Are fleas causing itchy skin which causes your dog to scratch constantly? 

What is giving my dog itchy skin - you’ve treated him with the favorite flea medications on the market but even though the fleas are gone, your dog continues to scratch.

Many dogs are itchy and scratch because they are allergic to fleas. The flea bites your dog and injects histamines at the bite site. This will cause the dog to scratch for many days afterwards

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Fleas and Flea eggs are very hard to eradicate. 

My vet told me that a flea egg is very slippery. It slides into cracks and between the carpet fibers and bedding for your dog. Almost impossible to get to and kill. I tried steam cleaning and that did nothing. Finally I got a spray for the floor and powder for the bedding. I had to wash my dog at least twice a week once with flea shampoo and once with a anti-itch shampoo. I had to keep this up until my dog stopped scratching. 

Itchy dog skin

One thing to alleviate this irritation and to make your dog more comfortable is to bathe him in a soothing shampoo especially made to calm the itch. These dog shampoos have ingredients that calm the areas where the histamines are still at work.

Other skin irritations that will cause itchy skin and a dog to scratch are “Hot Spots”. These red and scabby areas are caused by bacteria growing in a warm moist area, usually the dogs underbelly, ears and under the tail. To treat these hot spots and ear infections, vets often prescribe “Derma Vet” or “Panalog”. To treat hot spots, bathe your pet and make sure he is nice and dry, then apply the Panalog or Derma Vet onto the hot spot. It should clear up in a couple of days.. 

Click here to see how to treat Hot Spots

Both my Westies have a tendency to get ear infections so I keep a tube of Panalog or Derma Vet around the house to fight off these infections with my Vets approval. 

Be sure to take your dog to the vet if you suspect the above symptoms. Making sure what is making your dog itch is most important. There are other serious conditions that can make a dog itch and you wouldn’t want to ignore that possibility. Once your vet has made a determination you can treat your pet with the medication whenever the irritation occurs.

More information on dog allergy