Itching, but no fleas!
I'm a relatively new OES owner and currently have a 4-month old puppy. Recently I've noticed my puppy is scratching/biting a lot, especially around his rump, but I've thoroughly inspected and regularly washed him and he has no ticks, fleas, etc. However, I have noticed some redness where he bites/scratches. Also, I am wondering if maybe we should or should NOT be using any particular kinds of shampoo (or if anyone has any recommended brands). Any advice? Thanks guys! |
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| Scratching and biting can be a host of problems. Fleas was only the first. Yes, you might be onto something with the shampoo, but also consider:
allergies to food or environment (neighbor dog was allergic to the lawn) contact with some chemical (carpet cleaner, pesticide...) worm or internal parasites pain in joints or muscles tangled or matted hair in groin skin parasites or other misc bugs gravel or sand against the skin I'd stop bathing him so often. Give him a good rinse down to eliminate any residue from shampooing and then quit. In the future a wet wash cloth over the hair, plain water, should be enough even if he's a real muddog. Brushing with soft brush will eliminate most of the dust and crud once it has dried. The the quick over with the cloth should be enough. |
| Grass seeds can work their way down through the coat into the skin also, and be difficult to see |
| Anal glads sometimes cause this. They may also rub their butt along the ground. Is the tail cropped properly? At only 4 months, if the tail wasn't cropped properly it could cause an irritation. If it continues I would check with the Vet. You're probably going in for some shots or check up anyway at only 4 months. |
| You might want to double check for fleas. I was sure that Hudson didn't have them and we chased down his itching for several months. We tried antihistamines, creams, shampoos, and even prednisone (not a good thing for a puppy). We were desperate.
Our vet checked for fleas (and did the shake thing for debris). Another vet checked two weeks later. Nothing. We kept treating. We changed food, etc. He had red spots from scratching, biting around the back end and was crazy itchy. Then, late one night (two a m) his scratching was keeping me up so I was distracting him by rubbing his belly. A single, small black critter walked along his tummy. I caught it, and put it in a pill bottle and brought it to the vet. Sure enough, a dreaded flea. As soon as we started treating he got better. I never EVER saw another flea, but spent over four hundred dollars treating both dogs and the house itself. A year later we're all good. Our vet said it's possible (though not common) that a dog can have a very small number of fleas which makes finding them almost impossible. It was just dumb luck that it happened to be walking along a pink tummy with white fur at just that moment or I'd never have found it and we still would be treating him for other thihgs. Sometimes they have a very small population (in our case we only found the one........ever), and they still cause huge problems. I'd keep checking for fleas while you try to chase this down, just in case. |
| ^^^^^^^^^^
I have had the same thing but it wasnt a sheepie. A black dog, try finding a flea. 
However it can be fleas and you dont even have to see one. According to my vet the flea can bite them, set of a reaction and then hop off them but it sets up the reaction. So it is worth treating for fleas with something that gets rid of fleas from the dog and its environment too. |
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