Dauchsund Mix Scratching Himself Raw

Question
Thank you so much Lee for being willing to read my question.  My dauchsund-mix male dog, about 6 years old, is scratching himself all the time now.  I have done the Frontline flea preventative; I have given him flea shampoo baths about twice weekly.  I have given him doggie flea shampoo baths followed by my hair conditioner.  I have even covered him in olive oil in case it was dry skin.  All of these offer relief for a few hours, then he's back to scratching and biting himself.  I am really out of ideas!  I don't know if it's dry skin or fleas or what.  One doctor gave him a cortizone shot which helped for 10 days, now that's worn off too.  

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!  Thanks so much!  

Answer
First off take him to your veterinarian to have him checked for mange mites. If he is infested with mites it will cause the symptoms you are describing. If he doesn't have mange then the next most likely cause is allergies. These allergies can be caused by: food (or chemicals in dog foods), pollen, fleas, grass, other animals, plants or just about anything, just like in humans. Allergy tests are available for animals, just like the ones used for humans, and can usually accurately pinpoint the cause of the allergy. Since he has been given a cortizone shot and it helped allergies is a very likely cause for the problem your dog has. Although he may have never had the problem before doesn't mean much. He could develop an allergy later in life just like we can he doesn't have to be born with it. Most veterinary practices can do allergy tests but some smaller practices do not offer it; however, they can send you to one that does. It seems that the best course of action would be to have a skin scraping done to test for mites and if that turns out clear, have your vet do an allergy test. Hope this helps and feel free to ask anymore questions you may have. I would be happy to go into more detail about either of these causes with you. If my question quota if full (I only accept about 3 question a day and after that the ask website will not let you contact me until the next day) just send me another question tomorrow and I will be sure to send you an answer as soon as I get off of work. Good luck with your little guy.