Itchy dog driving you crazy?
As a groomer in Florida for 35 years, and a Holistic Pet Care Consultant for oner 30 of those years, the biggest issue that I am faced with daily is the dog with itchy skin. So for the next few weeks, I have decided to post information about the whys of dog and cat allergies and other itchy skin problems, and tips on how to get the itchy pet to stop scratching and chewing 24/7. There is a lot to tell, so I will have to break it down into little bits and pieces, but if you would like to get all of the information fast so your itchy dog doesn’t drive you crazy in the meantime, and you can start getting him healthy NOW instead of waiting for more posts, I highly recommend that you get a copy of my book, “Simple Steps to a Healthy Pet” right now here in the store; on our other site: http://www.critteroil.com or for Kindle at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008LR2H9G/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb. If you don’t own a kindle, you can download a free app for any devise at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771. Buying the book is a whole lot cheaper than even one more trip back to the vet, but if you are an Amazon Prime member, you can “borrow” it from the Kindle library for free.
That said, let’s get started.
Fact: Itchy skin is a SYMPTOM OF THE PROBLEM, NOT THE PROBLEM!! Unfortunately, the general veterinary treatment for skin issues is the use of steroid type drugs like Prednisone, antihistamines like Benadryl , and repeated antibiotic shots and pills. These typically simply stop the symptom for a short period of time, but when they wear off, the symptom comes back and generally even worse than before because no one eliminated THE CAUSE!
So, what is the problem; the actual cause of the itchy dog or cat? Let me count the ways:
- Fleas or other external or internal parasites (really just another symptom)
- Food allergies/sensitivities and other nutritional deficiencies
- Airborne allergies
- Toxins: internal and external
- Stress: No, not his, YOURS
Obviously, all of this could take a while, so we’ll start with number one on the list in my next post: The whys and hows of natural flea control.