Scratching Hair Off

my dog has been scratching his hair and skin off for the past 4 months.  I've taken him to 2 different Vets on 3 occasions.  One of his issues was an ear infection which was resolved but the skin issue has gotten worse over the past 4 months.  He is 5 years old half pit half hound, 80 pounds and a loving dog.  He loves everyone who enters the home.

His scratching has gotten so bad that he is now scratching his skin under his stomach and his sides such that he is scraping the skin off his body.  I've used all of the medication provided by the last VET (Pets Mart), 2 months ago.  I've given up on the VETs because they all seem to be guessing and charging me with out seemingly having a clear idea as to what the issue is.  

I've most recently tried Bond Medicated Powder and Cortizone-10 on his body to see if that would alleviate his scratching.  I'm getting more concerned because nothing seems to be working and he is scratching his self causing suffering that I don't like to see him in.  

I need a "known remedy" for my dogs scratching issue!!!!!!   Can any one help?

[Jaybay]

The first line of defense in dermatitis is to keep the dog clean, and certainly flea-free.  Bathe at least once a week using a hypo-allergenic shampoo.

Did the PetSmart vet do any skin scrapings to look for mange?  Any diagnostic tests to see if it's a fungal infection?  Suggest a Science Diet food formulation for food allergies?  You can't effectively treat the itching unless you know what's causing it, so try to find a different veterinarian and obtain a proper diagnosis.

One of my dogs gets very inflamed skin during the summer because she loves swimming in the pool.  Apparently the chlorine is the problem, so we have to make sure to regularly bathe her to keep the inflammation to the bare minimum.  

[Terror]

Thanks for your recommendations,,, frankly, that's the best suggestions I've heard so far.  I'm done with Vets.  To answer your question, neither of the Vets that I visited actually did any tests what so ever, in fact, all I got was a quick probable cause diagnoses.  I was charged for medication and specialized shampoo which I have used based on the directions provided, but no positive results occurred.  

Actually, since on one instance, I was given a medication for skin infections for my dog and the medication in the pills was actually the same type of medication used in human medication for skin infections.  So, I decided to try human allergy medication "non-drowsy Alavert" and the results that I've observed is a significant reduction in his scratching.  

I started this 3 days ago and I've noticed his energy is back and his loving ways are back and his wounds are healing.  If this continues, I predict that his skin should be healed within a week and he will be his old self again.  

Interesting how I found what appears to be a cure for his skin issue and I'm actually posting the resolution to his type of problem and some Vet could read this solution and actually get paid for suggesting this.  

[Lily&Tricia]

I was wondering how you dog was doing since this last posting?  Dog skin allergies can have a number of different causes.  My 7 year old German Shepherd, Lily, suffers from both food and inhalant allergies.  Be careful of what you are feeding your dog.  It took us a long time to realize that food allergies in dogs manifest as itchy skin.  Some of the top food allergens are corn, soy, beef and chicken.  Look for dog food without these ingredients.  We also took Lily to a Dr. who specializes in skin diseases.  She is now on hypo sensitization shots to counteract all of her environmental allergens.  It was expensive but well worth it.  On Drs. Foster and Smith website, there is some good information regarding skin problems that you may find helpful.  For your hound's sake, I hope that I have typed this in vain and that he is actually doing just fine with Alavert.