my border terrier puppy itches and scratches the same place all the time, he has got a few scabs by his rear left leg. He has had stronghold on tuesday and no signs of fleas.
can anybody suggest something to put on the scabs please.
although it is very funny watching him run on three legs whilst itching with the fourth, we would prefer him not to itch and scratch as much.
aslo he is 10 and a half weeks old and we have had him for 2 weeks
thanks
jo

What are you feeding him?

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''Dogs are like chocolates, you can never have just one!''

Hi sixstar
he is fed on Autarky, its what his breeder used & we have carried on with. He only really itches in one spot & has a few small scabs now, they seem to be a bit lumpy! I have read other posts & am hoping its not food related, I was hoping there might be something I could put on to help them to heel.
Thanks so much for replying
x

My dog has been to the vets recently for something that sounds very similar. She had little lumps with scabs on them, although she wasn't itchy. She had some on her legs and ears, and a few in other spots.

The vet wasn't really sure what it was (she was up-to-date with Advocate) but said it could possibly be harvest mites, although there wasn't really any sign of them.

She gave me the frontline spray to kill anything and antibiotics to clear up the scabs.

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Just saw the Autarky has maize in it I would change the food as it could well be causing the problems.

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Not sure what to do with him, we were at the vets on tuesday for his 2nd vacc & I mentioned that he kept scratching, he asked if there were any signs of fleas (which there arent) & gave me stronghold as he was do to be wormed anyway. I should of asked him to actualy look at the scabs!
I have read on here about using sodacream so I may give that a go.
x

It could well be the Autarky to be honest, it’s not a great food and is very grain heavy – maize is the first or second ingredient isn’t it? Dogs cannot digest this very well at all and its well known for causing skin irritations. Would you consider changing his food to see if it is diet related? A grain free diet like Fish4Dogs, Orijen, Wainwrights salmon & potato, Acana or Arden Grange sensitive would be my first suggestion for calming an itchy coat (well, ok, my second suggestion after the raw food diet, but I won’t push that on you! – although if it is something that interests you, there’s loads of info on this site to be found about it).

That would be my first port of call, because it’s always better to treat the cause rather than the symptoms, but if you are looking for something to sooth the sore patches and calm the itching whilst you consider what to do next in terms of diet etc, then I can highly recommend the Dermacton range of products. Dermacton - Skin Relief for Dogs with Itchy Skin

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''Dogs are like chocolates, you can never have just one!''

I hope its not the food as i've just bought a large bag
Dog food is so confusing, I really tried hard to research it before we picked jake up but everyone has different opinions & there are so many different makes
He has been doing really well (apart from the itching), dry all night & not many accidents during the day either
x

You might be able to take it back and swap it for another food, depending on where you got it from. If it was Pets At Home they take back even opened bags of food.

I know what you mean, dog food really is so confusing and it's hard to know what to do for the best, but I really do think it is the food that is causing the problems here.

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''Dogs are like chocolates, you can never have just one!''

Pups can suffer from demodex mites, which you cant see with the naked eye, they live in the hair follicles of the skin. A lot of dogs have demodex in small numbers, without any effects or symptoms. In pups with an immature immune system or for dogs that are under stress, the mites can multipy and can cause symptoms, There is localised demodectic areas, or generalised, think it becomes classed as generalised if more then 5 areas. Its usually seem in dogs under a year, legs, feet, face and head are the most common area for localised or for it to start. It can wax and wane. a few localised patches can resolve itself in 6/8 weeks as the pup settles in is less stressed, and the immune system gets stronger to keep them under control. The vet may be able to confirm them if he does a skin scrape and looks under the microscope and there are mites present in the scraping.

Cant say it is this of course but may be a possibility.

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