No responsible dog owner can easily endure when his four-legged pet combes itself. Why does a dog itch if there are no fleas? This will be discussed in this article.
Introduction
We will try to find out the reasons for this behavior of the dog, consider several causes of itching. The presence of this discomfort can deprive the animal of sleep, the dog becomes restless. The habitual comfort of life is broken.
It is important to inspect the skin and coat of the dog, make sure that they are clean. The surface should be checked for harmful inhabitants such as ectoparasites. If all of these problems are excluded, you should continue to search. Let's get together why a dog itches if there are no fleas.
Manifestations of stress
Itching refers to irritating sensations that are characteristic of both humans and their animals. If the dog began to itch constantly, first of all, take a look at how he behaves.
Possibly, poor-quality preparations were selected, so the effect of drops from fleas and various parasites did not occur. Sometimes the reason lies in a simple act. The dog could swim in a dirty puddle, get caught in the rain. Situations are also possible when the owner used the drug incorrectly. The listed reasons can be an explanation of why the dog itches if there are no fleas.
How to act
When confirming suspicions of the above symptoms, re-treatment will be required. When there is no reason to doubt the effectiveness of the drugs, you need to look for other reasons why the dog itches, if there are no fleas. Perhaps the dog is under stress. The fact is that a state of increased emotional excitability is characteristic of many animals. This is especially true of those decorative pets that are not resistant to stress by nature. These are representatives of small breeds of pets.
Many breeds of service dogs are also at risk: shepherd dogs, rottweilers. During the observations, you can notice that the dog is trembling in his sleep. Sometimes the beast loses sleep altogether, expresses a request that his stomach and paws be scratched. Other signs of anxiety may be present.
In a state of such stress, a dog can get out a coat. After verifying the cause of the itching, if it is under stress or if the cause is overexcitation on the nerve, ensure maximum peace, give the pet more care, communication. During this period, it is important to take care of improving nutrition.
During this period, it will be necessary to abandon the traditional method of group walks. The dog may need to take sedatives.
Skin Irritation from Detergents
Why does the dog constantly itch, but there are no fleas? The reason may be the use of a new variety of shampoo. Then the dog will show increased anxiety.
All detergents carry out the process of washing off the protective layer of the skin. A slight drying of the skin occurs. In addition, there are varieties of shampoos, the use of which is not at all acceptable for your dog. Their use causes unbearable itching.
Veterinarians do not recommend bathing your pet often. This is contraindicated in animals. But if there is an inflammatory process, this indicates an increased sensitivity of the skin. Therefore, your pupil will need a bath with baby hypoallergenic shampoo or soap. Such an action will help to preserve the state of natural lubrication of the skin, but at the same time it will help to remove dirt and dust.
Allergies
The dog itches, but there are no fleas, what should I do? Your pet may have an allergy. This diagnosis refers to the most severe causes of itching. The fact is that the identification of the pathogen is a rather complicated process.
Determination of the allergic nature of combs is not difficult. Symptoms of allergies are lacrimation, discharge from the nose, brittle hair. It should be noted that the environment itself contains a wide variety of allergens. They are saturated with food, air, dust, building materials, fabrics.
Determining what exactly triggered the animal’s reaction will be a daunting task. Not every veterinary clinic conducts tests that can identify an allergen.
In an average family, according to research, at least 120 allergens get into the house. Moreover, in older buildings, the presence of allergens is mandatory. In the process of treating this itch pathogen, it will be necessary to use antihistamines.
The manifestation of the symptoms of an animal disease
Dogs are exposed to a large number of ailments. Moreover, the clinical picture can often include the process of combing the body. If the dog constantly itches, but there are no fleas, the most common are diseases in the form of:
- Depriving or subcutaneous tick. Such ailments are characterized by the presence of severe itching, loss of appetite, and baldness in certain areas of the skin. The veterinarian will carry out the selection of drugs for the treatment of such a dermatological disease individually. Basically, these will be topical preparations.
- Wet and dry eczema . At the initial stage of the disease, frequent and strong scratching on the body is noted, sometimes they reach the appearance of blood. The problem comes to eating the dog hair. As a result, the formation of bare areas where the skin is peeling is noted. The appearance of bleeding wounds is noted where the base of the tail is located, on the sides, behind the ear.
- Seborrhea, which is one of the signs of the disease or a manifestation of a genetic abnormality. Constant combing leads to baldness of the affected area. In such areas of the skin, its thickening occurs. It will be covered with crust formations on which the scales appear.
- Ear diseases. Diseases of otitis media and ear mites can also be accompanied by combs of the ears. Then you have to establish the reasons. After all, the presence of an itchy area can be seen with a simple visual examination. With such a disease, the animal shakes its head so hard that it cannot but alarm. Sometimes it walks constantly, tilting its head down. The symptom that determines that a dog has an ear tick is the presence of a fetid odor. It is possible to treat such a disease with drops of local action.
- Endometritis is an inflammatory process in the uterus, the symptoms of which are manifested in the form of thirst, lethargy, and an increase in the body temperature of the animal. The beast begins to strongly comb the area of the genital organs. The dog itches, but there are no fleas. It is necessary to treat such a problem using antibacterial drugs. Launched cases will require surgical intervention.
How to help a pet
When the dog is very itchy, but there are no fleas, it is necessary to pay attention to this problem and consult a veterinarian. It is important to clearly establish the problem and only then proceed to eliminate it.
It all depends on the cause of the itch.
Depending on the cause of the itching, it will be necessary to treat the pet if the dog itches all the time and there are no fleas.
If it is established that parasites are wound up in the body of the pet, it will be necessary to disinfect the room with a special solution. It is also important to ensure the selection of collars or drops designed to combat varieties of parasites.
When a dog itches, but there are no fleas, what to treat? Only a veterinarian will correctly answer this question, since each individual case has its own characteristics. It is extremely undesirable to select drugs based on independent assumptions.
If it is not possible to contact a veterinarian
In the case when professional help is currently unavailable, do not rush to purchase drugs until you study the reviews of users who have already encountered a similar problem. After all, you are interested in choosing the medicine that is suitable for your pet, given its size, age and breed.
It is important to be sure that the animal does not have allergic reactions to certain drugs that you plan to use. When itching occurs due to an allergy, a review of the dog’s diet, the composition of the preparations or the vitamin complexes that she is taking at the given time will be required.
In addition to consulting with a veterinarian, it is advisable to consult with the breeder from whom the pet was purchased. Indeed, allergy transmission is often observed genetically, when the puppy's parents were also susceptible to such a disease. It is important to find out to which specific type of product or substance they had an allergic reaction.
Perhaps this will be the answer to the question about the nature of the itch. Then you can help the beast by simply eliminating allergy-causing foods from its diet. If this does not help, look for the problem further. Most likely, laboratory diagnostics will be required in a veterinary clinic.
To summarize
An animal like a dog is prone to itching. This is a completely natural process when it does not become too intense. It is important to take a closer look at your pet and pinpoint the cause of its concern if the dog itches all the time and there are no fleas. The reason may be simple, caused by the use of inappropriate shampoo. But not always so elementary.
In any case, if the dog has health problems in the form of itching, it is important to help the animal in a timely manner. After all, such an irritant can signal the presence of serious diseases. Give your home pet enough care and attention, and let it please you with good health and devotion!