Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 7/16/2010

Question
My dog is a 4 year old puggle. He has recently been biting his legs and feet like they are itchy. I have looked him over and can't see the cause of the itchiness. I gave him a bath using Hartz rid flea & tick shampoo and applied his monthly flea & tick drops. I am hoping this will help, but he had the same problem last year and I ended up bringing him to the vet. The vet prescribed prednisone tablets for about 10-12 days. It did seem to help, but i prefer not to have to put him on steroids again. Do you have any natural effective home remedies for my dogs itch problem? I would like to try something natural before putting him on steroids again. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks to all who are a help to us folks on this website. You are truly a blessing!  Thanks, Kristin

Answer
This is typical of summertime environmental allergies to things like pollens, molds, grasses, trees, etc.  If the prednisone helped, that tells me that it is an allergy.  Some dogs (15%-20%) will respond to an antihistamines, like benadryl, but mostly it just makes them sleepy.  There are no natural remedies that take away the allergies unless you move to somewhere where there are no allergens that the dog is sensitive to.  If you don't want to use the prednisone tablets, you can use a steroid spray, like GENESIS, that helps stop the itching without all of the side effects. Another product I am using is Malacetic Ultra Conditioner Spray because many of the foot lickers also have a yeast infection between their toes that itches.