Need Pet Help!!

[vverkin925]

I am new around here and may have missed this, but is there a forum for "pet tips"? I have a specific problem right now and need some help. My dog has started scratching. I'm assuming it's fleas but I haven't gotten up the courage to look. I really can't afford to go out and buy flea shampoo and all the other accoutrements. Any suggestions? I need to nip this in the bud before they spread. (And I feel so sorry for the dog. All that scratching!!)

[so68]

Hey there, as to your question, ya there is a pet site under "family". As for your dog's scratching, I think it just might be the time of the year. My dog is scratching like crazy, and I keep rolling her over and checking for fleas, and so far nothing, but her skin feels a bit dry, and her fur is dry on her belly area. Be brave and check for fleas :-) If you don't find any, you'll feel better, and if you do find a flea or two, is there any way you can borrow some shampoo from a friend or neighbour until you're able to pay them back with a bottle? Usually a good bath with flea shampoo helps. If it's not fleas, see if your dog has dry skin. I use a bit of Noxema on my dog occasionally, just rub it in well so she's not licking it off. I've heard a bit of olive oil in their food helps as well for a healthier and softer coat - check the internet and see how much they recommend using - I think it's a teaspoonful or something like that once a day. Good luck and keep us posted as to what it was!!

[baxjul]

My neighbor is a bug guy, and he told us the best thing is Dawn dish soap! I use that on my dog, and he is without fleas, and we have them bad down here!

[vverkin925]

Thanks so much! I found the pet forum and it had info on fleas there. I'm going to bite the bullet and hit the tub now. (This one is such a handful when it comes to bathing!!!) Thanks again for your quick response.

[so68]

Baxjul is absolutely correct with the Dawn soap info - I totally forgot about Dawn getting rid of fleas and I've heard from various people that it does work. I'm curious to know why it works though!! Do the fleas just slide right off or?? :-)

[baxjul]

I don't know why, but for some reason it repels them.

[vverkin925]

Baxjul - Thanks for the tip. I am in Florida also but don't often have the flea problem. My dog is strictly indoor (expect for potty runs) and I haven't had to deal with fleas for MANY years because of this. (Hair all over the house is another thing entirely!! :-) I'm going to start using the Dawn for monthly baths and hopefully that will stop this from happening again. Thanks so much.

[baxjul]

You are very welcome! My dog lives indoors also, but he goes out and lays in the yard alot.

[mea772]

I have heard of that too about the dish soap.

BUT...with that said...if your dog just has dry skin, it might dry it out even more. I would think you need to check for fleas. If you see them, great...if not, I would try a dog shampoo that has oatmeal...or I am sure someone here has a recipe for something similiar.

My St. Bernard has been scratching SO badly. She has even scratch to where she bled a little bit. I put some hydrocortizone cream on it and it seemed to really help but the oatmeal or medicated bath is next.

[Cricket1]

Ughhh....I wish I knew. So far, my dog has been on anitbiotics, tested for mange, on revolution--all for itching. She's still itching (no fleas) and now they think she has allergies and want to give her steroids.

Good luck!

[jettsmom]

My puppy does a lot of scratching, and he's on flea meds. Some dogs just have itchy skin.

Now that everyone mentioned it, I remember the breeder we got the pup from said to use dawn.

[Brat]

If your dog is 30 - 40 LB get a box of childrens benadryl...1 a day usually takes care of mine.

[mom2bobsarah]

Hi, also if your dog has dry skin add a raw egg to his food. Just scramble it up and pour over kibble. This is really good for both dogs and cats with dry skin. We used to do this for my cat because he did not like oil on his food loved the egg though. I do agree to check for fleas first before bathing if it is just dry skin try to stay away from frequent bathing as this will dry his skin more. Hope this helps your pup and good luck.

[Jaded]

Raw eggs can contain salmonella. I don't think I'd risk it with my pet.

[Jaded]

Can't edit, so ....

If you can, feed your dog canned food at night. Sometimes with an all dry food diet, they don't get enough oil. It doesn't have to be expensive canned food, just something with oil in it. If you can't afford that, just wet down some of the dry food and put some cooking oil in it. A tablespoon a day should be enough.