Guest MackFamilyGreys Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) We are fostering (and likely adopting) our first Grey, a sweet little girl named Foxy. We've only had her for a couple of days but she is fitting in well and becoming a favorite of the children. But the itching is driving her (and us) nuts. Dandruff is one thing but she's scratching and nipping at herself to the point she is irritating areas even worse. Is this common? Stress related? She's been off the track since July and this has apparently been a persistent problem but no cause the vet can identify. Any help for some new Grey lovers would be appreciated. THANKS! Edited October 21, 2014 by MackFamilyGreys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schultzlc Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Congratulations on your new girl, and welcome to GT!! Could it be that she is allergic to an ingredient in her new diet? It might be worth making a switch to a different food to see if that helps. Quote Laura, mom to Luna (Boc's Duchess) and Nova (Atascocita Venus).Forever in my heart, Phantom (Tequila Nights) and Zippy (Iruska Monte). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Time4ANap Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Do you have any ragweed or other large clusters of grass / weeds where you live? Rocket had serious issues with ragweed when we lived in Illinois from July through the first frost every year. He ended up being on Chlor-Trimeton, an anti-itch spray, and also had some steroids to try and combat the itching. Baths with an anti-itch shampoo also helped, but not too often as frequent bathing can dry out the skin and make it worse. Quote Camp Broodie. The current home of Mark Kay Mark Jack and Gracie Kiowa Safe Joan. Always missing my boy Rocket Hi Noon Rocket, Allie Phoenix Dynamite, Kate Miss Kate, Starz Under Da Starz, Petunia MW Neptunia, Diva Astar Dashindiva, and LaVida I've Got Life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeedlenoseJake Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I have heard of people who switched to grain free and the dogs did a lot better. We feed grain free Nature's Domain from Costco, but not because of allergies. It's a good food though. Quote Photographer in Phoenix, AZ www.northmountainphoto.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MackFamilyGreys Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 She is currently on a grain free diet (snacks included). She does seem to have dandruff and looking closely at her skin you can tell it is very dry. Foxy also seems to have a few random areas of red bumps on her belly and thighs. I did start her on fish oil supplements as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 Could be a number of things. Allergies, new food reaction, my favorite - hot spots! What has worked for me is investing is skin/fur supplements. I use something called Fresh Factors by Springtime. It's worth a look. Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 Check for fleas!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MackFamilyGreys Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I can't believe we started this thread 10 days ago. Doesn't seem like we've had her that long! We've not seen any evidence of fleas or anything else. Just some dandruff. We're hoping that we can find something to help soon because she is starting to develop some raw spots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 I would give her a bath-use a gentle soap free shampoo. I would also use a flea and tick preventative. One flea bite could potentially cause flea bite dermatitis. Frequent bathing may be in your future so you may want to use an oral preventive like nexgard. If your vet is stumped I highly suggest you ask for a dermatologist referral. In the meantime you might want to try an antihistamine (Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec...remember nothing with a decongestant). Your vet should give you the dosage and frequency of use. She may have a food allergy too--speak to your vet about trying a hypoallergenic food trial. Allergies suck--I have an allergic hound and he's under a derm vets care. We ended doing intradermal testing. It's easier to say what he's not allergic to--so far his allergy vaccine is helping (can take up to 12 months to see full effects). Money well spent for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Is Foxy nipping at a particular place on her body? Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walliered Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 limited ingredients such as Lamb and Oatmeal is what I give my allergic dog. Also, Venison (raw) She cannot have beef, chicken, turkey or quail. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MackFamilyGreys Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Foxy's skin is dry all over, but seems extremely dry around her back by her tail. She seems to nip around there and her hind legs. Just gave her a long brush with the mitt and she was full of flakes. As for food she is getting a Grain Free Salmon and Pea by Pure Balance. She also gets grain free treats. Is there a better grain free? Foxy's skin is dry all over, but seems extremely dry around her back by her tail. She seems to nip around there and her hind legs. Just gave her a long brush with the mitt and she was full of flakes. As for food she is getting a Grain Free Salmon and Pea by Pure Balance. She also gets grain free treats. Is there a better grain free? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgrey Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 If she's sensitive to flea bites, it will only take one bite to set off a severe itching, scratching and chewing cycle. I've had two who had this and they tend to chew and scratch in the places you describe. I second giving her a bath in a mild soap free shampoo. And congrats on your new girl .... that is if you decide to keep her. Quote Cynthia, & Cristiano, galgoAlways in my heart: Frostman Newdawn Frost, Keno Jet Action & Chloe (NGA racing name unknown), Irys (galgo), Hannah (weim), Cruz (galgo), & Carly CW Your Charming Princess http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1018857 "It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -- Unknown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MackFamilyGreys Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 Thanks everybody. And as far as keeping her, I think the only question at this point is whether she wants to put up with us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedHead Posted November 2, 2014 Share Posted November 2, 2014 It really does sound like it could be fleas, what type of flea treatment is he on? My dog got fleas once, and I would have never known (there were only a few). He started chewing around his tail and back legs and his fur got dry/flaky, especially around the base of his tail. It took forever to get anything in a flea comb, but I finally caught 1 little flea. Only a few can cause a big reaction (especially if the dog is allergic to flea bites). I would bathe him, and perhaps try a new flea preventative. Then, you can at least eliminate that if it doesn't work and look to environmental/food allergies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MeAndMouse Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 Ditto on all the flea mentions. Back by the tail is a very common place for fleas. About dry skin...My girl always had dry skin and dandruff. I've recently solved this and she now has great skin! I'm seriously amazed, because she's almost 11 and this is the first ever I've seen her without dandruff. I think the key may have been firming up her poop, but I'm not positive. I read on here that dogs with loose stool are likely to have dry skin, so here's what I did: Found a food that gave her nice, firm poop (I've tried SO many kinds of food, finally found one that works well for her) Started giving her Purina FortiFlora... in attempt to try and help the loose stool issue Switched from fish oil capsules to Grizzly Salmon Oil for Dogs (in a pump bottle) Smooth, silky black dandruff-less fur now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jana Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Although fleas seem like the more likely candidate, one of our boys had really dry, flaky, itchy skin when we first brought him home and we're finally seeing improvements with diet changes. Very similar to MeAndMouse's changes above: - We've settled in to a new grain free food that gives them firm poop (first food was also grain free but really bothered both boys' tummies) - Add fish or coconut oil to their food - Doubled their Greek yogurt serving (now at both meals) - And recently added Dino-Vite to their food We're finally seeing improvements in his skin - almost no dandruff now and less itching - but it took quite a while. And he also has a beautiful, silky smooth black coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MackFamilyGreys Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Jana, what grain free food are you feeding? Foxy's poops are soft but formed....when I go to pick up after her, it sticks more to the grass than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jana Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 We're feeding Nature's Select Cold River Recipe w/Salmon now. And I lied, that ones not grain free - it has millet. We were feeding Taste of the Wild (and had with previous grey and whippet) but both boys had continuous problems. A contact from the local adoption group here suggested that ToW was too high in protein and when I did some research I found out that their prebiotic (or probiotic?) changed right so it could have been a combination of the two things. Nature's Select has been really great so far and they've been on it a couple of months now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MeAndMouse Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Jana - Funny that we both had similar experiences! I have tried so many different foods for Mouse over the years and she never had firm poop. Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Canidae, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, etc. It actually seemed worse when I tried grain free. As much as I didn’t want to, I tried the “green bag”… Iams, which everyone on here says always seems to produce firm poop….and it did for Mouse. She seems to like it and it makes poo pickup much easier for me, so I’m sticking with it for now. ...if I do have to switch, I may try what Jana feeds! Ha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carriej Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 We were having a heck of a time with Chance for months. Itchy, red, scaly, rashy. We had skin biopsies and all kinds of testing done with no real concrete reason. They could see there was inflammation, but nothing worked. We started him on Acana Singles lamb and apple. It's a limited ingredient diet. We also started using a natural topical called Bailey's Skin Rescue. It was a GODSEND. We are still working on some dryness with Chance, but he is a much happier and non itchy pooch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jana Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 MeAndMouse - yes, I still have a hard time not buying grain free (clearly!) but it really has made a difference for these boys. And if I think back, our whippet always had tummy problems but our grey was fine when they were both on ToW so I didn't think that it was food. Poor guy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.