Best food, natural itch relief, and care for my German Shepherd?

Most likely he has allergic reaction causing a lot of skin irritation. The other causes include skin infection and skin parasites, which are also common in dogs. The most effective treatment for excessive itchiness due to allergy are steroids (injection or tablets). I would recommend you to take Kane to your local vet to confirm the diagnosis (looking at the skin scrapes may be necessary to make the diagnosis) and to get the right treatment for your dog.

Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose and treat, for the pet, the pet owner, and the veterinarian! It is the most common cause for itching in dogs. Medications like Apoquel can eliminate the itch due to allergies, though it won't work if there is a secondary bacterial or yeast infection. Food allergies won't be treated simply by a better diet, they need to be strictly on a prescription hypoallergenic diet without other dog or human treats, and even then it can take 3-6 weeks to see positive effects. Until then, anti-itch medications, steroids, or shampoos/topical mousses can be used to minimize the itch and treat any present infection. I would recommend continuing to work with your vet to find the best solution to Toes's itch issue.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Those spots on Dakota could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Dakota wear an elizabethan collar at all times.The bad odor also likely indicates either a bacterial infection or fungal infection. She will need treatment for this as well. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking or chewing. This may be enough to allow healing, but if the underlying cause is not treated then it may not help. Ideally, Ceaser should be examined by a veterinarian to diagnose infection (bacterial, fungal or parasites) or an allergy. Antibiotics may be needed if the skin is broken. If not, steroids and/or antihistamines may provide relief from the itch.

I would not recommend shaving her as it will not resolve the underlying skin problem and may not regrow. I would start with a good quality oral parasite prevention such as bravecto, an omega fatty acid supplement and a medicated shampoo such as malaseb to address yeast overgrowth and surface infections. If not improving over 10-14days a full vet check will be required

Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear about Sarge's itchiness. Let me see if I can help. It is always important to get our pets in to see their veterinarian if they need medical attention, so when you are able to, I'd definitely set up an appointment. In the meantime, you can try to give Sarge some benadryl (diphenhydramine). Since Sarge is so big, I would start out by giving him 75mg up to every 8 hours. If this seems to help, great. If not, you may increase to give him as much as 100mg up to every 8 hours. In addition you may want to try an over the counter moisturizing shampoo, and also try an omega 3 fatty acid supplement in his food. The supplement may take up to 6 weeks to kick in, but at least you've started it! Hopefully this will provide him with some relief until you are able to get him in to see his veterinarian! I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!