I have a 1 year old cocker spaniel who is always itchy. She scratches about every 15 to 20 mins but only for a second and she does not seem to be in any pain. Shes not tearing out hair or hurting herself. I bathe her once a month and brush her once a week. I'm just wondering if I should be concerned. She seems to be fine, just itchy. Its worse when she has her halter on so I only have it on her for walks. I have seen some people talk about ring worm and food allergies and stuff but those cases seem to have dogs with open sores and stuff and Ruby(my dog) dosnt seem to have any of that. No fleas, we are very good about flea treatments cause we are in the city and come into contact with alot of other dogs. Am I not grooming her right? Could it be a shampoo issue? If anyone has any thoughts it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Lara's mom]

First, take your dog to the vet and ensure that a flea allergy isn't your problem. If that isn't it, it could be food allergies. I tend to stay away from ALL tinned food. I home cook for my girls. I suggest you start out with something very basic - chicken or lamb and sweet potato. See how that works. Then, each time you cook food, add a new veg. Most dogs love carrots! You will also have to add a starch. I'd recomend potato. If you don't experience any problems, try adding pasta or barley - one at a time! If at any point your dog experiences allergy symptoms, eliminate the most recently added food. I know it takes time and work but, in the end you will arrive at the perfect recipe for your particular dog and the allergy symptoms will be a thing of the past. I'd be happy to pass on some recipes. PM me. There are others on the forum who may have other suggestions.

[CorkyMax]

This may not be the 'big' problem but you are also prob. bathing her too often. Just recently read somewhere (If I could remember where, I'd quote!!) that it takes oils or something out of their skin or hair. Suppose to only bathe when they are real dirty or stinky. I have cockers too.

[CorkyMax]

This is good info for everybody:The coat

Let's start with the coat. Dogs have fur. Even those that are artificially bred to be "naked" have some fur. Some dogs have a very natural fur that is very similar to what the wolf has. Other dogs have developed a coat that has lost a lot of its natural properties - which causes some serious problems that need to find a solution through the owner's management. I will not go into any detail about that, because the variations depends on what exactly it is about the coat that isn't natural.

A natural dog coat is supposed to consist of two kinds of hairs: the longer cover-hairs and the shorter (often curly) under-wool. This is the visible part. Dogs are supposed to shed their coat twice a year, spring and fall - the summer coat being much thinner with much less under-wool, the winter coat being thick and long with lots of under-wool for insulation. (Some dogs, like poodles, have no cover-hairs. Others, like Shi-tzus, have no under-wool. Such breeds do not have the natural protection they should have - and if you have such a dog, you need to protect it from the weather. And when you meet one of those dogs, you have to quit laughing at the owner's attempt to dress up the dog! Those dogs need that protection!)

The non-visible part consists of the hair follicles. Those are small glands that are connected to the root of each individual hair. They produce a constant supply of grease that will "creep" up along the hairs, just as sugar does on a spoon you leave in the jam jar overnight. This grease will push all kinds of dirt and foreign objects from the base of the hair to the tip, in a matter of days. In the process, the grease reacts with oxygen in the air and hardens. It ends up as a fine dust when it reaches the tip of the hair - and leaves the dog's body together with whatever dirt it pushed along. You can see this when the dog shakes - and you might wonder where all that dust comes from! Now you know. It is the dog's natural way of cleaning the coat, from inside out. Terribly, terribly smart invention from mother Nature's side!

Can you see how much damage you can do to this fine-tuned system by applying shampoo - or any other kind of detergent whose primary chemical/physical property is to dissolve fat and grease?

Dogs do not have sweat glands in their skin, except between the toes on the paws and on the tongue. Their skin does not get "greasy" from sweat, as our skin does. Our skin is grounds for a lot of bacteria that grow on our sweat - and create this typically unpleasant smell that causes us to bathe or use deodorants - or both. But for dogs, this is not an issue at all!

What happens when you bathe your dog is that those small glands get a message that the fat and grease they produce to keep the coat nice and clean have been removed. The natural reaction to that is an increased production to re-establish the natural balance! So, the more you bathe the dog, the more greasy the coat becomes! It is an impossible battle for you to win, because, the more you keep the dog's skin free of fat, the more problems you create for the skin. The dog gets itchy-and it becomes extremely vulnerable for infection and parasites! Hey, maybe this is the 'big' problem!!?

Besides, this natural grease keeps the coat water repellant - and thus nice and warm, also in wet weather. When you shampoo the coat, it loses that ability to repel water - and the dog is miserably cold when it gets wet...

What you do when the dog gets dirty? Rinse it with clean water - or let it take a swim. Just keep shampoos and detergents off the coat.

And, a final comment about the coat: it insulates the dog's body very well. Because dogs do not depend on sweat glands in the skin to keep themselves cool in the summer heat, the coat insulates equally well against the heat as it does against the cold! This means that shaving the dog in the summer is not protecting it against the heat - it is making it more vulnerable!

[crstev]

I have the same issue with a 6-month old mixed breed (cocker, poodle, bichon) - he itches often when he's awake.

He's how the vet has treated him so far:

• Medication for ear mites (they cleared up, but he still scratches and bites his body)
  
• 4 shots for skin mites (he now cries going into the vet's office and the shots had no effect - he still itches)
  
• Currently on Hill's Z/D allergen-free diet and can only eat fruits and veggies (and the Z/D).

If he's still scratching after 6 weeks on this prescription dog food, we need to see an allergy specialist.

[crstev]

My 6-month old pup (Bichon, poodle, cocker mix) has been scratching himself (no visible signs of skin irritation) since we got got him and it seems to be the worst just after a bath with shampoo. He gets bathed every 3 weeks (when he's groomed and in-between groomings).

So far he's been treated for ear mites, skin mites, and now he's on Hills Z/D ultra and fruits and vegetables (with the exception of grapes, raisins, and avocado).

I hope the simple answer is keep him away from shampoo. I'm certainly willing to give it a try with less frequent bathing, no shampoo, just water. Anything to get relief from the scratching - it's painful to watch!

Cockers can be very prone to skin problems. You may want to check with your vet to see if yours has a problem with allergies, or possibly a topical bacterial infection. It's really common and easy to take care of... you just have to take the right treatment for it.

[Lara's mom]

Is once a month too many times to bathe a JRT? She's long haired and begins to look decidedly "scruffy" after a month. I use the baby wash for human babies on her.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Is once a month too many times to bathe a JRT? She's long haired and begins to look decidedly "scruffy" after a month. I use the baby wash for human babies on her.

Going to quote what it says in my home vet book--Be aware this edition is 9 yrs old but would think the info. would still be good--just not up-to-date on newer products. The usual reasons for bathing a dog are to remove accumulated dirt and debris, to facilitate the removal of dead hair at shedding time, to eliminate doggy odor in dogs with oily coats, and to improve the appearance of the coat in preparation for a dog show. Routine bathing is not necessary for the health of the coat or the dog. In fact, frequent bathing can rob the coat of its natural sheen and make it harsh and dry. For most dogs, brushing at regular intervals will keep the coat and skin in good condition and eliminate the need for frequent baths.
--It is important to select a shampoo labeled "for dogs." The pH of canine skin is neutral (7 to 7.4). Most human shampoos are on the acid side and are therefore unsuitable for dogs. There are a number of good commercial dog shampoos on the market for white dogs and dogs with other coat colors.
HOUSEHOLD DISINFECTANTS MUST NEVER BE USED ON DOGS. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin and can cause DEATH.
---(After shampooing and rinsing) Commercial coat conditioners are often used to bring out the beauty of the coat for show purposes. Do not use vinegar, lemon or bleaches. They are either too acid or too alkaline and will damage the coat. Some exhibitors add Alpha-Keri bath oil to the final rinse to give luster to the coat. The concentration is one teaspoonful per quart of water.
---Maintaining a clean coat between baths is highly desirable, especially for dogs with oily coats prone to collecting dirt. A number of household products
have been used successfully as dry shampoos. Cacium carbonate, unscented talcum or baby powder, and cornstarch are all effective. They can be used frequently without damaging the coat or skin. (Me talking here--Corn is an allergy problem for many dogs---Wondering if the cornstarch would absorb into the skin and cause a problem with some dogs??!!)
---Work the substance into the coat and leave it for 20 minutes to absorb oils. Then remove the powder with a soft bristle brush. Remember that all traces of powder must be removed from the coat before entering the confirmation ring for judging.
---Commercial waterless shampoos (they require no rinsing) are sprays for quick cleaning problem spots. When used as an all-over spray, they are an excellent bath substitute. Apply and towel off. (end of quotes)
----Okay confession time----I hardly ever wash my 2 dogs--(Lol, about once a year!!!) I have a cocker and a cocker mix. Their coats are great looking and they have no itchy skin problems. I will admit that the pure cocker can get a little smelly at times--He lays around in his bed a lot and is a little overweight. Think next time I go to town---getting some waterless shampoo for dogs. As far as either getting dirty-dirty--They are in the house most of the time and have a fenced-in back yard--hardly ever any mud! And someone on another forum had left me a comment "Nice coats!" after checking out my pic album (same album in here). The other part cocker is part golden retriever and they have a nice looking coat anyhow--His coat is soft, shiny, and silky. The part I don't like is the long hair that is all over the house--Wish I had just even a dime for every hair that is in this house--I would be rich!

[CorkyMax]

Well I went to Walmart today---Didn't find the waterless shampoo but picked up some cheap brand name baby powder instead. I did not realize that baby powders are all made out of corn starch!!
Now I'm hoping that this being a corn product--It won't have time to get absorbed into the skin!! And just now saw this info on a site while looking for something else; *Dry clean your pet instead of washing, by rubbing baking soda into his coat thoroughly and then brushing off. This will deodorize as well as clean.And shoot! Just checked the box of this I have on hand and the ingredient is Sodium Bicarbonate (only ingredient listed) and it has 150mg. sodium (the dreaded salt) in just 1/8 of a teaspoon!! Now that is prob. worse to use than the baby powder!! I don't think I am super smart--just cautious---I am getting a little pissed though because vets (the corn starch issue) and info on the net and other places and these are sites that are well known with vets and 'dog experts' giving people info that is not good for the dog (and this last deal with the salt). Are they just stupid or don't really care about what wrong things they are saying to do!!

[Lara's mom]

I saw some commercial dry shampoo at my local pet food store. If you're interested, I could get the name and ingredients for you. Personally, I've never used it.

[HipPocket]

Years ago I had problems with over-washing a staffy. She was a smelly wee dog and couldn't go too long between baths. She would start scratching as soon as she was dry, and I just couldn't figure out why.
Then, after talking to my vet, he told me a good solution to the problem was to put the dog shampoo (baby shampoo works a treat here too!) into warm water and rinse her down with this, rather than put undiluted straight onto her coat. I'd then rub her down in the direction of her coat, rinse thoroughly with fresh water, and she was done! This way the oils that the coat needed would remain on her skin, but the hair was clean, making her much more pleasant to have around! It works great with longer haired dogs too.

And I would definitely check out Lara's mom's advice as well, about dog food allergies. I think I had that trouble with my current dog as she was biting at her legs a lot, but after changing her diet, she doesn't do that anymore.
Hopefully these tips might help your dog?

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by HipPocket

Years ago I had problems with over-washing a staffy. She was a smelly wee dog and couldn't go too long between baths. She would start scratching as soon as she was dry, and I just couldn't figure out why.
Then, after talking to my vet, he told me a good solution to the problem was to put the dog shampoo (baby shampoo works a treat here too!) into warm water and rinse her down with this, rather than put undiluted straight onto her coat. I'd then rub her down in the direction of her coat, rinse thoroughly with fresh water, and she was done! This way the oils that the coat needed would remain on her skin, but the hair was clean, making her much more pleasant to have around! It works great with longer haired dogs too.

And I would definitely check out Lara's mom's advice as well, about dog food allergies. I think I had that trouble with my current dog as she was biting at her legs a lot, but after changing her diet, she doesn't do that anymore.
Hopefully these tips might help your dog?

Sorry--am going to repeat what I posted above

A statement about dog shampoo versus human (baby) shampoo-----It is important to select a shampoo labeled "for dogs." The pH of canine skin is neutral (7 to 7.4). Most human shampoos are on the acid side and are therefore unsuitable for dogs. There are a number of good commercial dog shampoos on the market for white dogs and dogs with other coat colors.