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My first dog and Im worried...

19 16:59:05

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
My name is Shannon and I recently was given a 4 month old cocker spaniel from a friend of my home town. I've never had a dog before and I'm very nervous with him. I was reading through this page and saw all of the comments about dogs scratching. "Easton" scratches allll the time. I was told by his previous owner that he has an allergy to corn. I was upset to find out that she was told to feed him IMS knowing that it had corn in it. I was told if he starts to scratch more than normal to give him Benedryl. Which I did as well as switched his dog food to Solid Gold Wolf Cub Large Breed Puppy Food. He stopped for about 4 days and then he went back to scratching. He's bathed once every 2 weeks. And I walk him regularly...If there's any other information you need please let me know. I want to know if there is something else I should do to stop the itching? Do you suggest the oatmeal and aloe vera?

ANSWER: Congratulations on your new pup.  Don't be nervous :) - it'll all work out.

Now..everyone thinks "food" when it comes to allergies and that's the problem only about 5 to 7% of the time.  However, corn is useless nutritionally and hard for dogs to digest.  So it's good you switched to another food. But not "large breed puppy" :) More on food later.

What I'd do with Easton is back up and start again to figure this out.
And I need more information:
Does he scratch all over or in specific spots?
What does his skin look like?  Any redness? crusty patches? Etc.
How is his coat?  Shiny? Dry?  Any "dandruff"?
When he stopped itching for 4 days, had you just bathed him?
How much Benadryl?  Did you stop?
What flea/heartworm product is he on?
Are you in a southern State?

If you can answer all that it'll help me out.

Now..food..I strongly suggest switching from kibble to canned
and I recommend Innova EVO.  The reason for this is that kibble is loaded with carbs (even the good stuff) and cockers generally don't do well on that.  You can use 1/2 kibble and 1/2 canned if budget is an issue but I'd like more canned than kibble.  The EVO kibble at least has no grains.  You'll find it wherever you bought Solid Gold
or go to Naturapet.com and find a store near you.  In a pinch, I'd use AvoDerm which is available at PetSmart (the only decent food they carry).

Start adding just a tbsp. of canned to each meal (and at his age he should be fed at least 4 times a day).  A puppy this age eats twice as much as an adult of the same weight. Always switch foods slowly.

I think I can help, Shannon.  So be as detailed as you can and we'll get on this and make Easton more comfortable.  Poor little guy.
Delores


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What I'd do with Easton is back up and start again to figure this out.
And I need more information:
Does he scratch all over or in specific spots?-ALL OVER


What does his skin look like?  Any redness? crusty patches? Etc.- REDNESS

How is his coat?  Shiny? Dry?  Any "dandruff"?-SHINY

When he stopped itching for 4 days, had you just bathed him?-2 DAYS PRIOR

How much Benadryl?-A CHILD'S DOSE

 Did you stop?-YES

What flea/heartworm product is he on?-I FEEL REALY DUMB NOT TO KNOW, RIGHT WHEN I READ YOUR MSG I WENT TO THE STORE BUT WAS VERY CLUELESS OF WHAT TO BUY. :( I FEEL HORRIBLE. THIS IS PROBABLY THE ISSUE HUH?

Are you in a southern State?- IM IN VIRGINIA BEACH

THANK YOU AGAIN!!

Answer
The first thing I'd do is get him on Revolution.  That will take care of fleas, mites, some ticks and give heartworm protection.

You need to take him to a vet - they'll do a quick bloodtest (in-house, immediate results) and then show you how to apply the Revolution.  The reason for the bloodtest is to see if he's been exposed to heartworm because it can be dangerous to use anything if he has.

If he had fleas, you'd see them (unless he's black?) but usually if you examine their tummies they're apparent.  He could have mites and the Revolution will take care of that too.

This is step One and since you're in the South, a heartworm & parasite preventative is absolutely necessary year round.

One clue for me is he stopped scratching when bathed.

So call around to convenient vets and see who has Revolution in stock and then just pop in for the test and ask them to show you how to apply it monthly.

Please let me know if that was the problem.  But before you try anything else, this has to be done.

Don't let them sell you Frontline for fleas PLUS Heartguard for heartworm.  Cheaper to use Revolution and less toxins you're putting on your new puppy.  That's why I'd call around first.

And ask them for a prescription so later you can order it online which is much less costly.

Hopefully you have his vaccination records?  If not, just tell them he's brand new and you will be getting them shortly.
Delores