Why is my dog always itching?
Is your dog Itching and scratching, licking their paws constantly or showing general signs of skin issues? It could be more than just a habit—frequent itching might point to allergies or skin issues. Common causes include flea bites, food allergies, and environmental triggers like pollen or dust. Ignoring these symptoms can lead to infections, hair loss, or discomfort.
It is important to identify what may be causing this behaviour so you are able to help your dog stop itching, be happy and just be a dog again! Help your dog stop itching!
What can cause my dog to itch?
Firstly let us take a look at the common causes and identify what may be the culprit!
• Flea Allergy: Flea bites can cause intense itching, especially around the hind legs, tail, and rear. Even if you don’t spot fleas, one bite can make your dog very itchy. Your dog can not have fleas and still itch from a recent flea bite! Think of it as a mosquito bite to us. The mosquito has bitten our leg and flown off but we still itch at the bite constantly, and the more we itch...the itchier it becomes.
• Food Allergy: Some dogs react to common ingredients like pork, chicken, or dairy, leading to itchy skin on the paws, face, armpits, and belly. If you have recently changed their diet and noticed an increase of itchiness, slowly revert to a previous or different feeding routine. If there is an imbalance within your dogs gut biome this may also be the cause of it! Bad gut bacteria could be causing a whole heap of problems for your little pooch.
• Environmental Allergy: Grass/Long grass, Pollen, dust mites, or mould can trigger year-round or seasonal itching, often affecting the face, belly, and paws.
• Contact Allergy: Daily contact with things like cleaners or plants can cause localised itching on areas that touch allergens. One household item that can cause issues and may be overlooked are plug-in air fresheners.
What Can I do to stop my dog itching?
Initially it may be difficult to identify immediately what the cause may be, so systematically trying to eliminate any recent changes or shifts in routine may help. In some cases it isn't YOU that has caused this, it may be the environment around your dog changing that is the issue.
Here are some top tips on how to stop dog itchiness.
• Regular bathing
• Regular brushing
• Regular monitoring
• Flea Allergy: Even if your dog receives monthly flea treatment, if your dog has been bitten by a flea, it can take up to 3 weeks to heal. If your dog is bitten again it just becomes a vicious cycle. Here are our top suggestions to tackle flea allergies:
• Keep them away from grass, especially long grass! Long grass can harbour a lot of bacteria, bugs and fleas, it is the perfect breeding ground for the pests! Try walking your dog on the pavement away from your "usual" grassy walking routine.
• Other dogs can also pass on fleas, try to reduce your dogs contact with dogs to see if you can see a difference.
• People visiting your home can also bring in fleas.
• Food Allergy:
• Elimination Diet: Stop feeding regular food and treats, offering hypoallergenic food for 10 weeks to monitor your dog’s health.
• Limited Ingredient Food: Introduce limited ingredient food to pinpoint the allergen.
• New Protein Sources: Consider foods with novel proteins like duck, pheasant, or whitefish.
• Add Ingredients Back: Gradually reintroduce ingredients to check for reactions.
• Home-Cooked Diet: A real food diet can in most cases be better than store bought kibble.
• Antihistamines: These can ease itching and other allergy symptoms.
• Environmental Allergy:
• Grassy areas, The Groomers, Vets or even your home!
• Fleas can hitchhike into your home on your clothes or shoes. They can also live in soft furnishings like carpets, curtains, bedding, and pet beds. Boil wash a lot of your furniture and buy off the shelf "flea bombs" and bacteria neutralising products.
• Contact Allergy:
• Opt for more natural household cleaners, ones that may contain less perfumes or are created with animals in mind.
• Eliminate any harsh floor chemicals or washing detergents. if you have suddenly washed your fleece throw in a new washing machine pod, this may cause your dog irritation, just the way it can affect us humans.
• Avoid using scented candles, diffusers or plug-in air fresheners - these may smell amazing in the home but for our four-legged friends, these may be polluting their space and causing them unnecessary skin reactions.
Fleas are more common in the summer, but can be seen all year round. They are one of the most common pests that dogs encounter and can cause skin irritation, infection, and disease.
Alternatively, To help your dog feel better try a product such as Abletu's Stop Itching, a solution designed to provide quick relief. The 100% natural barrier for the skin, keep it hydrated and the organic antihistamine ingredients help attack the cause deep at the root. The No fuss, No Filler formula was designed just for dogs. Say goodbye to trying to hide tablets in cheese and chicken. The versatile topping powder helps create a natural barrier for persistent issues. Although effects can be seen after only one week of use, optimal use is daily treatment for over three weeks. The all-natural approach is not only better on your dog's stomach but it is also packed full of pumpkin and liver so the taste is simply irresistible.
Stop Itching use's 100% active ingredients, many others can have up to 40% of 'non-active filler' - this is to keep manufacturing costs down. At Abletu we don't compromise and cut corners, we ensure all of our products are dog friendly with functional Ingredients.
Always consult your vet to find the root cause and avoid later complications.