My Dog will not stop itching..

Question
I have an 11 year old dog who is about 15 pounds. He has been itching for a few month now, but it is only getting worse. He is scratching his hair off his back and sides and leaving open sores. We have been putting bag balm on his back, but it seems to only do so much and no vet will do anything for him because they say his liver is abnormal and we cannot afford to do anything about it. I am wondering what I am can do to just relieve the itching so he can rest for once.

Thank you.

Answer
Apologies for the delayed response.  Do you happen to know what about his liver is abnormal?  

The cause of the itching would be very helpful to know in order to suggest a possible help.  Itching can be caused by many things, parasites for example such a fleas or roundworm would take treatment to remove the parasites.  And endocrine disorder would require systemic medication.  Food allergy would need changing of the food to something that does not contain the offending ingredient.

Your local health food store may have some herbal products which could help.  Any sort of steroid containing products, which might sometimes be helpful would be unsafe due to the open sores you mention.  Truly finding the cause of the itching is very important in order to choose a course of action.

I would suggest speaking to your veterinarian about the severity of the itching and that you feel it has greatly decreased his quality of life.  Even if there is a liver problem since they have seen him and his skin they can hopefully at least give a theory for the cause of the itching and a possible remedy.

Please feel free to write back.  Sorry that I am unable to suggest more with the information given.