Why is my dog so itchy?

Itching can occur due to various causes. Does the itching occur suddenly, or is it constantly present?

Sudden itching

If a dog with healthy skin and fur starts scratching all the time, he probably suffers from bugs. So examine the skin as well as possible and look for small black dots (flea droppings), ticks, lice and small white dots (lice eggs). If you want to soothe the itch in the dog, you first need to know the cause. As soon as you know that, you can get the right remedy so that the itching is reduced/ gone.

If you don't see any bugs at all and so you don't know what causes the scratching, go to the vet. Parasites such as scabies mite dig tunnels into the dog's skin and are not visible to the naked eye. However, these parasites are harmful and very contagious. So in this case, go to the vet so that you get the right remedy.

Constant itching

A dog that suffers from irritated, itchy skin can have various problems such as: guess infection, kidney or liver disease or a hormonal disturbance. Also, continuous itching can occur due to an allergic reaction to, for example, shampoo, substances in the environment, your carpeting, plants or grasses, but also by a reaction to the substances in his body. Occasionally these are body substances, but often they are substances in the feed, medicines or injected insect substances. Allergies occur regularly in dogs due to reduced resistance, overload of bodily drainage mechanisms, excessive stimulation or hereditary predisposition. Often the cause is a combination of these factors.

Treatment of itching

It is important to first exclude infections and food allergies.  Through physical examination and a questionnaire, the veterinarian will try to find out the cause of the itching. The treatment therefore depends on the cause. As a owner, you can try to distract your dog as much as possible and brush it regularly.