Amy, my grandparents’ three-year-old dog, has been suffering from severe itching for some time now. Identifying the exact causes of itching is often challenging. Until the cause is determined, my grandma is trying to alleviate the itching with natural home remedies.
At first glance, the young dog, Amy, appears to be in good health. She enjoys playing with her best buddy, Bruno, is active on the dog training field, and loves being outdoors in all kinds of weather.
Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that she scratches herself frequently. This sometimes leads to amusing scenes, such as when she suddenly sits down in the middle of playing with the smaller Jack Russell mix, Bruno, to scratch her belly while Bruno continues to jump around and wants to keep playing. However, itching in dogs is anything but funny; it is annoying for both the dog and the dog owner.
Common Causes of Itching in Dogs
Itching in dogs can visibly affect the dog’s life. Because it is so annoying, dogs’ attention decreases, they become easily irritated, are less efficient, and often get distracted. At night, the itching can be so intense that dogs can’t sleep peacefully on their dog bed, making it even more challenging for them to concentrate the next day. The most common causes of itching in dogs include:
- Parasites such as ticks, fleas, and mites
- Bacterial infections
- Fungal infections
- Food allergies and intolerances
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Weakened immune system
- Allergies triggered by environmental factors, e.g., dust allergies, dermatitis from certain chemical cleaning agents, etc.
Itching is often an indication of another underlying health issue. Unfortunately, Amy is already a regular patient at the vet. She has successfully endured blood tests, examinations for ticks, fleas, mites, bacteria, fungi, stool tests, and an exclusion diet. Today, we know that the scratched areas on her belly and paws are symptoms of an underlying health problem.
In Amy’s case, it is a disturbed intestinal flora. The therapy involves gradually rebuilding the intestinal flora through a special diet, a grain-free, high-quality dog food, and medication. However, it will take some time for the itching to disappear completely. Meanwhile, due to excessive scratching, some areas on Amy’s paws and belly are almost bald. Unfortunately, these areas itch intensely while healing—a vicious circle. Another danger with chronic itching: Scratching can eventually become a bad habit. To prevent this from happening, my grandma is trying to alleviate Amy’s itching with natural remedies.
Home Remedies from Grandma’s Pharmacy
My grandma has numerous recipes in her arsenal that have helped many family members (not only dogs). Here are some of them that can help relieve itching in both dogs and humans:
- Fennel seeds and chamomile tea: Crush fennel seeds, add 2 tablespoons to cold chamomile tea, and let it steep overnight. Spray or massage the affected area the next day.
- Aloe Vera gel: Alleviates itching and can be applied to the skin up to three times a day.
- Dried marigold petals from Grandma’s garden: Boil a handful of petals in half a liter of water, let it cool, and then remove the petals. Massage the solution onto the affected area three times a day.
- Apple cider vinegar: Helps against annoying fleas and prevents dry skin. Important: Apple cider vinegar should not be applied to open or inflamed areas! Diluted apple cider vinegar can be used as a spray or rinse. Alternatively, you can bathe your dog in a water-apple cider vinegar solution. For this, add 500 ml of apple cider vinegar to half a liter of water. In Amy’s case, we simply added apple cider vinegar directly to her water bowl (1 teaspoon per bowl). By the way, apple cider vinegar is also believed to help with diarrhea.
I personally wasn’t familiar with many natural remedies and used to use a pharmacy ointment for skin irritation. However, I now use more natural remedies as well. After all, Amy’s coat looks much denser and healthier now—Grandma’s home remedies seem to be effective.
Preventive Measures Against Itching
Amy’s itching is due to her digestive problems and weakened immune system. Unfortunately, she is not protected from the many other typical causes of itching in dogs such as mites, fleas, and ticks.
- A reliable tick protection, which also protects against mites and fleas, is especially important in her case. Here, too, Grandma tries to use only natural remedies and avoid the typical side effects of “chemical anti-flea products.”
- A hygienic dog bed. A hygienic sleeping place is important for dogs with skin problems. Therefore, a synthetic leather dog bed was purchased for Amy. Since it is easy to wipe clean, microscopic mites can hardly spread in the dog bed. This is especially important for dogs with dust allergies. I’m proud to say that my grandma got this tip directly from me! And since then, I no longer have to painstakingly remove Amy’s fur from the dog bed while cleaning. So, it’s a win-win situation for everyone!
