Hi Shichon:
I am new to this forum but not new to dogs or shihtzus and their itching problems. I’m not new to dog allergies or food problems. I have a shihtzu/lhasa apso mix who has suffered since I’ve had her (7 years–got her as a rescue). She has terrible flea allergies, so much so that she digs and chews until I can see either bruising or blood where she has been chewing. I’ve fed her commercial foods, prescription foods and finally settled on home cooking using organic ingredients, non-GMO meats, and free-range eggs.
I have found during all this research (and I mean RESEARCH—FOR YEARS) that a lot of itching has to do with what season we are in and where the dog goes outside. I live in a condo and we have hired a landscaping company to cut the grass. They use Round-up or similar pesticides and when I take my dog out to pee, she walks on the grass. The Round-up is made to kill weeds–and some of these weeds are beneficial to keeping away certain insect populations. The problem is that without the weeds, fleas and other insects overgrow and while we have a nice pretty yard, it’s full of fleas and other itch-making insects. Not to mention the exposure to the pesticide that my dog gets with just walking through the grass.
I use a homemade concoction to spray her every day and increase the usage when she starts itching. It’s made of apple cider vinegar and chamomile tea (brew it and let it cool). I keep it in the fridge and spray her paws before and after she goes outside. I also spray her backside as well because that’s the area that gets closest to the grass.
I mentioned the season earlier in my post because right now where I am, it is 70 degrees and in the middle of winter. This unseasonable warmth throws everything out of whack–I have flowers blooming, fruit trees with leaves, etc, all sorts of unnatural things happen when the environment is screwy–including my dog’s ability to fight off allergies and certain illnesses. When nature gets out of balance, it affects everyone, even humans. Even right now, the murder rate is doubled here in Birmingham, Alabama since the first of 2016…everything is crazy. Up until December 26, we had 70+ temps. It is supposed to be in the 40’s during the day in the winter in Alabama.
I feel our little shihtzus are very sensitive to all this, not to mention they are cold weather dogs and we put them in our US climate where it gets hot every summer. Our dogs are from the Himalayas. Not exactly tropical climate there. My suggestion to you is to spend a little time brushing your dog, use the spray I mentioned above, keep the puppy cool, and only bath him once a month, or once every 3 weeks. But brush his coat twice daily. I am a groomer as well, and we bath our dogs entirely too much. It is nice to have a sweet smelling pup but weekly bathing leads to changes in the dog’s natural ability to fight skin rashes and itchiness greatly decreased. Their skin is too dry, it starts itching, they scratch, we bathe, they scratch, they bite, we bathe—get the picture?
Just for what it’s worth–I feel your pain. I can share more info if you want. Just let me know. This is a problem that won’t go away once and for all. It’s ongoing so buckle down and get ready to spend some time with your puppy. Look at it like this, more time for you to enjoy him. Little shihtzus are the most precious.
Sissi
