Fred's constant itching is driving us crazy! We've said "No Fred" so much the last week that he thinks we have renamed him and he's taken to hiding in other rooms to do his scratching. We even found him down behind the fireplace at one point just scratching away!
Our late basset Barney was almost 11 years old when he passed and 9 of those years he had skin issues and I really don't want to go there again. We spent tons of money over a lot of stressful years trying to figure out what the issue was. We paid for allergy testing and tried eliminating certain foods. Was it plants, food, my laundry detergent, my cleaning products.....the air! We tried anti-itch products, oatmeal shampoo and he wound up being on prednisone off and on his whole life. I didn't like that. We drove ourselves crazy trying to figure it out. Guess what, we never did.
Now we have Fred who has started this itching and it really has been upsetting. At first I thought it might be all the mosquitoes that have come out recently as they just swarm the hounds when they go outside.
Once he started itching and causing some raw patches, it's like it just snowballed from there.
If he's not scratching,
He's chewing on his legs.
I feel bad for him and he has even spent the last two nights in his pen as the itching was keeping us all awake. Benadryl has been helping a little, but I don't like to give it to him.
My poor baby is just exhausted from itching all the time. But this morning my husband thinks he's found the culprit.
The Trumpet Vine!
While
Exhibit "A"
The seed pods and
Exhibit "B"
The flowers
of the Trumpet Vine.
We have seen Fred over in the corner of the yard munching on something and thought it was just grass. That part of the grass is covered with the trumpet vine flowers that are dropping. So now Fred will be supervised every time he goes outside......again....sigh!...until I can get that corner of the yard roped off. So keep your fingers crossed that this is the root (hee!hee!) of his itching and we can get this problem solved!
I don't know if this Monday Mischief should got to Mr. Itchy or to the trumpet vine. What do you think?
Well, at least you have a lead. I truly hope this solves the problem. I couldn't help but imagine Freddy as a gymnast with his position.
ReplyDeleteHuggies and Cheese,
Haopee
Oh no Freddie! Having the itches is the worst! I hope the vine is the culprit and you can find some relief!
ReplyDeleteWe hope you have solved the Freddie itchy problem. Hope the next few days see Fred back to normal. You had some really nice comments re your guest blog. Let me know your nomination for next week. Have a great Monday.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes Molly
Hey Fred....when we have an itch we have to scratch it...right? Hope it gets better, my friend....
ReplyDeleteI hope it's the trumpet vine that's at fault! That would be a relatively easy solution. Poor Freddie! I definitely vote for the vine as the mischief maker in this case. :)
ReplyDeletePoor Mr. Itchy, er, I mean Freddie!! My dad calls me itchy too! I tell you, we are brother somehow! We think I have trouble with the grass...my issues with chewing and scratching are always in the summer...but my parents have not had me tested yet for allergies...what's up with that?? Please try to stay away and not eat those flowers...you be so much happier, itch free!!
ReplyDelete~Higgins
I hope the trumpet vine explains it and he gets over it. That constant scratching is ANNOYING.
ReplyDeleteOh Fred you and Amiee could have a scratching contest. She sounds just like you and she goes outside to hide to do her scratching because she is so tired of hearing us say Amiee, NO. All we know about Amiee is that it takes one little flea bite to set her itching off in full mode. It then takes days/week to get it out of her system even though you can't find a flea on her and she is on flea stuffs as well. She also has dry skin but we just used the new Fermanatur shampoo and cream rinse and that has really seemed to help her itching plus she is so silky soft. We hope you found the reason behind Fred's itching because I am like you I had to yell at them to stop itching all the time. Have a great day! Sniffs, The HoundDogs
ReplyDeleteNaughty naughty Fred! Please don't touch the trumpet vine anymore and I do hope it was the culprit which caused all the itchiness.
ReplyDeletePoor guy, I hope that is the mystery solved though. Wouldn't that be nice and easy.
ReplyDeletePoor boy! Itchies are no fun. I really hope it's the plant! It sounds exactly like when Nola had her food allergies
ReplyDeleteNola's Mom
Hope the mystery is solved but check this with your vet. We heard a long time ago from someone those plants are toxic so we elected to not have any in our garden when we were planning a new look for the garden. They are pretty but not worth having if poor Fred is suffering.
ReplyDeletePoor Freddie. Hopefully you've solved this for good and Fred can get some relief.
ReplyDeleteOH PAW Itchy Fred!! My human just had to remove an Olleander from her garden, and she thinks that the trumpet vine is probably your problem. It's one of those 'toxic' plants. Dogs should not eat it. Oh Fred, poor boy! I've been told I shouldn't eat cat poo, but I can't help myself. My human is doing a course and some of it is about natural medicines. She looked it all up. It says if Fred's skin is really uncomfortable then you can dilute some apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle and apply straight to his skin. It should soothe his skin, especially if he's itching in one place all the time, hopefully it works for him ! Good luck! (1 part apple cider vinegar, one part water)
ReplyDeleteWilson has itchy problems this time of year, too. He's 9 and it didn't start until last year around this same time. He's definitely developed an allergy to some plant that's out there this time of year....No trumpet vine in our yard so it's not that though.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck with the itchies!
Holy smokes. Some dogs are prone to the itchies. My Aussies, once they get hotspots, are itchy all the time. Cortisone or tea tree oil spray help. Some. My girl, we've discovered, has a flea allergy. First time in ten years she's gotten fleas. The fleas are gone, but she keeps scratching. I think part of the battle is getting them past the scratching and biting. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all!
ReplyDeleteY'all know I am allergic to grass, dust, wool, food...you name it...if supervised grazing doesn't help Freddie (my Human found oatmeal and anti itch stuff didn't help me either)...what, besides the shots, does work for me is Sulfadene shampoo and Benadryl spray on my sores. For immediate outbreaks the Benadryl pills help too. During the summer I also take Loratadine allergy pills. The Sulfadene shampoo my Human tried on me when nothing else worked. She used it on her Flat Coat Retriever in the summer...many moons ago. It's still available in pet stores. She doesn't know why the vets don't recommend it...too old a remedy?
Just hoppin' by to say "hi".
Humans have been busy doing and going. If you saw me in today's post, you'll know if they aren't around, I'm NOT doing...so I've really been missin' y'all!
Y'all come by now,
Hawk aka BrownDog
Hey Fred, Hey Gloria, Jet here. Hi Miss Janet.
ReplyDeleteOh, trumpet vine FOR SURE... sorry Fred has the itch thing, I get that too and wind up with the cone of shame... :( I hope you found the trumpet cause and that he will improve speedy quick.
Mr. Itchy should get the Monday Mischief focus for all that scratching. Poor thing. I've been scratching a lot, and now Mom will investigate further. Fish oil tabs are not doing enough for me!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Tootsie
Poor Fred! We hope that the vine is the answer and that your scratchies go away.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Lily Belle
Awwwwwwww Freddie that is NO FUN. I hope and pray that it is Just the trumpet Vine... THAT is easy to cure. Just Stay FAR AWAY from it... Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteGet some Rest Big Guy!!!
I really hope you have found the cause of Fred's itching. It is nice when there is a quick solution!
ReplyDeleteLynne x
I've never heard of a trumpet vine to be the cause of itching but you've definitely got me thinking about it for sure! I hope it is the plant that caused the issue rather than the worst problem of all....fleas! I wonder what the vet has to say about this? I feel your pain as I'm a hound dog owner myself and she does scratch on occasion! Good luck to you!
ReplyDeletePoor poor Fred. My gal pal Belle scratches. But when I told her to add RAW HONEY to her diet it all but went away. Raw honey that comes from a local hive will still have trace amounts of pollen in it. If your dog has allergies to the pollen, the pollen in local honey will acclimatize your dog to the pollen in the air without triggering your dog's allergies. You can go here to read more. http://www.ehow.com/list_6325233_raw-honey-benefits-dogs.html#ixzz247QbtpSv
ReplyDeleteIt also helps increase energy, helps with digestion and has antibacterial properties.
I sure hope what ever you do that Fred and you will find relief.
Blessings,
Goose
Poor Fred. Let's hope you found the culprit...fingers crossed
ReplyDeleteI hope this is the answer to Fred's itching. Poor baby!
ReplyDeletePaws crossed that you've found the problem. I,Daisy, scratched and stuff when we changed to kibble, but now I eat a no grain and don't have a problem.
ReplyDeleteXXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
Poor Fred. I hope you have it figured out. Keep us updated. :)
ReplyDeleteAwww...poor Fred. Hopefully the Trumpet Vine is the only issue. We've had the same problem with Stetson for years and recently we decided to try a bunch of different remedies to try and relieve him of his constant itching. He just finishing up his Prednisone so we'll see if some of these things work. Here's the list in case you'd like to check it out: http://puppyintraining.com/10-remedies-to-help-alleviate-dog-skin-problems/
ReplyDeleteOh, we hope that is the problem and the remedy is easy! Poor Freddie!!
ReplyDeleteYour friends,
Murphy & Stanley
poor fred, I hope that's the problem....easy fix!
ReplyDeleteViolet
I hope, I hope, I hope this is the problem. I feel so bad for Fred. Itching is so maddening.
ReplyDeleteMy Lily was itching so bad yesterday, momma needed to put her in cool water in the bathtub, which helped her belly and feets
ReplyDeleteBenny & Lily
Oh Freddie,
ReplyDeleteI sure hope your Dad found the culprit - cos it doesn't sound like very fun Mischief to me buddy!! Maybe you should stick to stealing the laundry?
Big Wags to all
Your pal Snoopy :)
Oh poor Fred :( I hate when my dog is itchy!! She is the same way, she waits until we are gone and then she goes to town!! I hope Fred is feeling better soon!!
ReplyDeleteI used to have itchies as well!
ReplyDeleteI really hope that is the culprit in his itching! Do you think that's what it was in Barney's case as well? I cannot leave Yuki and Rocket unattended in the yard, as much as I would like, because there are a lot of oleander trees in our neighborhood that blow leaves into our yard. :(
ReplyDeleteRoo poor litle Freddie! If the itching is driving you insane, just imagine how he must feel! Allergies are NO fun at all! Excellent detective work finding those flowers - I'm keeping my paws crossed you've found the culprit! *Waggy tail*
ReplyDeleteOh noesss! I'm sorry about the itching, but am happy you might have found the problem! :)
ReplyDeleteWoofs & huggies, <3
~Bailey (Yep, I'm a girl!)
So glad you have found what caused the itching. Poor Fred it's awful when you can't stop scratching - hope you're feeling better soon ! Woofs and licks from Magic xx
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to you. Cody (our cat) has terrible allergies, the vet thinks it is from food (he is on a special diet) I don't. He is in the middle of a bad flare-up now (he has had at least 3 this year) and is on prednisone again (which I hate)...he had an AWFUL "hot spot" that went down part of his head. I am hoping that you can have this resolved/cured easily, we sure haven't been able to :(
ReplyDeletePoor Fred.
ReplyDeleteApple Cider Vinegar is supposed to fix everything, including soothing skin itchies. You might like to Google it to see what you think.
:)
Poor Fred! Hope you figure out what is causing it for both your sakes!
ReplyDeleteHowdy Fred, please, please stay away from the vine. If it makes you that itchy it's not worth eating. Hope you stop scratching soon mate. Take care all. No worries, and love, Stella and Rory
ReplyDeleteGood thing you found out before you ate too much of it! We have just about every thing fenced off in our yard so the doggies arent eating yuky stuff!
ReplyDeleteFred's not the only one!! I has been experiencing itchies too I wonder why?
ReplyDeleteWoofs
Cotton
Poor Fred! Hope that the trumpet vine is the culprit and that you won't have to resort to prednisone. Lucy had an allergy to some kind of grass mite that came on when it was particularly hot and dry. I did have to give her benedryl sometimes, but also used apple cider vinegar to relieve her itchies. She smelled a bit pickled, but it worked wonders.
ReplyDeleteOh your poor pup!!
ReplyDelete