I have a 14 week old Labrador puppy I’ve had for 5 weeks. After about a week after bringing him home from the breeder he began to scratch his belly, rear legs and feet occasionally. When we went for his 12 week 2nd inoculation I mentioned my concern to the vet and she checked him for fleas and found none. He was given his flea and worming treatment and she said it is probably a food allergy to the chicken kibble he’d been on and to change to fish recipe which I did gradually. His scratching continues and the vet prescribed a shampoo to be used 5 times a week to ease the itchiness. His condition has worsened and today I took him back to the vet (different one) same surgery, she suggested it maybe a grass allergy and she suggested I bathe him every time he comes in from his walks and if that doesn’t work they may need to do investigation works which will cost over £1,000. Has anyone come across this scratching problem with their puppy? Hate to see my little fellah in so much discomfort.
Hi If you put “allergies” into the search engine(magnifying glass) at the top of the page you will find lots of posts including some of my own. If you go down the allergy testing route(£1000 seems excessive) you will probably be offered Cytopoint injections eventually but these too are very expensive. Might be worth asking for a dermatology referral they will help you work out if it is food or environmental. Other common allergies are dust mites. Hard flooring is better than carpets for this one. Let us know how you get on.
many thanks for the advice, much appreciated. At the moment I am monitoring him, I use dog wipes after walks and lightly use tea tree ointment for dogs at night.Possibly a certain grass allergy? We’ve been to a few different dog parks in the area and was “advised” by another Lab owner that it just may be his young age and he’ll grow out of it.
Yes fingers crossed he does grow out of it. I established it wasn’t food by putting him on an anallergenic dog food under the guidance of a dermatologist. The subsequent allergy test produced some unusual results but fell in three main categories. Grasses(orchard and ryegrass) Mites( dust farine and copra) and tree pollen(privet birch and olive) I’m sure the vet will advise if it is severe enough to go down this route in the future. Keep bedding clean but watch what you wash it in. In the meantime have fun with your young pup!
