Terrier always scratching

[Cobra 0]

Hi my 10 month old terrier is always scraching body or nibbleing at its legs. I have treated the dog with flea powder and flea shampoo and i can't find any sign of them on him. Before i treated the dog for fleas i could not find any on him but i thought it would be a good starting point. I have been told that it could be his diet that is causeing the problem. Any info/help would be much appreciated thanks.

[skycat 6,173]

Some dogs are intolerant to cereals such as wheat, soya, and also beet pulp: the last two being used as fillers in cheaper complete foods. Dogs can be allergic to just about anything, same as people: I even had one dog which couldn't eat raw chicken: she'd throw it straight back up!

 

Cheap cereal based complete foods often have a lot of additives in as well to preserve them, make them taste better and look better: any of this stuff can cause problems in susceptible dogs.

 

You need to try an exclusion diet: this is usually chicken and boiled rice or white fish and boiled rice. You put the dog on it for 3 weeks and see if the problem goes away or improves, then gradually add more different foods until you get a reaction: this can take a lot of time.

 

Adding Kelp powder to any type of food may help as it contains all the minerals and animal's body needs: a lot of foods are deficient in minerals, or sometimes the dog can't metabolise them properly.

 

I've found that most dogs are much better off on a raw diet where the food isn't highly processed and altered by high temperature cooking which kills off a lot of good nutrients as well as the bad.

 

What are you feeding the dog on at the moment?

[Cobra 0]

Hi skycat thanks for the reply. At the moment i am feeding the dog on purina beta puppy with chicken and rice. I usualy mix in half a small tin of pilchards aswel. The pup seems in very good condition with a very good glossy coat and is full of life.

[screeny 0]

hi mate, have you trimmed the dog atall

[captain jack sparrow 8]

im going for a cleaning agent you use to wash the pen or food is too high in

protein

[BenBhoy 4,706]

certainly sounds like it could be the diet, i had something similar once. i now feed a brand called collards, it's wheat and gluten free, worked a treat and dogs love it.

[Cobra 0]

hi mate, have you trimmed the dog atall

Hi mate if you mean has the dog had his tail docked yes his tail was docked by the vet.

[Cobra 0]

hi mate, have you trimmed the dog atall

[skycat 6,173]

Could also be an allergy to bedding or chemicals. Is it a house or kennel dog. Some of the worst irritants are found in houses, that godawful carpet freshner stuff, can't remember the name, is one of the worst: basically anything chemical from carpet shampoo to fabric softners can cause a problem, even some washing powders; yet another reason to live simply and stop using products with extra perfume added. For example, some of my dogs are irritated by Persil: not that I wash them in it LOL: but if their bedding has been washed with Persil they start scratching: now I use an environmently friendly alternative.