People who have dogs with skin problems what do you look for when choosing a product that can elevate itching?

i have a pitbull and she has skin problems where she scratches constantly. so bad that she gets open sores!!! What do you look for when buying a product that can help with her skin problem....??

People who have dogs with skin problems what do you look for when choosing a product that can elevate itching?
You don't want to *elevate* the itching...you want to *alleviate* it.


Sorry couldn't resist.


Check her food as one responder said.


Bathe her in oatmeal shampoo,this will help with the itching.


You will probably have to have a vet run some tests to see what she is allergic to.


Try brushing her so she does not get a build up of dead skin on her.


Good luck.
Reply:products you apply dont help as much as fixing the problem will..





most skin problems start by food...if you want to fix the problem rather than simply treat it - look at the dogs food..





does it contain corn, beef, pork, wheat, soy, meat meal, animal fat, or by-products?





meat meal and animal fat are mystery ingredients they can be any dead animal so if a dog is allergic to something you dont know if it is in that food or not...


corn beef pork wheat and soy are common allergins





by-products are junk like beaks feet and feathers - any food that contains by-products is junk as a rule.





lamb and rice is considered the most hypo allerginic but not all lamb and rice products are good - you have to read the ingredient list yourself..





dont ask your vet for advice.. they will usually reccommend a food they happen to sell and dont actually get proper training on ingredients or brands...





if you are in Canada look for NUTRAM





as a rule all foods from grocery and Wal Mart are crap.. many big box stores dont sell good food either





you must check smaller stores and livestock feed places or dog groomers too...





zinc lotion for babies will help a bit but you have to treat the cause.. pits are very well known to have skin issues... bad breeding mostly
Reply:You can use different products to treat the symptoms, but first you need to find out the cause of why she's itching. My pit mix is extremely allergic to fleas (one flea bite and he chews all the fur off from around his tail). Pits have very thin fur, and are more prone to skin problems than dogs with thicker coats (less oil maybe?). If she's really losing fur as well, it could be a form of skin mite or a type of mange. Has she been to the vet? If she's scratching and biting herself raw, I would recommend taking her. She can leave herself open to a secondary skin infection.


She may also have an allergy to a household product (carpet fresh, laundry detergent), or even an ingredient in her food. Bathing during the winter months tends to aggravate dry, itchy skin, but your vet may recommend a medicated shampoo that would alleviate the scratching and help heal sores. Some pet shops carry a milder form of this. They also carry a spray for "hot spots", which is also really helpful. Treat the symptoms and make her comfortable, but you really need to find the cause of her skin problem.
Reply:the first thing i look at is the food i am feeding.


If my dog is having skin problems, i eliminate all grains.


This usually fixes it, but if not, then i go raw. Just meat, bones and organ meat.





Shots, cremes and pills just mask a problem. I would rather feed my dogs better than take them in for cortisone shots, and bath them 20 million times with some "miracle" shampoo that really doesn't work.

creeping