Duke won't stop itching

Duke has been itching like a mad man for a little over a week now. He's always done this thing that we call "Stevie Wonder" where he scratches at the back side of his front legs with his head up in the air (it's pretty funny!) but now it's getting out of hand. He does it all of the time & he's also chewing at his paws/legs. I gave him a bath in some medicated oatmeal shampoo specifically for itchies a week ago and I've been giving him Benedryl twice per day but it doesn't help at all. This morning I noticed a few small bumps on his front legs & in his "arm pits". I know that a vet visit is in order & will call tomorrow when they open. Just wondering if anyone has any ideas of what it could be. I need to find the boy some relief.

It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Maybe you need a more gentle shampoo than a medicated oatmeal? What about a Hypoallergenic shampoo that leave nothing on the skin as a medicated will? And use fairly cool water when you bathe him?

Good luck and I hope he feels better soon!

Brenda, do you have any hydrocortisone cream? You could try smearing some of that on the spots to see if that helps him get some relief - just keep an eye on him so that he doesn't lick it off - for us we used to do that on Grace's tummy when she'd have a flare up and her tummy would get all red and itchy, but it was easier in that location because we'd put a t-shirt on her and she couldn't lick it off.

I hope the poor boy finds some relief soon; it sucks being so itchy!

A good tip when putting cream on a dog is do it when you can walk them right after. The hopes in that is the dog will be too distracted to lick...at least for a little bit.

I know your pain. In my house, we always say Reggie is allergic to August. He has some food allergies and apparent environmental ones that start about now. Unfortunately, as with a lot of dogs it seems, his get worse every year. Last year, he got horrendous hot spots. It doesn't help that it's the same time I leave for school and am not home. He ends up at the vet's, and last year had to go on a few rounds of pred as his allergies were so bad (and continued past August). I hated the semi long term pred, but it wasn't truly long term and I really trust the vet who prescribed it. I work with a girl whose dog was on serious long term pred, and I know the vet was always very educated and as careful as possible.

So, you can try cool oatmeal bath soaks, but it may not help much. For Benadryl, the dosage is 1 mg/lb about every 8 hours. Benadryl is an interesting drug. Per the vets where I work, it has immediate action in helping with things like vx reactions or bee stings, but to help with itchy skin it needs to be given at least 2 weeks before seeing true results. It won't hurt to continue the Benadryl.

I think you said you're bringing him to the vet...that'd be my suggestion! The bumps can easily be little pustules and signs of a skin infection. Plus, with the licking (and especially the toes) you don't want skin or yeast infections to start. If you think it could be outside allergens, you can wipe him down with the no water bath wipes after he comes inside. Good luck and I hope the itchyness stops soon!!

Because benadryl made LuLu so groggy when we had to give it to her one time, the vet recommended we try Claritin instead. I used the Target brand of the 10mg tablets. I can't remember what the dosage was though-but it might be something you could ask the vet about.

I hope you can find some relief for Duke!!

Thanks for the tips everyone. I called the vet yesterday & unfortunately he was booked last night (the only time I could go was after work). Tonight I have plans, tomorrow's his "surgery only" appointments, and Thursday he's off. Ugh! This is the first time that I've ever had trouble getting in there. Bella has an appointment on Saturday for her yearly bloodwork & heartworm test so Duke may have to tag along then. I put some Frontline on him this morning just in case of fleas. I haven't seen any and none of the others pugs have been scratching but paranoia was starting to set in.

To top it all off, Yoda has been vomiting & has diarhea. She can't keep anything down and hasn't eaten in 24 hours. We're going to try ground turkey & rice tonight. Why do these things always have to happen all at once?

PugLady3 wrote: Why do these things always have to happen all at once?

I totally hear you on that one! When it rains, it pours with these pugs. I've had a few appointments where the "healthy" one tagged along to the "sick" one's appointment and next thing I know, they are both being taken back to be treated for something.

Lots of good thoughts going out to your crew and I hope that Duke's itchies go away.