CONTINUOUS SCRATCHING

[lulu4444]

Hello,
My golden retriever is 3 years old.  He is regularly dewormed and is taking his shots on schedule.
For the past 2-3 days, he is continuously scratching his body on the left side at the neck portion and hind leg.
The area is just red in colour and there is no bleeding.  Sometimes he bites the area with his teeth.
Last night he could not sleep at all and was pacing up and down the house, scratching himself.  
This is causing him great discomfort.  I had applied a body powder FRECIA which contains clotrimazole 1%.
It will be helpful if you kindly suggest what could I do to ease him off his discomfort.
Your kind response will be much appreciated.
Thank you.

[ginger899]

I always use FRONTLINE for my dog. It is safe and very effective. I buy it from my vet's. It costs about £15 uk pounds but I suppose the price may vary a bit. I don't know if you can get that in India, but you might be able to buy it online. I don't feel worried about using Frontline, because it has a very good reputation

[lulu4444]

Thanks very much for your return mail which I appreciate alot.
You are right, I dont live in the USA but in India.  The vet had asked me to apply RIDD which is to get rid of ticks and fleas.  This liquid solution is to be mixed with water and applied to the body after a bath.  I have done this and seen that the scratching has reduced quite abit, though he still scratches.
I will have to use this regularly after giving DINO his bath which is twice a month.
Should I observe any new behaviour I will write in to you asap ok.
Meanwhile, I will try to get the recommended medication that you have suggested which I think should be available in the vet medicine shops.  If not, I will have to use the existing method.
Thank you once again for sharing your views and giving suggestions.
Take care and God bless.
Lulu

[Ghilly]

Inasmuch as I am sorry to hear he has gotten some fleas, it's a relief to know that it's something that can easily be treated and not some "mystery disease" that is going to take months of trial and error to diagnose.

I don't recognize the names of any of the products you are naming, so I'm guessing that you do not live in the United States.  If not, are there products available where you live called "FrontLine TopSpot" or "Advantage" or "Capstar"?  These are all excellent preparations for killing and preventing fleas.  They last at least 30 days and most work to full efficacy within 24 hours of applying them, or at least the FrontLine TopSpot and Advantage do. Capstar is a pill, but it still works extremely quickly.

Many over the counter flea and tick preparations are not only not effective, they are also dangerous for your pet.  In the United States there is a company called Hartz Mountain that is very popular in the grocery stores, and their flea and tick preparations are DEADLY for pets, in fact, some of their products have even been ordered off the market.  So be very careful what preparations you use on your dog.  Your vet will be able to steer you in the right direction and recommend the best products for your needs.  Again, I am actually relieved to hear that you found a flea on your dog.  It makes things a lot easier, and a solution can be arrived at much sooner than if you had to go through weeks of trying to piece things together to figure out what is causing the itching.  :)

Ghilly

[lulu4444]

Hello Gilly,
Thanks very much for your prompt response on my mail.
After going through your views, I did a through run through of DINO and surprisingly, I found a flea (very very tiny and black) and pulled it out holding it tightly.  On looking at it, in a second, it flew off.  
I immdtly dusted alot of NO TICK powder on him and I see as of now, he is not scratching that much.
Late morning I gave him a 25 mg AVIL tablet to ease the itching.
Can you pl tell me whether I have done rightly ?  Also, what should I do about keeping the fleas away ?  I usually take DINO down in our building twice a day so that he runs and just outside the gates, there are quite a few stray dogs and cats that wander around.  Most probably he has caught a few fleas from this.  But I cannot keep him inside the house all the time as he needs to exercise and do his job too.
I sincerely thank and appreciate you for your views.
Awaiting your feedback once again.
Take care and God bless.

[Ghilly]

Have you checked him all over for fleas?  Some animals are so sensitive or have such severe flea bite allergies that one or two fleas is all it takes to throw them into an itching/scratching frenzy.  

Can you see or feel any bumps in the area?  I'm thinking that perhaps he was bitten by another type of insect (mosquito?  spider?  something else?) that has caused a severe itching as a reaction.  

Could he have gotten some type of substance on him that he might be highly allergic to?  Could he have come into contact with, for example, fiberglass?  

It definitely sounds to me like either something has bitten him or he has gotten something on him that is causing an itch this severe.  I would bathe him in an oatmeal shampoo and watch him after he dries and see if it's as bad as it was.  If it is, I would take him to the vet and just get a professional opinion of what could be at the root of the problem.  You want to nip it in the bud before he scratches or bites himself raw and leaves patches that could get infected.

Please let us know if you find out what it is.  

Ghilly