3 major causes why your dog may be itching

Pet Care Guide: Healthy Joints Make Healthy Horses in Winter Reading 3 major causes why your dog may be itching 3 minutes Next Tips to keep your dog safe and healthy in summer

By Antje HornbeckSep 24, 20180 comments

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A little bit of itching is normal, but you should look more closely when you see frequent scratching, itching, biting and licking. 'Why do dogs itch?' is a common question that dog owners ask. According to ‘Thebark.com’, a dog magazine, the second most common reason for owners to take their dog to the vet is itching.

There are three major causes:

1. Skin conditions

Often, dogs get dry skin from environmental influences or a lack of nutrients in pet food. This can usually be seen through flakes of dandruff that occur on your dogs’ coat and the skin itself may be cracked and rough. Because of the way many commercial pet food are processed, the important oils that keep the skin hydrated are often lost and if not supplemented into the food, skin conditions can occur very quickly. This is particularly prevalent when only dry dog food is fed. A simple supplement with a mixture of the essential oil can often be enough to lessen the skin problems. In addition we would recommend to ensure there is enough water available for your dog, especially as the weather gets warmer.

2. Allergies

Another cause for itching may be allergies, which can show in the form of oily, greasy or sometimes dry skin and resulting in strong itching or scratching. The number of reported cases of allergies has been increasing significantly in recent years. Vets explain this with wrong vaccination protocols and they way of a lot of commercial pet food prevalent in pet shops and supermarkets are processed.

Depending on the stage of the allergy, it can be difficult to address and sometimes requires the use of strong medicine prescribed by your vet to fully relieve symptoms. Early stage allergies can be addressed more easily and often symptoms go away completely.

Regardless of age, many dogs' allergies can be improved by increasing the quality of their diet, adding high doses of fish oils, along with freshly milled flax seed; and, in some cases, giving them antihistamines.

Again, supplementing essential oils is key to keeping the natural defence systems of your dog on high levels. Feeding high quality natural dog food can also go a long way in ensuring adequate nutrient intake.

3. Parasites

As the weather gets warmer, the parasites that have kept a low profile in winter are back. In spring and summer ticks, harvest mites and other species are back in grassy areas, looking for a host to feed on. Skin problems caused by harvest mites and other parasites can occur in all animals from March onwards, particularly in warm and dry weather. Harvest mites are known to cause severe itching through their bites. Increasing numbers of animals, are overreacting to these bites.

We would recommend frequently using a natural spray to help prevent bites and resulting itching.

Please email us at hello@aniforte.co.uk for any more specific questions and our vet and nutritionists are happy to help.

Your AniForte Team