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05-07-2008
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#1 (permalink)
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Guest
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Scratching without Fleas
Hello Everyone, I'm new to owning a dog and have a question I'm sure has a simple answer. Our puppy of 4 months has been scratching like crazy. We have scanned her with a flea comb but can't find any evidence of any fleas (poop, fleas or larvae). Our puppy is a lab mix bread with very short hair. She is scratching in several areas and not one in particular. We did have a flea problem about 1 month ago but since we have followed all the instructions of getting rid of fleas (bathing with medecine shapmpo, neck drops, grooming with flea comb, vacuuming all areas, treating areas with flea killing products, washing bedding, etc).
Can some one give some advice? Thank you.
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05-07-2008
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#2 (permalink)
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Guest
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did all the products you used come from the vet? did you empty the cleaner right away? did you treat the yard? did you check around the base of the tail?
with some dogs just one flea bite can set them off.
what are you feeding her
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05-08-2008
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#3 (permalink)
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Guest
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""did all the products you used come from the vet? did you empty the cleaner right away? did you treat the yard? did you check around the base of the tail?
with some dogs just one flea bite can set them off.
what are you feeding her""
We are using over the counter items from the pet store such as Frontline plus and Adams plus pyrethrin dip. We have a central vacum cleaner with the container in the garage and our dog is not allowed in the garage. All our yard was treated as all her hanging out areas in and out the house. We did check the base of her tail and belly as these seem the most common areas for fleas. She is eating Iams smart puppy dry food with a little bit of the Iams smart puppy can food mixed in.
Thanks for any further advice.
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05-09-2008
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#4 (permalink)
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Guest
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sounds like you are ahead of the game with the flea treatments. I would continue to watch for flea "dirt" at the base of tail.
I would guess the food is playing a large part of this & worth a try as your next step here are the ingredients in the lg breed smart puppy
Ingredients
Chicken, Chicken By-Product Meal, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Corn Grits, Brewers Rice, Dried Beet Pulp, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Fish Meal, Chicken Flavor, Fish Oil (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Egg Product, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Salt, Caramel, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, Minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Potassium Iodide, Cobalt Carbonate), DL-Methionine, Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Rosemary Extract
"chicken" is 70% water. when it is removed the actual amt of chicken is way down the list in weight. chicken meal is much better & without water but you see how far down that is.
chicken by-products includes beaks & feets, eye balls & eggs
corn, wheat & soy are all allergens to dogs.
brewers dried yeast can cause yeast infections on the skin or in the ears. brewers anything is a waste product of the beer industry
you can google holistic dog food & "natura" to learn more about content & to find some better foods. or ask more questions
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05-09-2008
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#5 (permalink)
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Guest
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try to change your dog shampoo brand...also try to observe the food the she is eating...
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05-09-2008
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#6 (permalink)
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Guest
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scratching without fleas IS probably fleas!
Hi there! I'm a vet in the UK.
The most common cause of scratching in dogs is actually an allergic reaction to flea bites.
Well done for getting rid of all the obvious fleas that you had last month! Although you may have cleared the adult fleas in the house your lovely puppy can still get flea bites when out on walks, in grass etc. It only takes ONE flea bite to set off a scratching reaction. Please make sure you protect your puppy from flea bites using a product from your veterinary surgery or via a prescription from your vet, NOT from the pet shop as they don't work very well (except for Frontline). Also follow the instructions carefully because not all flea products work well if puppy needs a lot of bathing from getting dirty all the time! Keep the house vacuumed regularly as you are, to suck up all the flea eggs and larvae.
If puppy continues to scratch a lot please take him/her to your vet just to make sure there are no other problems.
have fun! best wishes , Michelle
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05-13-2008
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#7 (permalink)
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Did you see any flakes in her skin? Does she experience hair loss? It's probably on her food.
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05-14-2008
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#8 (permalink)
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Guest
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Changing the shampoo's brand could help your dog.
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05-15-2008
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#9 (permalink)
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seems like you are on the right track. maybe its on her food...
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05-19-2008
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#10 (permalink)
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Guest
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If your going to change your dogs food please think of giving a premium natural food or making your own food if you have the time. If your going to change your shampoo and conditioner try ones with all natural ingredients and a little tree tea oil in the water is a wonderful skin cure. Hope this was helpful
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05-22-2008
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#11 (permalink)
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Guest
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I always recommend asking your vet before any self-diagnosis. However my rescue did the same thing, and it turns out that she had one flea. The vet checked her skin to make sure she didn't have dry skin or any kind of irritation... once we ruled that out we gave her a mild flea treatment (she was still pretty young) and it worked great. The itching went away. Diet is another serious possibility, however always get a professional opinion before changing their diet.
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05-27-2008
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#12 (permalink)
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Guest
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allergies
My dog has the same thing and after 3 years of frustration and a ton of money, we found out that it is allergies to pollens and flees. Dogs can have allergies just like people and they will scratch and lick like crazy. We have our dog on allergy shots now and it seems to be making a difference. You can go to an allergist and have them do an allegy test o make sure.
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