Anyone able to help with cause/treatment

[Itchy Doggie]

Any ideas. My little Jack Russell bitch is mildly itchy. Treated for fleas with Spot On, took to vet this morning, who scratched head, said its very minor, not mange or anything contagious....suspected dust mite allergy.

She gave her a dose of steroids to calm the itching, in the hope that it breaks the itchy cycle - no itching, no soreness = no more itching.

I don't like steroids, so won't be repeating this medication if it doesn't work. Does anyone have any experience of this and any homeopathic ideas on treatment/cause.

Many thanks

[fi]

try wendells stop itch, my english setter was always nibbling at herself , so i tried this and i am sure it helps , the only problem is getting her to eat it , its looks like large mixed herbs and it smells good i am sure you could use it in a stew!!! sneak it into her food, hopefully she will eat it , and it might help.

[varkie]

My own experience is that a lot of the time this kind of itching can be down to diet.

What do you feed?

[OP]

She has Caesars - she's not a greedy dog and we have to encourage her to eat!!! This is the only thing that gets her interested!! She also has tiny bits of Bakers Complete biscuits - but only the few she wants!

My mother in law has her in the day and no doubt feeds her all sorts of things that I don't know about

She's 4.5 years old, nothing has changed in her lifestyle that I am aware of.

[trallwmfarm sanctuary]

Try keeping a cotton sheet for her to rest her little bones on. That way if there are unwanted livestock on her you will see them,if its an allergy you will have put a barrier in the way.
If its food related you need to feed her white fish or chicken for a week and then add the Ceaser or anything else she has to see if there is a reaction.
Has she been bathed a lot lately ? could be shampoo or washing powder reaction. Is there anything interesting in the garden like birds nests etc that she has been ploughing through stinging nettle to get to it.

[gwenoakes]

I know of a dog that is allergic to red meat. This also includes lots of treats. Since stopping any form of red meat he is fine. Hope you find a solution. You dont put spray or powder on your carpets do you, as have known animals be allergic to these especially shake and vac? Dont really see how vet can say not mange without doing a skin test. Our staffie had demodectic mange and was only mild and only detectable with skin scraping.

[OP]

Thanks, I'll do the cotton sheet idea and see if there are any unwanted visitors lurking. Then do the food test to see if that's the cause.
Thanks for the ideas.

[mattie]

If you go to www.caninecaregroup.net there may be information there which will help. This is a holistic site and is very good.

[kerrylee]

My horse itchy all year round - he allergic to wheat.

[OP]

Thanks Mattie, I was going to look at holistic stuff if the current treatment fails. This is very useful.