You don’t even have to think deeply about why dogs scratch. It must be the itch. While itch is the single cause of scratching to both humans and dogs, there’s close to 500 reasons why dogs itch. So don’t bother with the scratch—instead, look into the itch.
Common causes of dog itching
You probably have the usual suspects in your mind by now. You’re right– these guys make your pet dog’s life miserably itchy.
1. Fleas and other parasites. Fleas live off your pet dog’s skin and they are easy to spot–they appear like black specks in your dog’s fur. For some reason, fleas come and go if you don’t know how to kill them off.
Other common residents of dog skin are mites (and they come in many shapes and sizes). Unlike fleas, you may not be able to see them right away since they hide themselves beneath your dog’s skin. However, they show themselves often as rashes and red marks in the skin near the ears.
2. Your dog’s immediate environment. If your dog loves to frolic under the sun in the grass, sand, or ground, it can come home scratching feverishly. These course surfaces cause a great deal of itching to most dogs.
3. Diet. The one thing that keeps dog skin smooth is an all-meat diet, and feeding them anything less might cause allergies. Many bred dogs don’t take to liking fish. Sometimes your pet dog gets skin rashes even with commercial dog food, if it’s not of good quality.
4. Itchy surfaces. There are some textile such as mats and rugs that cause itching to many dogs. It all begins with a minor scratching but if it’s not checked early, it could get worse.
5. Wet fur. Dogs scratch that part of their body where there’s wet fur after a bath. This proves to be very itchy even to humans.
6. Allergy. Some dogs don’t adapt well to their environment, so they get allergic to the wind, carpet, sofa, and other surfaces. Like humans, we can lessen allergic reactions by taking antihistamines.
7. Bacterial Infection. Most dogs are prone to bacterial infection, especially if they’re not healthy. Lazy dogs invite yeast invasion, and a yeast infection results in a rough, dry, foul-smelling skin.
How to lessen your dog’s itching and scratching
If your dog’s itching is at a manageable stage, you can do a thing or two to stop it.
1. Bathe it with special dog shampoo. Bathe your dog with anti bacterial formula shampoo. There are some brands on the market today that relieve itching because of Epsom salt and oatmeal. Pat the dog with the towel and don’t rub the towel against the skin. Then cool your dog without using a dryer (this can cause itching too)
2. Use cool water in bathing your dog. In this case our dogs don’t behave like humans—their skin doesn’t react positively to warm or hot bath (they tend to scratch it).
3. Give your dog fatty acid supplements. Most pet stores sell oils meant especially for dog skin, and these can greatly relieve your dog’s itching. If not, you can feed your dog fatty acid pills.
There’s another itch that plagues only female dogs, but that one is not curable. For your part don’t ever scratch your dog’s itch—literally
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