Juno

Hello all,
Juno is now 11 months old and has been getting itchy skin lately. Her coat still looks great and she has no dandruff but she is itchy and gets little dry bumps. She also acts like her feet are itchy and chews on the pads of her feet and pulls on her nails. I didnt know if this is some sort of allergy or not? Is there something I can give her to keep her from being itchy? Any help would be great. The chewing on the feet is driving me crazy! lol!

Sam1491

Sounds like a probable yeast infection, or something else. I'd get her into the vet and ask for a skin scraping on her feet and nail beds. IF it is yeast usual course of action is antibiotics and maybe a medicated shampoo.
We also suggest at work to "shake & bake" damp feet with gold bond or the like if yest inf. in the feet are recurrent. I've never done it but a few clients have, just a thought.

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DreamValley

Did you turn on a furnace recently? Dry air may cause itchiness.
Allergy is another possibility. What kind of bumps does she have? Are they like hives or rush? What collar?

It's always a good idea to take her to your vet. Maybe a scrape is in order.

If her chewing drives you nuts you may give her Benadryl child dose twice a day.

She is still a puppy. Her immunity is not mature yet. Don't worry too much. It may resolve on its own when she gets older.

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"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than
his owner can express with his tongue in hours"

Juno

Her bumps are on her back and side not on her feet! They are small whit bumps that are dry and flaky. My husband and I are hot natured and are still running the air at night and both have really dry skin now, like chapped lips, dry hair, cracked skin. She has been biting her feet now for a few months ( maybe 2 OR 3). NO SIGNS of irritation on feet. Should I still try the foot mixture from sam1491? My mom thinks I should try Vit. A? Her eyes look bad also. That started about the same time. She has major eye boogers!

Juno

Oh and Benadryal makes her CRAZY hyper! lol!

Matt Vandart

I will almost guarantee you this is a diet thing.
Probably too much protein, although she would probs show 'dandruff' did she show dandruff before?.

You should read this link:

Moulting & skin problems | Burns Pet Food

Amelia_

In addition to central heating, yeast infections, different lawn chemicals ect ect sometimes allergies to food or high grain diets can cause issues, and eye goo can also be a sign of poor diet. What is she fed?

Some dogs chew their paws when their anal glands need expressing...

I'd personally go to the vets for some samples.

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Matt Vandart

My personal opinion is that eye goo is related to too much food rather or as well as the contents of the food, I have found that even with good natural diets if the dog gets too much the eye goo returns.

dkkimmel

I just had this with my girl, took her to vet put her on antibiotics and Ketoconazole doing great now. Also she had major eye goobers and that has also cleared up. Soaking feet in epsom salts really helps too for itchy paws.

stryker2

Some other things to think about with allergens. Make sure you replace and often your furnace with a good Hypoallergenic and Antimicrobial Air Filter. They also have room HEPA filters that removes up to 99.97% of allergens like pollen, smoke, dust, molds and bacteria. Also getting your air ducts cleaned.

Juno

Juno is on Science Diet puppy food. I am almost out and was going to start buying the adult, but I am open for suggestions. What do yall recommend? She is still a thin girl so I did not think I was over feeding, but how much should she be eating at 11 months? She never has had dandruff she has a beautiful shiny coat, but those stinking bumps are super flaky. I guess I should take her to the vet.

Sam1491

Yup vet visit for healths sake, but fish foods tend to be a) highly recommended for allergy dogs and b) great for skin and coat.

American natural premium has an ocean whitefish and potato
From has a salmon a la veg
Orijen has 6 fish I believe
Acana has a fish variety

All the above are also great foods in regular formulas/other flavors as well, my red girl just lovessssss the duck and pork ANP

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"The Red Devil Diva" & Her Shamelessly Obedient Human

DreamValley

I would suspect staph infection based on your description.... but it may be mites (demodex) too. Only your vet can help you.
If you and your husband have itchy skin you need to use humidifier and change a filter as skyper recommended. It may help Juno too.... but bumps won't disappear. She may need antibiotics.

My girl is getting hyper on Benadryl too but it helps with itching. Does not it?

As per food... please find better kibble. Science Diet has a bad reputation. It may be a culprit for her skin issues. We feed raw. I hope other people will chime in and help with kibble. Acana Grassland the only kibble I fed my dogs for a short term.

Can you add fish oil to her food? It may help with skin dryness.

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"A dog can express more with his tail in minutes than
his owner can express with his tongue in hours"

mmctaq

Corn! Well, there ya go! She is on crap food... try improving her diet (removing all corn and wheat from food and treats and extras... read ALL labels!) before running off and enriching your vet's coffers. If I was going to be feeding kibble, I would be looking at one of the super-premium grainless products. High protein is FINE! Dogs are carnivores!

stryker2

No Corn, Wheat or Soy. Same with treats.
About 60% of the corn growen is GMO. You know its got to make it in the dog food. I'm sure some Soy is also GMO. Wheat ??
Change the food. 11 months old I would switch to an adult food.
Go Grain Free. Acana, Orijen, Fromm, Natures Variety are some great foods. far as how much to feed. Each dog is different. The feeding instructions on the bag is a starting point. Do the slow switch over 7 - 10 days.

Some sites to check out food and learn about the ingredients.
Dog Food Reviews and Ratings | Dog Food Advisor
Dog Food Analysis - Reviews of kibble
DogAware.com: Diet & Health Info for Man's Best Friend

Sage

Sounds like an allergic reaction to something. The only question is to what - food or environmental. My vet once told me that in her experience food allergies generally cause dogs to lick or chew their feet.

Juno

Well crap! I just went with the food my vet told me to get, which seems to be what every vet office I have been in in the past 14 years also tells you to get. lol! I have really been looking into feeding RAW, but as much as we travel Im not sure it would work. She LOVES carrots and apples, but thats all Ive tried. So, when I switch her food do I mix it with her other food as I switch over? Thats how I was told to switch in the past. Im so thankful for all yalls help. I would have never known any better, Im slowly learning at all this. She is my first puppy out on my own. My husband and I think of her as our only child .LOL! So please keep food Suggestions coming and help tell me HOW to pick! UGH!

Sam1491

Oh I so hope LindaH posts, that or maybe pm her, she's a great food info base! she has a few links in her signature too if you can find a post by her. They'll help you find out what foods are "rated" good and why and etc.. good luck.

Also you'll find that not many vets really know about food, and they'll recommend their own prescription type diets for the kickbacks as well.

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KahluaGrl

Switch slowly, there is a chart on how much to add of the new food to the old. My internet is ridiculously slow where I'm at today so I can't find it.

My mixed dog chews on his feet, well chewed, not so much anymore. I had him on Nature's Variety Instinct for a while (the salmon version, never the lamb or chicken) but now he is on Holistic Select (fish version). I have to change him up every so often because he has a lot of allergies. I also feed him raw, frozen sardines. You can give canned sardines (LindaH knows a lot about this, she helped me out a lot). But I just order my sardines online from ILoveBlueSea.com The sardines are HUGE and they are really nice, bright, and really are fresh fish and the dogs love them of course. The last order I got they just went out and fished for them the day before I got them (I placed a really large order). I also give him Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, Tropical Traditions (I have some of theirs right now, I even used some to make all natural lip balm) has some or if you have a local Whole Foods store or something similar they usually have some. Here's a good article by Dr. Becker Does Your Pet Have Seasonal Allergies?

His coat is really silky smooth now and looks so much healthier. It helps the doberman out as well, she only has seasonal allergies to ragweed, they are pretty severe though.

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Shelly

All I can say is that you need to pray that it's not allergies.................
ALLERGIES SUCK !!!!!

Juno

How do you feed the sardines? Just give them whole? lol! Juno would think I was the best mama in the world.

I have really been watching her since this has all switched to being about her food, and I must say I think shes miserable. Her eyes look so bad, theres a lot of her 2nd eyelid showing all the time, and the eye boogers are non stop. She just sits around licking her feet and biting on herself.

KahluaGrl

Yup, whole. I'll try and find a picture of them eating them. I give little Maverick pieces, he doesn't get whole ones, but he's a new addition. I just throw them in a bowl of water and by the time I have everyone's food ready they are defrosted. Except Kahlua's (the dobe) hers stay a little more on the frozen side because otherwise she will swallow the fish whole and not chew on it at all. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be good for her to swallow it whole. The fish are probably about 6-7 inches long and they are pretty fat. Way bigger than the canned, I seriously had no idea sardines ever got that big.

They love them, it's their favorite time of day. I do make them eat in their crate or outside, otherwise they try and run to the carpet to eat them and that's just not happening.

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chicodeberkeley

I would try giving freshly ground flax. Google and read up on the benefits. Try it for a month and keep us posted. Good luck!

Juno

Interesting! Ill read up on it right now. Thanks!