How can I make my dog stop being itchy?

Question

My dog is always scratching her tummy with her back legs and her teeth! My vet has given me some allergy medicine and said it would start helping in a day or so but has done nothing, then he suggested trying benedryl and that has done nothing. It ends up irritating her skin and making it red every once in a while and I know it must be annoying for her. Any suggestions? Maybe I should ask another Vets opinion?

Answer 1

have you checked for fleas?

if not use camrosa,only available by mail order,its brill,to get number look in a horse magazine

Answer 2

please check your dog food. is wheat listed? corn? she could have a food allergy. the allergy medicine will only aid in comfort. you need to SOLVE the problem.

she could have an environmental allergy. my 8 yr old has recently developed an allergy to grass.

i had another that was allergic to grass, pine, dirt and the sun.

prednasone is a steroid and it may help. ask your vet . also ask your vet about the possibilities of dermodectic (sp?) mange. an application of PROMERIS (instead of Frontline) will help with that.

Answer 3

Benadryl is an antihistamine that serves to reduce itching. The dose must be regular and in the right amount to be effective.

Cortisone is a steroid(!) that is used for hard-to-heal muscle inflammation.

Answer 4

Get Natural Care Itch Relief Hot Spot Shampoo and the spray-on hot spot med by the same company.  It worked very well for my dog.  If that fails, get yourself another vet and ask for a cortisone shot for your dog.  That will definitely stop the itching but it is a last resort cure.

Answer 5

Benadryl is perfectly safe for dogs two tablets once after his feeding and then two more at night. Just basic Benadryl tablets.

Answer 6

Isis gave excellent advice. I'm surprised your vet didn't give you some advice on eliminating common allergens from the diet which is the most likely place for them. I have a dog with food allergies. I don't know what they are exactly, but he can only have a hypoallergenic food which is fish and potato-based, none of the usual dog treats or human food unless it's fish or potatoes. If he gets something else he gets red sore skin on his tummy. Starting with a hypoallergenic food won't give immediate results but symptoms should start lessening soon. Meantime, try what I do when my guy gets into the cat food or something he shouldn't have: cornstarch based baby powder. It seems to sort of dry up the irritation pretty quickly. Sprinkle it on generously at least a couple of times a day and rub it a bit to make sure it sticks to all the sore areas. You'll know within a day or two whether it's helping. It's always possible that the dog is allergic to corn and could l**k the starch off, but if the irritation doesn't show any improvement in two days, then stop with the baby powder.