# Violently Itchy French Bulldog



## SaraSerge (Jul 10, 2010)

My parents friend's dog has an intense skin/allergy condition and he is constantly, violently scratching himself. He will rub his face against a carpet until he bleeds and has rubbed his belly and paws raw and hairless. He is in constant discomfort, to the point where he cannot relax to fall asleep. The owner says he has tried "everything" from diet to ointments to epsom salt baths etc. He's only been to see two vets, the vet connected to the pet store where he bought the dog, and paid a fortune (possible puppy mill?) and a holistic vet. The dog is now on a fairly rigid diet of prepared meats. Can anyone offer ANY advice or guidance? These are all the specifics I have but I can ask him for more information.


----------



## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Yes, more information is necessary. When people say they've "tried everything" is is very likely they didn't try anything for LONG ENOUGH. How long has he been on the new diet? Did they do an elimination diet? Have they tried allergy testing the dog to determine WHAT he's allergic to? Is he on any meds for the itching at all? If he's itching so much he cannot sleep have they tried antihistamines (like benadryl) or steroids to reduce his discomfort? Doing topicals (like the baths) is not going to help if he's got systematic allergies or an overactive immune response. Allergies are common in dogs, sometimes it's sensitivities to grain or to specific protein sources, but it can also be environmental allergies related to mites, pollen, household cleaners, perfumes etc. Determining the source is important so that elimination and control can be started.


----------

