from dry skin.

I'm probably being extremely stupid here, but how did you manage to buy Stinky Stuff online?

 

I found the website, and it seems worth trying - but I couldn't find a 'buy now' page.

[Guderian]

6 hours ago, Farang99 said:

One of our dogs had the same problem - frequent scratching with no apparent cause. The vet prescribed anti-histamine tablets, half a tab after evening meal (in peanut butter), and it works like a dream with no apparent side effects

As mentioned previously we've tried anti-histamines a couple of time but with no helpful effect.

[Guderian]

16 hours ago, sandrabbit said:

Does your dog like the sea, seawater is well known to help some things like this and thats why they take race horses to the seaside for infections, help healing and muscle tone. I see you're in Pattaya, we are in Rayong and well down from Map ta Phut but water still not brilliant but our dogs love the sea and it does help any skin problems they have. You just have to wash them down in fresh water afterwards otherwise any salt left will make them itch by itself. 

She likes the beach but has never been very keen on going in the sea, you have to drag her in. I'm not even sure these days if you're allowed to take dogs on the beaches here in Pattaya, they are pretty dirty at the best of times and the city is trying to stop people from smoking on the beach.

[Guderian]

That's interesting about the Stinky Stuff website, thanks, but as far as I can tell the main product is a food additive that's rich in omega-3 and -6 fatty acids and vitamins. The vet has been giving her these for months and they have no effect and aren't cheap, so I've stopped them.

[Get Real]

Just use normal soap that thai people use when they shower. Brand name: Asepso

 

Have tried that on 2 of my own dogs with good results and also recommended to neighbours with the same result. Throw the dog soap, because it just don´t work.

[dick dasterdly]

Unfortunately, skin problems in dogs are very common here - and the cause is always (?) eventually put down to environmental allergies.

 

I've known a few dogs with 'red' tummies that (after consulting vets), we all eventually put down to the heat and environment.  The vet did provide a 'soothing' cream (sorry, I can't remember the name of the cream given), that helped.

 

One of my remaining dogs scratches the sides of her body and goes bald in these areas.  She's on Apoquel tablets, and they work - but by lowering the immune system.  Far from ideal....

 

My other dog frequently whines and chews at her lower legs.  The vet didn't know why either, but I found that applying Aloe Vera (direct from the plant) helped soothe the irritation.  Perhaps she is being bitten by ants which causes the irritation?

 

Hence my interest in 'Stinky Stuff' and how to obtain the product.

[Guderian]

29 minutes ago, Get Real said:

Just use normal soap that thai people use when they shower. Brand name: Asepso

 

Have tried that on 2 of my own dogs with good results and also recommended to neighbours with the same result. Throw the dog soap, because it just don´t work.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if all else fails. It would certainly be the cheap option!

 

Thinking about that now, did anybody ever try the standard Snake Brand prickly heat cooling powder that most of us use from time to time on a scratching dog? I wonder if that would work?

[Guderian]

15 minutes ago, dick dasterdly said:

Unfortunately, skin problems in dogs are very common here - and the cause is always (?) eventually put down to environmental allergies.

 

I've known a few dogs with 'red' tummies that (after consulting vets), we all eventually put down to the heat and environment.  The vet did provide a 'soothing' cream (sorry, I can't remember the name of the cream given), that helped.

 

One of my remaining dogs scratches the sides of her body and goes bald in these areas.  She's on Apoquel tablets, and they work - but by lowering the immune system.  Far from ideal....

 

My other dog frequently whines and chews at her lower legs.  The vet didn't know why either, but I found that applying Aloe Vera (direct from the plant) helped soothe the irritation.  Perhaps she is being bitten by ants which causes the irritation?

 

Hence my interest in 'Stinky Stuff' and how to obtain the product.

Naam's suggestion of cyclosporin earlier on sounds sensible, but I'm also worried about the side-effects of using immunosuppresants. That would be a last resort I think.

 

The Stinky Stuff website has a phone number and an e-mail contact address at the bottom. Maybe just drop them a line and ask if they can deliver to LIC (the Land of Itching Canines, lol)?

[dick dasterdly]

Just now, Guderian said:

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if all else fails. It would certainly be the cheap option!

 

Thinking about that now, did anybody ever try the standard Snake Brand prickly heat cooling powder that most of us use from time to time on a scratching dog? I wonder if that would work?

NO!  The dog would lick it off, and I doubt this would be good for them.