I wonder if anyone can help me. Alfie is scratching so badly at the moment that he’s getting little bald patches. I walk him in the forest every morning (particularly at the moment with this heat) where he goes in the streams to swim. Could the water have something to do with the itching? I don’t rinse him off when I get back as he’s so terrified of the hose due to having a broken tooth as a puppy and the vet telling us to shoot a water pistol at him when he ate stones in the garden. He loves the sea and any water when we’re out but in the garden he runs inside if the hose is turned on and wouldn’t go near a paddling pool. I don’t usually bath him and he always smells fine. His flea and tick treatment is done regularly. It has been so dreadfully hot and I suppose that doesn’t help. Any ideas will be gratefully received.
Where are you located? The UK right now is having an issue with blue green algae due to the heat combined with no rainfall. Even if it's not the dangerous algae, there could be other unusual nasties in the streams due to the weird weather. Or it could be grass pollen. My dog Brogan used to get itchy and lose hair every single year in August. It never happened in the US, but once we moved to Germany, it was like clockwork. He needed antibiotics, a topical steroid and an injection from the vet as left alone it would get dire. A last thought is that if you are having dry hot weather and Alfie is used to more humidity, or if you've recently changed his diet, it could be down to dry skin. A lot of people (including me) have had luck with adding salmon oil to their diet, if that's the case. It worked a miracle on my foster dog.
Hi there. I’m on the south coast of England near The New Forest. I did wonder if it might be the grass and yes,I do avoid non running water but of course that doesn’t mean that the nasties are not in it. I give him sardines twice a week but maybe salmon would be good too? The only change to his diet has been adding half a tin of Chappie (I know,the vet recommended it,I was shocked but he loves it!) to his Millie’s Wolfheart kibble. It has been so hot here and very dry. He’s nibbling away right now. Oh dear.
This has been an exceptional summer and some dogs who have never had a problem before, have become itchy and uncomfortable. I see you say your boy is scared of being washed - using a hose can seem quite scary. Any chance you can use a bucket and drip water on him with a cup or something? The streams could not be the best just now after all this heat - goodness knows what could have been in there. As Emily_Babblehund says, don't let the itching get too bad, perhaps a course of steroid and a antibacterial shampoo - from the vet - would sort it. Good luck and fingers crossed for him.
I did wash him today with something from the vet. I used a jug and some bits of sausage which seemed to make it more bearable for him.
