What helps against itching in dogs?
If a dog suffers from itching, this can seriously damage its skin health in the long term. This is because the itching will inevitably cause the dog to scratch and lick itself frequently, which can sometimes even lead to open sores and hair loss.
Below you can read what causes excessive itching in dogs and how best to prevent it.
Why you should take dog itching seriously
Itching is very unpleasant for your dog and will automatically cause your four-legged friend to scratch himself extensively. Sooner or later, his skin will suffer significant damage. Initially, reddening occurs, which is soon followed by smaller wounds and bald spots in the dog's coat.
Later, when your dog has scratched himself bloody because of his itching, the damage to his skin is no longer just a harmless cosmetic blemish. This is because the skin normally serves as protection against pathogens, which can naturally penetrate the organism very easily through wounds.
If you notice that your dog is suffering from severe itching, you should not ignore their complaints and act as soon as possible. If your dog has already suffered minor wounds, we recommend treating them with Bellfor Lying Callus Ointment.
What causes itching in dogs?
Your dog's itching may be caused by many different factors. To get control of the symptoms, it is first necessary to get to the bottom of the actual cause.
If your dog suffers from itching, this could be due to the following reasons
- Ear Infection
- Skin Parasites
- Excessive Stress
- Skin Fungus
- Feed Allergy
- Other Allergies
Itching in dogs with an ear infection
If the itching is mainly on the head, this is often a sign that your dog is suffering from an ear infection. If this is the case, you will most likely notice other symptoms in your dog, such as frequent shaking or tilting of the head.
Other possible causes of ear infections in dogs include ear mites, a damaged eardrum, improper ear care and kidney overload.
Kidney problems, in particular, are quite often a cause of inflammation and itching in dogs' ears. Chronic kidney failure can be life-threatening for dogs if not treated properly. It is therefore advisable to support the kidneys, from time to time, with a dietary supplement such as Bellfor Nierenkraft (Kidney Strength) to help them detoxify.
Apart from this, we recommend that you regularly clean the ears of your four-legged friend with Bellfor Ear Care Drops and, in the case of ear mites, use our natural ear mite drops for dogs.
Skin parasites as a cause of itching in dogs
It is quite common for dogs to suffer from itching due to skin parasites. Fleas or mites, in particular, are not uncommon in dogs and can also be an extremely unpleasant problem for your four-legged friend.
As skin parasites not only cause itching in your dog but can also have serious consequences, it is important to eliminate them as soon as possible. In our range of products, you will find Anti-Grass Mite Spray from Bellfor, with which you can gently counteract grass mites in your dog.
As soon as you have successfully rid your dog of the annoying parasites, the itching they caused will have disappeared.
Vermin Health by Bellfor against skin parasites
With Vermin Health we have developed a chemical-free shampoo for dogs with skin parasites. Thanks to selected ingredients such as margosa extract and insect fat, the dog shampoo has a strong deterrent effect on parasites such as mites and fleas.
Get to know Bellfor Vermin Health in the shop.
Itching in stressed dogs
Your dog may scratch himself frequently even without itching. This is particularly the case if your four-legged friend is exposed to excessive stress.
Situations that can stress your dog include holiday trips, high demands during training or meeting a large number of other dogs. In these cases, your dog does not scratch himself because he feels itchy, but to relieve his stress.
Skin fungus is a trigger for itching in dogs
Skin fungus is another possible cause of itching in dogs. The fungal spores can be transmitted very easily, which is why skin fungus is highly contagious for both other dogs and humans.
Dogs with skin fungus not only suffer from itching but also get dandruff. In addition, fungal infection causes dogs to develop hot spots, which can be easily recognised by their typical circular shape.
You will need some patience to eliminate a skin fungus infection in your dog as the treatment can take several weeks. After that, however, your dog's itching will disappear quite quickly.
Itching in dogs with food allergies
As veterinarians have repeatedly reported, feed allergies in dogs have become a widespread problem in recent years. Typical symptoms of feed allergy include digestive problems such as flatulence and diarrhoea, as well as itching and other skin problems.
If your dog has a food allergy, it is usually caused by certain animal proteins in the food. A change of food can therefore help.
So, we recommend that you rely on our hypoallergenic insect-based dog food. The insect protein, which is produced from the larvae of Hermetia illucens (black soldier flies), is easily-digestible. Experience shows that the symptoms associated with food allergies, such as itching, should therefore disappear after a short time after changing the food.
Other allergies as causes of itching in dogs
Apart from food allergies, dogs can also develop various other allergies, not least of which is characterised by severe itching. Atopic dermatitis and flea allergies are particularly common.
Atopic dermatitis is an environmental allergy in which the dog is allergic to contact with pollen, house dust mites and other harmless substances. Flea allergy in dogs, on the other hand, is caused by certain protein compounds present in the saliva of fleas.
Occasionally, dogs can develop a so-called food mite allergy, which can also cause severe itching. The food mites responsible for this allergy are mainly caused by improper storage of opened food bags.
To treat a food mite or flea allergy, it is usually sufficient to avoid contact with the respective parasites. As this is not easily possible with environmental allergens such as pollen, the treatment of atopic dermatitis is much more complicated.
Our conclusion on itching in dogs
Because of the many possible triggers for itching in dogs, it is essential that you first get to the bottom of the exact cause. Only if you know what triggers itching in your dog, can you effectively treat your pet's complaints.
Depending on the severity of the itching and other symptoms, this may also mean that you should make an appointment with your dog's vet.
Regardless of this, it is important that you do not take your four-legged friend's complaints lightly and that you take the right measures to counteract any itching in your dog at an early stage.
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