The most common cause of these crazy skin problems is allergies, especially with some breeds. These allergies could be from grass, contact with a cleaner or chemical or could even be food related. The allergy part is sometimes tough to treat but there are some simple things that you can do.
- Talk with your vet about a low allergy diet. Rabbit and potato is my favorite and my dogs do well on it.
- Get the dog started on frontline to eliminate the chance that this is a flea allergy. If he's already on it, keep in mind that it only takes ONE flea to get the cycle started if the dog is allergic to fleas.
- Use a prescribed dose of benadryl when this gets bad. My vet recommends up to 2 mg per lb of dog given every 8-12 hours as needed when the itching starts
When the dog abrades the skin by chewing and scratching, this opens up the body to infection. Many dogs need antibiotics because of this.
See the vet so that they can get the dog started on antibiotics if you suspect this.
Many dogs also need a shot of prednisone to control the itch and give the skin time to heal.
The only thing that will give her immediate relief is the benadryl.
You can also try an at home ear wash. Just mix:
- 1 Bottle of rubbing alcohol
- 22 drops of gentocin violet solution
- 4 tbsp of boric acid.
Shake it up well and put it in the ears twice daily. You will see her stop shaking her head almost immediately. Continue with this twice daily for 2 weeks. Then you can go to once a day for 30 days. Then once a week for a lifetime.
I hope this helps!
Let me know if you still have questions.