Itchy

Question
I have a 13 month old long haired dachshund.  We live in central florida and the weather has started to go through a warm up and I have noticed lots of green, and weeds etc.  My dog who never did previously, now scratches a lot, rubs her back and snout on the rug routinely.  I see not skin irritation, food we use has been the same. I am wondering if she has allergies to outside exposures and was wondering what we can do to help the itching.  I do not want to go through some expensive timely testing, but want her to have relief. As to baths, we usually give her one about every 3 weeks with a natural shampoo.  Any thoughts? thanks for assisting.

Answer
If she does have allergies, then more frequent bathing or just wiping off the allergens on the skin daily will help. There are prescription medications to quell the itching, like steroids (prednisone, dexamethasone, etc.), cyclosporine (Atopica), or a new drug called oclacitinib (Apoquel).  Ask your vet what they recommend.