old age, itching

Question
We have a 14 year old neutered male Yorkie who has itching problems. I have tried different commercial diets (hypo allergenic vegetarian, duck and potato, venison and brown rice, raw whole,etc) with little change in scratching. Oatmeal baths do not help. He has no signs of fleas, mange, or parasites. He has taken prednisone every other day to help some, but now that his heart is failing (bad mitral valve) and some evidence of early congestive heart failure there is a concern about continuing the prednisone. Vet said to try benedryl or other OTC antihistamine in pediatric formula and they did not help one bit. Dog will scratch his sides with hind leg until he wheezes or he will lay on his back and wiggle while making his squeakey noise so you know it itches. Any suggestions?  

Answer
Ask your vet if he is using ATOPICA, a new non-steroidal allergy drug for dogs.  It has the same anti-itching effects as cortisone without all of the side effects. You can also add Omega3 Fatty acids to his diet (ask your vet) and that decreases the sensitivity of the skin. It may take that 30 days to work, though.