I don't know how parents do it...
For a while now, since before his first "wellness exam," Darwin's been doing a lot of scratching/biting at himself. Obviously this means he's itchy, but we've been having a devil of a time figuring out what's been MAKING him itchy. At his first vet visit, the doc found a few fleas, and put him on Advantage, which helped some of the scratching, but not all of it. I assumed there were probably some leftover flea-bites, so I thought I'd wait and see, to let the bites heal. Again, the scratching calmed down, but never went away. So I made another vet appointment.
He has a skin allergy. (And a minor skin infection related to said allergy, for which I got antibiotics.)
Now the problem is trying to figure out what in HECK he's allergic to. The doc told me to stop all his treats, so we could start there with figuring out what's making him itch. Now... I give Darwin two types of treats -- he gets a basic, generic "puppy training treat" for... well, the basic stuff. And he gets freeze-dried liver for potty-training and crate-training (because he REALLY loves those treats). The "training treats" have a lot of additives in them, whereas the liver is just..... liver.
So I'm not cutting out the liver. Do not tell me there's a dog out there allergic to liver. (I've checked the back of the packing -- 100% liver. That's all. Nothing else.) I really think it's probably the training biscuits. They're Petsmart "brand," and were pretty inexpensive, and I think I bought them on a whim -- BUT, I bought them before I brought him home, so they've been something he's had since he's come here. This, I think, knocks out the possibility for things like liver treats, or doggy shampoo as the irritants.
Just to be safe, though, I'm supposed to bathe him with, get this, dish detergent, and wait two days before applying his topical flea treatment.
Dish detergent.
*headshake*
My dish detergent smells of cucumber and melon. Ah well.
I got a little annoyed, because the vet was all, "IT COULD BE ANYTHING! CUT ALL TREATS OUT OF HIS DIET!" And I'm standing there thinking, "Noooo, I think I know what it is." Because, hey, I live with the pup. I know what I buy and when I bought it. I know when I noticed the itching. I know that with a dog with such pristine white fur that I would run a pretty decent chance of SEEING fleas if he had a flea problem. I know what he eats, and when he started eating it.
I will bet money that it's the training treats. It MAY be his kibble, but I doubt it. If it's not the treats, my eye will next go to the kibble.
He has a skin allergy. (And a minor skin infection related to said allergy, for which I got antibiotics.)
Now the problem is trying to figure out what in HECK he's allergic to. The doc told me to stop all his treats, so we could start there with figuring out what's making him itch. Now... I give Darwin two types of treats -- he gets a basic, generic "puppy training treat" for... well, the basic stuff. And he gets freeze-dried liver for potty-training and crate-training (because he REALLY loves those treats). The "training treats" have a lot of additives in them, whereas the liver is just..... liver.
So I'm not cutting out the liver. Do not tell me there's a dog out there allergic to liver. (I've checked the back of the packing -- 100% liver. That's all. Nothing else.) I really think it's probably the training biscuits. They're Petsmart "brand," and were pretty inexpensive, and I think I bought them on a whim -- BUT, I bought them before I brought him home, so they've been something he's had since he's come here. This, I think, knocks out the possibility for things like liver treats, or doggy shampoo as the irritants.
Just to be safe, though, I'm supposed to bathe him with, get this, dish detergent, and wait two days before applying his topical flea treatment.
Dish detergent.
*headshake*
My dish detergent smells of cucumber and melon. Ah well.
I got a little annoyed, because the vet was all, "IT COULD BE ANYTHING! CUT ALL TREATS OUT OF HIS DIET!" And I'm standing there thinking, "Noooo, I think I know what it is." Because, hey, I live with the pup. I know what I buy and when I bought it. I know when I noticed the itching. I know that with a dog with such pristine white fur that I would run a pretty decent chance of SEEING fleas if he had a flea problem. I know what he eats, and when he started eating it.
I will bet money that it's the training treats. It MAY be his kibble, but I doubt it. If it's not the treats, my eye will next go to the kibble.