How to Cure Itchy Dog Skin
When you own a dog, you have the responsibility of keeping the dog safe, happy and healthy. In your quest for dog health and comfort, you might come across everyday problems like itchy or infected skin. If your dog's skin itches constantly, do your best to diagnose and treat the problem yourself, before taking the dog to the vet. There might be a relatively simple answer and treatment.
Things You'll Need
- Soothing shampoo
- Water
- Anti-itch spray
- Hydrogen peroxide (1% solution)
- Borax powder
Instructions
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Diagnose the problem, if you can. Decide whether the dog simply has dry, itchy skin (flaky, with dandruff-like symptoms), or something more serious. If your dog's itchy skin is accompanied by hair loss and scabs, your dog may be itching because of mange, which is cased by small parasitic mites that have to be destroyed.
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Purchase a skin-soothing, moisturizing shampoo at the pet store if your dog has itchy skin with dandruff. In that case, the dog's itching is probably due to dry skin. Shampoo the dog with the special shampoo once a week to keep its skin moisturized and comfortable. Supplement the shampoo with an anti-itch spray, also available at pet stores, to immediately relieve any hots pots.
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Treat mange with something stronger, if that's what your dog has. Combine one to two 2 tbsp. of borax powder with 500 cc of one-percent hydrogen peroxide solution (both available at the market or pharmacy), in four cups of warm water. Increase the amount as needed to cover your dog. Pour this solution over your dog's coat, and concentrate on the affected areas.
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Allow the solution to dry on your dog's skin to do its work. Repeat once a week until the symptoms and scratching disappear.
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Tips & Warnings
Itchiness may also be caused by fleas or flea allergies. If a dog has fleas, treat it with flea medicine to relieve the itching.
Itchy skin might also be the product of more serious problems, like allergies and internal parasites. If your dog doesn't respond to either of the treatments listed here, take it to the vet to be tested for other causes.
If your dog has mange, it may have spread to other animals in the house. Mange mites are highly contagious and can spread through physical contact, shared environment and shared bedding.
References
- Photo Credit dog image by Michal Tudek from Fotolia.com
