# Benji scratched off 2 of his nipples



## stacey101 (Sep 20, 2010)

Awkward title, but its true.
When he scratches.....he scratches to the point he crys when he scratches his legs by nipping them with his teeth. Ive checked for fleas, i cant see any besides some dead skin ( dry ) . However, in his ears today i noticed a few bumps?
***Note*** he isnt always scratching, just when he does he hurts him self

A friend of mine suggested food allergies...but ill be honest we've switched his food soooo many times as my mother who is Benjis owner has no idea as to whats shes doing and refuses to listen to me. 

So im thinking it might be A) his liver RollOver treats or B) his Natrual cruch blue berry treat things.

I guess my question is, if he had fleas, can i see them?
and
Is it normal if it is food allergies to possibly be treats? and to be so itchy to scratch 2 nipples off? (poor guy, i cant help but laugh!)


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Has he seen a vet? There are many skin conditions that could make him really itchy. 
Try a grain free alternative protein food, and leave him on it for at least 2 months. Switch slowly, so he doesn't get an upset stomach.
Flea allergies can make them really itchy. It only takes one flea to cause the itchiness. Normally you will see flea dirt on them if they have fleas. Looks like grains of pepper.
Talk to your vet about benedryl, or another antihistamine. Even a Cortisone shot if needed. Itching to that extent isn't good. The itched spots can become infected.


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## stacey101 (Sep 20, 2010)

spotted nikes said:


> Has he seen a vet? There are many skin conditions that could make him really itchy.
> Try a grain free alternative protein food, and leave him on it for at least 2 months. Switch slowly, so he doesn't get an upset stomach.
> Flea allergies can make them really itchy. It only takes one flea to cause the itchiness. Normally you will see flea dirt on them if they have fleas. Looks like grains of pepper.
> Talk to your vet about benedryl, or another antihistamine. Even a Cortisone shot if needed. Itching to that extent isn't good. The itched spots can become infected.



For sure he'll be seeing a vet next week ( he's getting his 3rd shot then ) 
I cant see any flea dirt...poo? on him just dry skin.

Question: mom bathes him once a week as the beagle in him truely shows smell wise. His shampoo has perfum in it (i just realized that ) would that cause this?


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Lucy had a flea allergy .. her tail was bleeding and her back was also from biting at the itchiness. Blu Boy had a food or environmental allergy. I washed all the bedding over without any dryer sheets with fragrance on them and changed dog food ... what a time I had with that! I believe fragrance can cause allergies also. And too many baths can cause dry skin and itchiness from what I understand.

Poor Benji! Maybe you can call the vet Monday to see if Benji can have something for the itchies! Poor guy!


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## turtlesocks (May 18, 2012)

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but a way to see if detritus you find on your animal is flea dirt, can't you wet it? If it turns red, it's flea dirt. 

Also, until you can get to the vet, you might try using diluted (50/50) white vinegar, though I think ACV could help too, on his itchy spots to soothe his skin.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

stacey101 said:


> For sure he'll be seeing a vet next week ( he's getting his 3rd shot then )
> I cant see any flea dirt...poo? on him just dry skin.
> 
> Question: mom bathes him once a week as the beagle in him truely shows smell wise. His shampoo has perfum in it (i just realized that ) would that cause this?


Fragrance can cause itching. dogs can react to just about any of the environmental allergies that people can- food, plants, soap, perfumes, etc. The bathing alone could be drying to his skin but then the actual soap might make it worse.
Try a very gentle perfume free oatmeal shampoo and maybe bathe every other week or monthly. Brush him or bathe with water only on the off-weeks.

Stand him on a large piece of white paper or in a dry bathtub. Carefully comb over him using a flea comb or fine tooth comb and look for any signs of flea dirt or fleas themselves.

Clean his scratch areas with a betadine dilution to keep them from getting infected.

Pick a grain free, non-poultry based food and stick with it for 6-8 weeks. Consider lamb, bison or fish. Add a tiny bit of oil (like olive oil) to his meals to condition his skin and coat (only a bit, about 1 teaspoon per day max because too much can cause stomach upsets)

Wash any bedding in a fragrance free laundry soap; like Arm and Hammer Free for example.


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## stacey101 (Sep 20, 2010)

Shell said:


> Fragrance can cause itching. dogs can react to just about any of the environmental allergies that people can- food, plants, soap, perfumes, etc. The bathing alone could be drying to his skin but then the actual soap might make it worse.
> Try a very gentle perfume free oatmeal shampoo and maybe bathe every other week or monthly. Brush him or bathe with water only on the off-weeks.
> 
> Stand him on a large piece of white paper or in a dry bathtub. Carefully comb over him using a flea comb or fine tooth comb and look for any signs of flea dirt or fleas themselves.
> ...


thanks so much! his needle is for Tuesday, so ill bring up the itching and such. Ive taken away the treats i listed in the first post, and honestly..i havent seen him scratch in almost 24 hours, minus the scabs where the nipples were. 

Would baby shampoo be better for his skin?


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

My puppy came to me with dry skin; it looked like dandruff. It turned out to be "walking dandruff," Cheyletiella mites -- his breeder's vet had misdiagnosed it. As mentioned, lots of things can cause dry skin, so I'm glad you're taking him to the vet soon. Hopefully they'll figure it out quickly so the poor little guy won't itch so much anymore!


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Get some Microtek Anti Itch shampoo. Use it every 3 days for a week or so, then weekly for a couple weeks then monthly, then as needed. Dry thoroughly after the bath.


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## TTs Towel (May 22, 2012)

.......................


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Generally speaking, 12-week-old puppies aren't really old enough to have allergies. Doesn't it take 6-12 months to develop antibodies like that? My guess is a contact dermatitis. Or dry skin.


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## GreatDaneMom (Sep 21, 2007)

stacey101 said:


> For sure he'll be seeing a vet next week ( he's getting his 3rd shot then )
> I cant see any flea dirt...poo? on him just dry skin.
> 
> Question: mom bathes him once a week as the beagle in him truely shows smell wise. His shampoo has perfum in it (i just realized that ) would that cause this?


once a week is a lot of bathing for a dog. it will dry out their skin and cause inching and dry hair, etc. also fregrence shampoo can cause allergic reactions.


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## stacey101 (Sep 20, 2010)

Update! vet trip went awsome yesterday, he was a gem with the vet! 
Vet said, dried out skin from the harsh shampoo mom insist on using. So every second - third week he'll be getting bathed in baby shampoo and every week just plain water.

The vet also mentioned that him wimpering over him nawing on his legs is his own fault for not understanding not to chew so hard LOL


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Good to hear it sounds like something simple.

You might find that if you bathe him less, he actually needs to be bathed less. Kind of like if you wash your own face with too drying of soap it actually produces more oils to try to compensate for all the oils being stripped away. A small amount of a healthy oil in his diet can help with dry skin. 

I actually wash my hound 2-3 times per year  (Unless he rolls in something nasty or jumps in a lake)


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Good to hear Benji is doing well in every other aspect!


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