If your dog’s itching is excessive, it is an indication that there is something the matter. While occasional itching and scratching is normal, if it is happening enough that you notice it, then you need to learn how to stop dog itching.
If you don’t, the condition will worsen and can lead to all sorts of problems down the road – from secondary bacterial skin infections to hearing loss. You would think a dog’s itching should be a relatively simple problem to overcome, right?
The problem is, we can’t simply ask our dogs what the problem is. Instead, we must play detective and use our best guess as to the cause – of which there can be many. Once the cause is determined, then a plan of action can be formed.
Steps To Figuring Out What Is Causing All The Itching
So, to stop dog scratching, one must first figure out why your dog is so itchy in the first place. The easiest way to do this is going through each of the possible causes, in order.
- Fleas/Insect Bites
- Mange
- Improper Nutrition
- Psychological (anxiety/stress)
- Allergies
Allergies are last because there can be so many things your dog is allergic to.
And if you go through items 1 through 4 and still find your dog’s itching has not gone down at all, then you can dive into determining the allergic trigger.
For example, improving your dog’s nutrition (#3) may very well take care of any food intolerance that your dog has, which may be the very reason for all the scratching.
#1 Fleas And Insect Bites
Fleas and insect bites can cause non-stop scratching, especially if your dog has an actual allergy to flea bites. But fleas are probably the easiest to determine: yes or no. Your dog has fleas or they don’t.
#2 Mange in Dogs
Mange is caused by a parasite known as a mite and is another matter that is relatively easy to determine.
There are three main types of mange – read about mange in dogs to understand the different symptoms and with help determining if this is your dog’s problem.
#3 Nutrition
Improper nutrition is actually a HUGE reason many dogs itch and is also commonly misdiagnosed as dog food allergies and other allergies.
Depending upon the type and quality of food you feed your dog, they may not be getting what they really need, and their immune system becomes over-stressed – producing itchiness.
Click Here for more about Stop Dog Itching
#4 Anxiety/Stress
Psychological problems that cause itching and licking can be very hard to determine.
Believe it or not, dog separation anxiety is a huge and growing problem, as is noise anxiety (fireworks, thunderstorms).Dog anxieties manifest themselves in many ways, and constant itchy skin is one of them.
#5 Allergies in Dogs
Allergies in dogs can be so difficult – your dog, like you, can become allergic to so many things.
- allergens inhaled, such as pollen and dust mites;
- allergens absorbed through skin contact, such as rubber, wool, pesticides;
- insect bites, such as fleas and mosquitoes;
- and of course, dog food allergies.
But when dealing with allergies in dogs, rather than using anti-histamines (which are meant for humans), you really should try to boost their immune system and control your pet’s environment to limit exposure to the allergen.
Those Are The Top 5 Reasons For Dog Itching
So those are the main reasons that cause dogs to itch and scratch incessantly. Unless you specifically know what is the problem from the beginning, go through these systematically, eliminating areas and helping you to narrow in on your dog’s problem.
Take a look at Natural Itching Remedies for ways to help calm the itching while you take care of the problem.