ITCHY SKIN

The skin is a major sensory organ, having receptors to detect cold, heat and touch.  Skin also has a sensation unique to itsefl - pruritis. This is the technical term for an itch, and it's the most common reason for dogs to visit their veterinarian.  

The problem with pruritis is that it stimulates a dog to lick, scratch and bite its skin.  Repeated trauma creates secondary infections that cause more itching.  The cycle is self-perpetuating.  to eliminate an itch, you must first establish its cause.  To make the diagnosis easier, veterinarians typically divide the causes of pruritis into four general categories - parasites, allergies, infections and hormonal disorders.

Home diagnosis of itchy skin

• Check for fleas or do a trial with a flea adulticide ;

•  Look closely for other parasites;

• If your dog's skin is red but otherwise intact, consider atopic allergies.  Antihistamines or fatty acids may be indicated;

• As your vet about a food trial to determine if your dog has a food allergy;

• If you see pustules, antibiotics may be needed;

• If your dog has symmetrical hairloss, he should be tested for dermatites.

PARASITES

Common canine skin parasites include fleas, lice, Cheyletiella mites, and the mange mites Sarcoptes and demodex.  Fleas are the easiest parasites to diagnose.  Adult fleas as well as flea feces (that look similar to pepper specks) are found close to the skin surface anywhere on the body, but usually congregate near the base of the tail, in the groin, and around the neck.

If you see fleas, or if you strongly suspect them, you can determine if they are causing the itch by doing a trial with an insecticide that kills adult fleas.  If the itch disappears within a few days, fleas are the cause of your dog's pruritis.  All you need to do is institute an effective flea-control program like "Revolution" or "Advantage", veterinarian prescription.

Lice are mor commonly found on puppies than adult dogs.  Though adult lice can be difficult to find, the eggs are easy to spot - they apear as tiny white missiles glued to the hari.  Lice can be readily treated with insecticide shampoos.

Cheyletiella mites are also called "walking dandruff" because they resemble tiny skin scales.  The mites are small but can be seen with a magnifying glass.  Topical flea products eliminate these mites effectively.

Sarcoptic mites (also know as scabies) create intense irritation by scruying on and burrowing in the surface of the skin.  Scabies mites typically gather on the elbows and the earflaps.  in fact, a way to test for scabies (though it si crude) is to fold the earflap and roll the fold in your fingers.  If your dog exhibits extreme itchiness, it could be scabies mites.  These mites are easily killed by topical products such as "Revolution" or "Advantage".

Demodectic infestations are more serious than Sarcoptes because the mites multiply and create skin problems only when a dog has an immune deficiency.  Skin lesion (sores and infection) start on the feet and head but can spread over the entire body.  The mites live deep in the hair follicles and are found only with a skin scraping done by your veterinarian.  This parasitic condition can be challengin to treat.

ALLERGIES

If parasites are not the cause of your dog's itch, its time to look further.  If the skin is red and there are no other lesion, allergies are a possibility.  Dogs can have allergies to fleas, food and airborne allergens.

It takes only one flea to set off an itch in a flea-allergic dog.  When fleas cause intense irritation, dogs can lick them off and swallow the evidence before you see it.  It's reasonable to do a flea trial with an insecticide even if you only suspect fleas.

Allergies to foods occur because of reactions to certain feed ingredients such as corn, chicken, beef and soybean.  The only way to determine this is to do a food trial for at least eigh weeks - offer a food with limited ingredients that your dog has never been exposed to before.  For this purpose, many veterinary prescription diets are available, including fish and potato, turkey and barley, as well as diets made of hydrolyzed protein.  As well, some owners prefer to make their own food, choosing ingredients to prevent allergic reactions.

The last group of allergies is termed atopic - dogs react to something in the air such as pollens, house dust, moulds or fungi.  Atopic allergies reportedly account for up to 85 per cent of allergies in dogs.  Often, they are seasonal and present for only a short period every year.  However, some dogs are so allergic thay they react all  year round.  One way to get an idea if your dog  has an atopic allergy is to do a trial course of antihistamines.  your veterinarian can tell you which antihistamine to use and the dose.  Alternatively, you can give fatty acids to help block histamine production in your dog's skin.  You can dose your dog with salmon oil at 1,000 milligrams for each 10 pounds body weight daily.

INFECTION

If parasites and allergies don't seem to be causing the itch, or your dog's skin lesion look more severe, your dog may have a pyoderma (a bacterial infection of the skin).  Skin infections cause inflamed, irratated areas, often on the bellly or back.  Pustules, which resemble pimples in people, are seen on the edges or red areas.  Your veterinarian needs to make the diagnosis and prescirbe antiviotics if indicated.

HORMONAL DISORDERS

Your dog's ithc might also be triggered by hormone imbalances - an underactive thyroid gland or overactive adrenal gland.  The consequence of both is hair thinning in symmetrical patterns on the body.

In hypothyroidism, there is often a loss of hair on flanks.  In Cushing's disease, the excess adrenal hormone thins hair all over the ody.  In both these cases, the skin is susceptible to infections and becomes pruritic.  Blood test are required to determine if these diseases are present. 

If you've followe the above steps and have had no succes in amelirating your dog's itch, you'll need the expertise of your veterinarian.