Itch relief recommendations

[IvorHambitt]

Does anyone have any recommendations for topical itch relief sprays or creams? For background- Ivor has been nibbling and scratching at his skin for the last few months (it started when he was shedding in the spring) He had a lot of dandruff while shedding so we upped his grooming and added sardines and coconut oil to his diet, and that cleared up the dry skin. However he still seems to be itching a little, and now has some thinning hair on one thigh and his tail. I'm a bit confused because most of his coat is lovely and shiny and his skin isn't dry or broken anywhere, just a little pink all over. The vet said it was probably a mild allergy to pollen or similar and tried steroids and apoquel, neither made a very marked difference so we've stopped all for now. I think maybe he just needs something to soothe the skin a little, but there are a LOT of options out there, so any recommendations are appreciated!

[macoduck]

How frequent are you bathing him?  My greyhounds have never had a bath and only the emergency rescues/surrenders do because they were filthy.

That said, do try shampoos by 4 Legger. After contacting them and discussing the itchy issues with my podenco, I bought their lemongrass hemp shampoo. Thier products are also endorsed by Melissa Shelton DVM and you will see a few of her dog and cat safe essential oils for sale on the 4 Legger page too, in particular, I use Yeasty Beasty and the Skin Spray Base for my podenco.

https://www.4-legger.com/

[cleptogrey]

if you have your dog on antihistimes then try removing the irritant with a really rag wet in water only. wipe and dry your dog down, don't bathe. my welsh terrier had hot spots and fall allergies. hydrocortisone did nothing but the fall we planted a couple of bushes  i hand watered them daily and my crazy boy willie wonka loved to attack the hose/water. that fall his allergies subsided- he was thoroughly rinsed with plain water! no allergies- the allergens were removed. 

[IvorHambitt]

5 hours ago, macoduck said:

How frequent are you bathing him?  My greyhounds have never had a bath and only the emergency rescues/surrenders do because they were filthy.

That said, do try shampoos by 4 Legger. After contacting them and discussing the itchy issues with my podenco, I bought their lemongrass hemp shampoo. Thier products are also endorsed by Melissa Shelton DVM and you will see a few of her dog and cat safe essential oils for sale on the 4 Legger page too, in particular, I use Yeasty Beasty and the Skin Spray Base for my podenco.

https://www.4-legger.com/

He was at the groomer for his first bath after our vet visit. It helped with the dry skin but didn't make much difference to the itching. It did make him lovely and shiny though! I'm not sure we could wrestle him into the bath in our tiny bathroom, so i'm hoping that we can get a spray or supplement that helps!  Thank you, will take a look at 4legger

[IvorHambitt]

2 hours ago, cleptogrey said:

if you have your dog on antihistimes then try removing the irritant with a really rag wet in water only. wipe and dry your dog down, don't bathe. my welsh terrier had hot spots and fall allergies. hydrocortisone did nothing but the fall we planted a couple of bushes  i hand watered them daily and my crazy boy willie wonka loved to attack the hose/water. that fall his allergies subsided- he was thoroughly rinsed with plain water! no allergies- the allergens were removed. 

We did give this a go at the very start, wiping him down with a wet cloth every time we came in from outside. Tbh it seemed to make him more uncomfortable! 

[greysmom]

If the steroids or Apoquel didn't help you may not have an allergy.  It might be time to see a canine dermatologist, or have your vet do a skin scraping to see if there are mites or other reasons your dogs skin is itchy and red.  It could be a flea allergy, or reaction to topical flea treatments, a food allergy, mange or other skin diseases - or your dog may actually be hypothyroid.  It's not common in greyhounds even though they routinely have very low thyroid levels, but it can cause jair loss and itching.  You can search here for more info on thyroid issues.  It's a BIG topic so take some time to read through several threads.

[macoduck]

If you have a thyroid test run, make sure it is the full panel, not just a T4.

[cleptogrey]

5 hours ago, greysmom said:

If the steroids or Apoquel didn't help you may not have an allergy.  It might be time to see a canine dermatologist, or have your vet do a skin scraping to see if there are mites or other reasons your dogs skin is itchy and red.  It could be a flea allergy, or reaction to topical flea treatments, a food allergy, mange or other skin diseases - or your dog may actually be hypothyroid.  It's not common in greyhounds even though they routinely have very low thyroid levels, but it can cause jair loss and itching.  You can search here for more info on thyroid issues.  It's a BIG topic so take some time to read through several threads.

i agree but i do remember one friend who went thru tons of medicated baths, supplements etc for her poor dog(mixed breed) who was miserable. her skin was a mess. ultimately after years of trial, error &$ he started to play with food.the right food made a world of difference and once they found it they never deviated from it.

 a simple way to see if it's a food allergy is feed ONLY rice for 2 or 3 weeks. yes they can live on rice alone. then s-l-o-w-l-y add in one source of protein at a time. wait a week or two before removing and changing proteins. it's slow, long, and not so laborious if you have a rice cooker. but you may end up saving $$$. you might luck out w/ a rice based food.  if you have pet insurance and a dermatologist is covered then why not? also, ask your vet to do a scraping- walking mange- and see if there are any parasites that you might be dealing w/. that's not as $$$ as a specialist.

Edited August 22, 2020 by cleptogrey

[HeyRunDog]

Grace also suffered with dandruff and balding thighs when I first got her so I bathed her once using ExmaRid Dog Shampoo which stopped the dandruff and itching and added Lintbells YuDERM Itching Dog to her food which she still has. Her balding thighs come and go depending on if she's moulting or not but the dandruff has stopped.

She has only been bathed twice, once to get rid of the kennel smell and again to treat the dandruff. The last time was two years ago.