My poodle scratches constantly...

Question
QUESTION: Good Morning, I have a parti poodle that weighs around 14 pounds.  She is almost 4 years old.  We have had her since she was 10 weeks old.  My baby scratches constantly and chews on her feet.  I have had her tested for allergies and the only significant thing was pecan trees.  We did live near a pecan tree a couple of months ago but we have recently moved.  She is still scratching and chewing.  I have noticed that on her feet around the nail bed it looks like it is irritated.  Yesterday I noticed these awful red patches on her skin and she had scratched at them so hard that she was bleeding.  I don't know if she is scratching at the red areas or if the red area is caused from her scratching.  She was like that when I got home from work.  I feel so sorry for her.  I have bought the special medicated shampoos, I give her allergy meds and since I have found your site and read your response to others I am trying her on the benedryl.  I just don't know what to do.  Any suggestions as to what could be causing this severe reaction?  Thank you!

ANSWER: Hello Lisa,
Dogs can have allergies to about the same things as people can and scratching is one sign that they are allergic if allergies are to blame.  Try to think about anything new that you might have brought into the house; ie cleaning supplys, new fabrics, laundry detergent, etc, or have you recently switched her food or treats.  
As far as the benedryl goes, since she is small, give her 1/2 a tablet in the evenings.  You will want to try this for at least 3-4 weeks to give it a chance to get into her system.  
Another thing you can try is adding a Fish Oil capsule to her food 1-2 times a week.  The Fish Oil will help her skin and coat and may help with her itching and scratching.  

Have you had her checked for fleas or is she currently on a Flea treatment?  Infant and juevinal fleas are very hard to see, yet they can bite and irritate the dogs skin just like an adult flea.  If your dog isn't on a flea treatment yet, you might want to start one such as Advantage or Frontline Plus.  Do make sure that what ever product you are using kills all stages of the flea cycle, and not just the adults.  

The medicated shampoos will help her skin, and when she does scratch sores on her body, try using the triple antibotic with pain reliever.  It will help soothe her skin some.  You could also try Benedryl cream on the places she is itching.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, Please feel free to ask me.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim

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

QUESTION: Thanks so much for your reply.  I wanted to tell you that she is on Revolution once a month treatment for fleas, etc.  Could it be possible that she is allergic to that?  Also, I have gotten Temaril-P from her Vet to give to her in the past.  But he acts like that is not something that we need to give her indefinitely so I am trying to figure out another treatment.  How do you feel about giving her that?  She gets 1/2 tablet every day.  When she is on it she does not have as many attacks with the scratching.  I try not to give it to her all of the time.  And I just gave her a dose yesterday to try and give her some quick relief even though I had given her 1/2 of the benedryl tablets for the 2 days prior.  Should I give her the benedryl instead?  I am going to try the benedryl for 3-4 weeks as you suggested.  After that, what should I do?  Can the benedryl be given indefinitely if it seems to control her itching?  And the ointments you mentioned, are those the same that we buy for ourselves at the drug store?  Thank you so much for your help.

Answer
Hello again,
I looked up the Temaril-P and it looks like it is a stroid that helps control the inflammation and itching for whatever reason (no matter what is causing it).  So to really help the dog, you need to find out why she is itching.  
You might try another brand of flea treatment to see if she doesn't scratch so much.  It could be the Revolution, as I have heard of dogs being allergic to it.  
About giving it along with the Benedryl, I would call your Vet just to make sure it doesn't interact with the Temaril.  If it seems to help, you can use Benedryl as long as she needs it for.  You might cut it back in different seasons because she could be reacting to something outside that may only make her itch at certain times during the year.  

Yes, the triple antibotic and the Benedryl cream are the same ones that you would buy at the drug store.  You can even use the cheaper brands like Sam's Choice or Great Value (Wal-Mart's brand) and they work just as well.  

Thanks again for your questions,
Kim