My dog has intense itching.
My 6yr old female Chow has a terrible itch. I took her to the vet 3 times. She received Premizone, Ketocsnazole, and medicated shampoo & ear drops. She still itches, licks her feet and rubs her face in the grass. She spend lots of time in the grass. What should I do?
Advice (1)
Hi W. Gilbert,
I'm sorry to hear that your dog is so uncomfortable. It sounds like your vet was hoping the anti-inflammatory effects of the Prednisone would help relieve the itching. The Ketaconazole was to treat a probable fungal infection, but it doesn't sound like that did the trick. The ear drops were likely for mites, but if your dog's head is still itching, that might not be the cause either.
Since your dog's problem doesn't appear to be ear mites or a fungal infection, your vet needs to explore other possibilities, including food and environmental allergies. Food allergies usually appear as hives on a dog's face and neck, and then they work their way across the rest of the dog's body. Even if there are no visible welts, it could still be a food allergy. Environmental allergies can cause intense itching with or without a telltale rash. Ask your dog to investigate these possibilities, and perhaps do some allergy testing to try to narrow down a cause.
Itching seems to be a common problem. We also have an article on this that you might find helpful. Good luck - and do come back and let us know how it's going!