Is Your Pet’s Scratching Driving You Mad

Your pet’s skin is their body’s largest organ, so let’s give it the pampering and attention it deserves! You need to protect your pet from allergies and parasites and keep them looking and feeling their best all season. There are several causes of your pet’s scratching, and there is nothing worse for them and you when they can not shake the itch.

Our itchy pets may do all manner of behaviors to try to get comfortable, from scratching, licking, gnawing, and excessively grooming, even to scooting and head shaking. To help them stop chasing the itch and get back to enjoying their best life, we have to get to the bottom of the problem.

Shedding

Your pet is losing and gaining hair with every season. As the new growth pushes through the hair follicles, they require space. Good brushing and clearing away of the dead and old hair is important to limit the amount of irritation. Sometimes a simple irritation that can easily be avoided from constant brushing causes a bad habit. There is then more skin complications that need to be addressed.

Parasites

Fleas, ticks, lice, and mites can find their way onto your pet and make them their new home. Sometimes you can see these bugs, but fleas can be rather quick and ticks burrow in tricky places, so you may never catch sight of these pesky pests on your pet. Mites, which include critters such as scabies and Demodex, are microscopic, meaning your veterinarian will need to do some tests to find them.

Allergies

Pets develop allergies when their immune system gets confused and reacts to normal substances like they are harmful, which can result in intense itchiness. This can happen with environmental substances floating in the air, like pollens and dust, or with foods that your pet has eaten often in the past. Flea saliva is another common allergen, making flea bites even more of a scratchy nuisance than they would be normally.

Infection

Yeast and bacterial skin infections are uncomfortable in and of themselves. They are often made itchier by the fact that they can be accompanied by other underlying skin diseases. This is because both incessant scratching and several skin conditions, such as allergies, can lead to bacterial or yeast overgrowth. Along with treating an infection, your veterinarian may want to look for these other conditions.

Bathing

Like you, your pet’s skin can become irritated after a cleaning. Depending on the breed and hair thickness, shampoo left behind can cause irritation. Using a high-quality all-natural pet shampoo is important to start. Ensure that the shampoo is thoroughly rinsed out of the hair. This will ensure that the shampoo pulls the dirt off of the pet and that the pet doesn’t experience irritation from dried-on shampoo.

Tracking your pet’s itch level throughout this process is extremely helpful. Determine which treatment your pet is responding to best.

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