[Christie B]

Back in December, my mother adopted a 3 year old beagle from a local rescue group. She had been shipped up to NY from KY. Her “story” was that she had been tied outside, used to breed, was mistreated and had no social contact with people. She arrived in NY missing 4-5 of her front teeth. Why they had been extracted is a mystery, but it could have been from her attempting to free herself of the rope/chain around her neck, eating rocks or tooth decay. Despite her rough start, she’s a sweetheart. Tail always wagging.

She has never experienced affection. She jumps up on her hind legs to greet you, but doesn’t lick. She plays well with my mother’s other dog, a 3 year old mixed breed.

But she has this one issue: constant scratching under her neck. From day 1 this has been an issue. At first, the vet that the rescue uses said it could be from the medication she was on (from the dental surgery), or from the flea/tick preventative that they had given her prior to her trip up north, or the dewormer that they give prior to any adoption.

The scratching never stopped and it’s completely random. We’ve brought her back to the vet. They gave her a different antibiotic. No help. We asked if it could possible be an emotional response and she said that dogs don’t do that (which I didn’t believe).

So now it’s been almost 3 months and she still scratches, day and night. I’ve tried anti-itch cream but it doesn’t help. She’s scratching herself raw. She does have separation anxiety. She’ll cry and howl at the front door if you leave. It’s gotten better over time but she does not like being left alone.

And now we’ve noticed accidents when my mother has gone to let them out in the morning. Since no one witnesses it, we don’t know for sure which dog has been peeing. But my mother’s other dog doesn’t have issues like that. And it only happens after my mother goes to bed and the dogs are left alone.

Is there anything that can be done to address the itching?

[anonymous]

Yes, make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist and get the dog diagnosed.

Pruritus is not a typical response to anxiety. Your vet is correct.

She probably has atopic dermatitis/environmental allergies. There is no cure, allergies wax and wane. There is effective treatment but it will cost a few bucks.

Environmental allergies tend to show up between ages 1 to 3 and get worse with age.
Maybe that was why she was given up/abandoned.

Don’t keep changing the food and trying all kinds of bogus remedies, it won’t work.

Please see my posts, you may find something helpful.
/forums/search/atopic+dermatitis/

Take the dog out for bathroom breaks every 2 hours and first thing in the morning and the last thing before bedtime. Try to be patient, it sounds like this dog has been through a lot.
When her skin condition is properly diagnosed and treated you may notice a much more relaxed and comfortable dog.

Regarding the separation anxiety you may want to talk to your vet about medication, as the dog continues to stabilize after a few months to a year she can be tapered off. It doesn’t have to be forever.

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