Akita Scratching and Itching all the time!!

pejman50pejman50
edited April 2010 in Food, Nutrition, & Health
Hello everyone, my pup is now 17 weeks old, I have washed her a few times, I used basic puppy shampoo, I have washed her since I got her at 8 weeks, maybe 3-4 times, so I have washed her every 2-3 weeks at the most, maybe too much for a puppy I think. She is scratching herself and itching like crazy. Every time we stop on our walks or at home, she just scratches her self with her hind legs right on her belly, even if I give her a belly rub she starts scratching, almost like a bad habit, I know she is itching though. I dont see any red marks on her, or red rashes, she is blowing her coat now, her skin looks good and I dont see any flakes.

Could it be that I dried out her oils and now she is just scratching a lot? I should wait a while till she restores it, I will not wash her anymore for a while now.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks,
PJ

Comments

  • WrylyBrindleWrylyBrindle
    edited November -1
    That's a LOT of baths. I only wash my dogs a couple times a year, and we spot clean anything nasty - like if they roll in something. I think laying off the baths will help. There are others here more versed in itchies, but the next thing to rule out is allergies. It is quite polleny in some places now, and if she is on cheap food the grains (wheat/corn) are common allergens. Fish oil on her food- a squirt- will help in time if her skn and coat are dry. It is also an anti-inflammatory.
  • akitariseakitarise
    edited November -1
    Ill be watching this thread. Kina is itching and i don't know if her itching is because she is blowing her coat. I didn't realize that so much undercoat comes out during shedding. I have fur everywhere :(
  • dlrobertsdlroberts
    edited November -1
    Where do you live? Atlanta has a pollen count above 5500 right now (usually 150 is considered unbearably high) and one of my dogs has been pretty itchy/sneezy lately. With such a young puppy, the allergy effect might be magnified. Just a guess.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    I wash my dogs 1-2 times a year. Your little pups skin is probably really dry. No more baths for the rest of 2010....
  • TheWalrusTheWalrus
    edited November -1
    If you want to clean your NK, just wipe them down with a damp rag. No need to do the whole shower. I've got two white Kishu and everyone comments that they're so clean and that I must shower them a lot. Not true. I've only showered Baron once in his life, and Momo has never been washed. I can count on one hand the number of times that I've showered Haru, and that's only because on occasion she gets caked in mud in the mountains.
  • AmiAmi
    edited April 2010
    I rarely wash my dog, I only brush her coat and maybe wash her legs with water, no shampoo if she steps in mud. You should also consider changing the shampoo. My Akita got an allergy from a brand of shampoo.

    Edit:
    I use a spot-on product from Dermoscent esential for my Akitas coat. It's made of oils and it helps to keep the skin healthy.
  • JessicaRabbitJessicaRabbit
    edited November -1
    I use neem oil to clean my dogs when I do wash them. It is healing, antibacterial, and non irritating. I remember hearing once from someone I was talking to from Japan (Shigeru maybe you can tell me if this really exists) about an oil based shampoo for dogs.Designed to not strip their coats the way other shampoos do.

    Seems possible, Shu Uemura makes cleansing oils for the face, why not pups.
  • TeamLaikaTeamLaika
    edited November -1
    Get a skin scraping done to rule out mites.
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