Itchy puppy

Question
QUESTION: We have a 4  month old chocolate lab puppy, and he has a problem with itching his neck around his collard and his hind legs and back a lot. We check and he has no fleas and we took him to our vet and nothing he thought it might be dry puppy skin making him itch so much, so we give him an oil based supplement each day and it has made his coat super shiny but he is still itching like crazy.  Not sure what else to do for him, and we feel bad cause it cant be comfortable when he wakes up in the middle of the night to itch himself.

thanks


ANSWER: I would go back to the vet.  Did he do skin scrapings?  Since the oil didn't work, the vet should try something else.  

You should be feeding a puppy chow now. Switching to an adult chow for the larger breeds at 4 months, slows growth and helps develop sturdier joints.

Your dog definitely should be narrower at the waist than the hips and chest. You should be able to easily feel the ribs, but not see them. Each dog is different. Standard recommendations are a good place to start, but each dog must have its food and exercise adjusted to its individual needs. Here is a link to a good illustrated guide, http://www.longliveyourdog.com/twoplus/RateYourDog.aspx  Overweight is not only a factor in joint problems, but can lead to skin problems too.

When you switch foods, do so gradually over a week.  You may want to look into a different food.  Food allergies aren't that common, but switching away from the protein source you feeding now may help.

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

QUESTION: What would be the best kind of puppy chow to feed? We are using pruina puppy chow.

Answer
Purina puppy chow is good.  I have had several Labs do just fine on it.  Since your puppy is having trouble and is the right age to switch to adult chow, I would go to something such as Purina 1, Iams, or Pro Plan.  

I am not convinced it is the food, but a switch couldn't hurt.  None of those foods are much more expensive, and they are more concentrated.  You will feed less and have smaller, firmer stools to clean up.