Good day all. Ever since we got our lab puppy she has scratched herself. We thought fleas but she has none. Our first vet visit the vet said it was due to the shot she just got which we tried to say ahhh no. Second vet visit vet kind of said white labs have skin issues and leave it at that. I hate to watch her scratch so much. It's not awful but it's enough make me want to fix it. Does anyone have knowledge about labs and skin issues and specifically white labs with skin issues???
Re: Scratching very very often If that were me and my dog I would be marching straight back to see another vet, as those answers are not acceptable. In the meantime though you could try giving her a bath, also how often does she have flea treatment? Some treatments need to be given every 4 weeks (advocate) and there are some which are recently proving to be ineffective (frontline). You really need a vet who will listen to your concerns and not just just fob you off with the rubbish answers you've had so far. If she has a skin complaint she may need medication to help it settle down, or it could be a dietary intolerance which can cause itchy skin. Does she have any bald patches or hairloss? If so I would be at the vets sooner rather than later as it could be mites or a flea allergy. Itchy skin can be a symptom of such a broad range of issues that you really do need a vet to investigate.
Re: Scratching very very often I, too, would suspect an allergy of some kind. And agreed, back to the vet. It seems crazy they couldn't give you more to go on that that!
Re: Scratching very very often The vet you've seen sounds quite dismissive of your concerns and your dogs discomfort I'd definately go for a second opinion,I haven't had any itching concerns myself but discussions I've seen on the Forum range from environmental ( eg pollen) to nutritional ,eg intolerances.Id say it definately needs further investigations and hopefully it will be something that is easy to treat,it must make them miserable being itchy even though they can be such resilient dogs.Let us know how you get on Best wishes Angela
Re: Scratching very very often Our pup did scratch quite a lot when we first got him, i was concerned it was fleas but the vet said he didn't have fleas and some pups just scratch a lot, thankfully now he doesn't scratch a lot which must be nice for him, he's 5 months old now.
Re: Scratching very very often Helen, same here, although my pup only scratches a bit, he thinks it is normal.
Re: Scratching very very often Hi there. Sounds like your pup is really scratching quite a lot. In pups under 6 months of age, allergies to environmental or food allergens are really quite uncommon. Most allergies start between 1 and 3 years of age. However, reactions to parasites and other infections are very common, as are reactions to topical treatments especially certain types of shampoo. One of my own two dogs was incredibly itchy as a pup, and all settled down when her Campylobacter diarrhoea was treated. So I would have a chat with your vet and explore the possibility of parasites or infections in some detail, and if you are washing her in anything stop now and see if it settles. Hope this helps.
Re: Scratching very very often I think it can become habit too but would definitely get a second opinion
