Puppy Scratching Excessively...

[CMHenshaw7]

My pup spends a lot of time scratching or biting at his fur. He's also started doing this weird sort of crawl, which I imagine is his way of scratching his belly. The scratching/gnawing isn't necessarily a new thing but it worries me that we haven't been able to fix the problem. We adopted him a little over a month ago and had a bit of an issue with dog lice and multiple baths. His skin was understandably irritated so we laid off the baths and started mixing Omega 3 oil into his food once a day.

His skin seemed to improve slightly for a week and then he started scratching and gnawing again. I check him over every day and he's been looked over by the vet recently at his check-up. We know that it's not a flea/tick/lice issue. We've also limited the baths to just one in the past three weeks (he needed that one ) and we're still giving him the Omega 3 oil daily.

I'm at a bit of a loss on how to help him or what could be causing this! Much thanks, in advance, for your response!

[Tsunibear]

I would definitely stay clear of the baths and keep him on the fish oil but, for temporary relief you can put some coconut oil on him which should help if he is itching from dry skin. Silly question for you. Is it hot humid where you live? Do you have your ac on? Living in a hot and humid place can dry out their skin and coat and then if they go outside for longer then 10 minutes then come into an ac house it will make them itch as well.

[Chicag0_Red]

How old is he and how much does he weigh? Ask your vet about giving him a small dose of benadryl if he is old enough. When Hank was a very young pup he developed similar issues from a reaction to his food. If it is an allergic reaction then benadryl will help give him some relief while you get the allergy sorted out.

[CMHenshaw7]

Thank you both for your replies! I will definitely try the coconut oil on him and see if that provides relief. It is hot and humid here in Ottawa and we do spend a lot of time outdoors. I knew that I had to worry about keeping him hydrated and shaded, and keeping his ears clean during these months but I had no idea that it affected his skin. I keep the house pretty cool but I will definitely start limiting our time in the backyard on especially hot days.

Bennie is (estimated) 16 weeks old and weighed 23lbs the last time he was in to see the vet. I did wonder if it might be a food allergy as he has also had some pretty noxious gas lately, but he doesn't have an actual rash. His skin is pinkish in some areas but I was told by the vet that this was dry skin.

I will call and see about the Benadryl for his age and weight. Does it typically make dogs drowsy as it does in humans?

[Chicag0_Red]

Yes for Pyrs it generally has the same effects as for humans, drowsy, cotton mouth (thirsty), etc. With Pyr pups I tend to under-dose and then medicate to effect because of the slower metabolism. So with Hank instead of the 25 mg tablet I would give him half a tab at the time. (My philosophy being it is easier to get the second half down than back up).

Has his food changed recently? What about changes to his environment (fertilized the lawn, sprayed for bugs etc.)

[CMHenshaw7]

The rescue had him on Purina Pro Large Breed Puppy and that's what we've been feeding him. I have started to mix in Innova Large Breed Puppy to switch him over. This was pretty recently though, and the itching/dry skin predates the switch. The horrible gas, however, started right around that time.

His environment has stayed pretty much the same but we have seen a ridiculous amount of mosquitos, black flies, horseflies, and midges both in Vermont and Ottawa this year. We don't even go outside around dust because we'll get swarmed, even with repellent. I check him for bites when I groom him but I guess I was looking for something similar to what our bug bites look like. That could be part of the problem.

It's probably safe to assume that I shouldn't use anything with DEET on him, but are there any safe insect repellants for dogs?