Basset Hound Puppy Skin Problems?

Question
Hi There, Anne,
Thank you for reading my question.
We have a basset hound puppy (male).  He is about 3 months old.  He suddenly developed a terrible itching.  Our vet prescribed some Cortisone, as well as a "chill pill" but this dog is driving us crazy, especially at night.  We wakes my husband up at 1am and then just refuses to go back to sleep again.  Unfortunately we have a very bad habit of letting them (he has a Spaniel sister called Maggie, who is now just over a year old) sleep with us on the bed.  
My question is a) what can we do to make him stop itching (I do suspect that it has got something to do with winter), and b) my husband does not want to listen to me when I tell him that he musnt reenforce Harry's bad behaviour by getting up when Harry (the basset) commands him to - how can we avoid this behaviour?
Thank you, and God bless
Liezl
Potchefstroom
South Africa.

Answer
What are you feeding the puppy?  Some dogs are allergic to things such as chicken, wheat, soy.  There's a great web page called The Dog Food Project, that has lots of information on foods.  Granted, most are by companies in the US, but maybe can be ordered online, or you may have similar products there.
That said, most allergies are environmental - grasses, contact with icky substances, etc.  Cortisone is one thing that vets prescribe, and benadryl is another.  Your vet can tell you if that would be ok to give, and if so, the dosage.  But, when dealing with something like itching, best to return to the vet if the first treatment didn't provide any relief.
You are correct - your hubby should stay in bed and buy ear plugs LOL.  As long as you have given the best treatment you can, and insured a correct diet, don't give in to the "bad manners" (he really isn't bad, just uncomfortable).  You don't want this to persist as a habit long after the itch is gone.