The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Borax, Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Roxies Mom (Atlanta, Ga) on 01/17/2011
★★★☆☆BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
My dog threw up after trying to lick herself and ingesting the borax & peroxide mixture. I will try with vinegar and see how that works. Not sure if this is safe, so I will update on her progress. I can say that after treatment she immediately stopped scratching which is a miracle for her. She is the itchiest dog I have ever seen! I really hope this works!
Corn Starch
Posted by Pamela (High Springs, Fl.) on 11/20/2010
★★★★★
I had dachshund, that broke out with a skin rash, also my R. Ridge back, the Dr's started them both on cordacoze I didn't really like using the drugs. One day one of my friends saw his bleeding around his neck and stomach and suggested corn starch I got a hand ful of cornstarch and rub his neck and stomach and the next day he wasn't bleeding and 1 week later both dogs and no signs of the rash it was great. I was so excited this was so amazing, and I still use it today.
Medication Link
Posted by Michelle (Normal, Il) on 08/25/2010
itching dog: I have tried everything to cure my dog of his itching and I think it is the flea and heart worm medicine called Revolution that is causing it. I just now found a list of side effects and "pruritus (itching), urticaria (welts, hives), and erythema (skin redness)" was listed. I am going to get him some old fashioned heart worm pills and find an alternative flea preventer.
Medication Link
Posted by Ziggy (Denmark, West Australia) on 09/26/2017
I have a poodle who is 6 years old. He has developed itchy skin. I cannot see any signs of fleas and am always up to date with flea treatment. I did treat him with a new back of the neck treatment about a week before the itching started and wondering if this is the cause. As I used a different treatment this time. He also has apple cider in his drinking water.
Medication Link
Posted by Mollie (Sydney) on 09/27/2017
Sounds like it was the new back of the neck med.
Maybe try some activated charcoal to detox? 1 tablet daily?
Also, a bath to which you add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar may help itching.
Medication Link
Posted by Ziggy (Denmark, West Australia) on 10/10/2017
Thanks, will try the charcoal. The bath has only just helped a little. He isn't any worse but my neighbours dog is scratching too so I think it maybe a catchy thing now though the cats aren't??
Dietary Changes
Posted by Jill (West Long Branch, Nj) on 02/16/2010
★★★★★
Re: itchy skin dogs and cats
I was wondering if the Apple Cider Vinegar sprayed on the animals burns. It has got to hurt if the skin is raw. Also, organic coconut oil works great. Most times it is the food they are allergic too. After reading these sites I switched food and the fur on both my German Sheppards and 8 cats all changed for the better. My fat cats lost weight and look great.
My friends dog was scratching himself to death. She changed foods 4 times,, but each time it was another garbage type
food.
You must see:
http://www.petfoodratings.net/
http://www.consumersearch.com/cat-food/reviews
Medications, Dietary Changes
Posted by Kathryn (Houston, Tx, Usa) on 01/21/2010
★☆☆☆☆
Itchy Old Dog
The old dog is so tired of scratching and I've tried everything else. I've changed her dog food 3 times. She had a raw scaly bottom and tail about 6 months ago and the vet cost $300.00 for shampoo, cephalosporin and prednisone. Her fur grew back but now she's itching non-stop and starting to get really stinky even after I use the $85.00 shampoo. Don't know if it's mange but am going to see if the cure works!
Wish me luck!
Medications, Dietary Changes
Posted by Adrian (Los Angeles, Ca) on 06/06/2010
When doing food, make sure it is grain free, especially CORN! This will help you a million times over. Also, many dogs that have food allergies are allergic to chicken, so it may help to go with Buffalo or some different protein source.
But if the issue is just itching... it could be an environmental allergy, which is a whole new bag of worries.
Ginger
Posted by Mamaknocks (Downers Grove, Il, Usa) on 01/07/2010
★★★★★
A GINGER, 550mg capsule cured my dog's inflamed, itchy skin in 5 minutes. A MIRACLE cure...in MINUTES, thank GOD! After a long, miserable, sleepless night...peace and quiet.
Ginger
Posted by Rina (Seattle, Wa) on 02/01/2010
did you mean a ginger supplement or just raw ginger? Could you please be more specific? Thank you.
Ginger
Posted by Mamaknocks (Downers Grove, Il) on 09/12/2010
Just a regular ginger capsule. I put it in a "Pill Pocket" that are sold by the bag at pet stores. My dog will take anything that I put in those little things! He thinks it's a treat. Ginger is wonderful. If he has an upset tummy, it cures that just as fast as it does itchy skin!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt
Posted by Sara (Decatur, Ga) on 12/02/2009
Hello, My dog Jake is a rescue dog and has had itching issues since we got him a year and a half ago. He also has a large scar on his back by his tail that I think was caused by him and the itching. I am going to try a more holistic approach to finding a cure. I have taken him to the vet for a remedy but their suggestions brought no relief. He eats Eukaneuba dog food for adults and right now I can't afford to go out and buy him another dog food. So, based on what I've read, I'm going to do the following
1. add Apple Cider Vinegar to his water
2. spray him with the ACV on the areas that bother him the most and
3. add non-sugar plain yogurt to his food twice a day. about 2 tbls.
Thanks for all the information on this web-site. I'll post again in a month to let people know if this approach worked. I wish I could switch him to the raw meat, all orgainc diet but I've got to feed a house of people first, you know what I mean? If you have any other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks! I hope it works.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt
Posted by Melinda (Somerville, Nj) on 02/07/2010
My dog has the same prob's as yours did. But I have been doing the ACV and yogurt also I have been giving her salmon oil 2 pumps. And she has really gotta better. She still itching but not half as bad. So thanks, hope your dog is better!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Yogurt
Posted by Freida (Lanham, Md) on 05/01/2016
I have spent so much money on vets for my dog itching problem. They have no answers. One vet told me to get my dog spay (shitzu/Jackrussel) Diva. It's a hormone issue. I'm going to do that and see if that works. The coconut oil helps and I'll try the apple cider vinegar too. I tried it in the water she wouldn't drink it. She Luvs yogurt
Fish Oil
Posted by Carol (Flushing, Michigan) on 10/08/2009
★★★★★
I HAVE A CAT SHE IS NOW ABUT 9 YEARS OLD. WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT 6 YEARS OLD SHE BROKE OUT IN SORES ALL OVER HER BODY THAT SHE SCRACHED AND ITCHED CONSTANTLYL SHE WAS BLEEDING AND ITCHING FOR A YEAR OR MORE. THE VET KEPT GIVING HER METHOPREDINSONE INJECTIONS WHICH EVENTUALLY WOULD KILL HER. I PUT HER ON TWO FISH OIL CAPSULES A DAY AND NOW JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER HER FUR HAS GROWN BACK SOFT AND SILKY AND SHE HAS NO SORES OR ITCHING FOR 3 MONTHS NOW, SHE IS HAPPPY AND HEALTHY WITH SOFT FUR.
Fish Oil
Posted by Kat (Crown Point, In) on 08/05/2011
★★★★★
I have a small dog (under 20 pounds) and gets very itchy in the summer and fall. I have been giving him the fish oil caplet for the last few years. I went to the vet, and they sent me home with a prescription. The fish oil works better. Plus, he loves the fish oil and has learned to swallow the pill whole. I make sure he gets a drink after the pill. Don't want it stuck in his throat!
Fish Oil
Posted by Sarah (Manchester, Britain) on 01/18/2013
★★★★★
Tins of sardines work a treat, just mixed in her food and its an excellent food supplement.
Fish Oil
Posted by Betty L. (Lead Hill, Ar) on 09/06/2013
★★★☆☆BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
I have just started fish oil again for my Dobie and her insanely itchy skin. Am treating for Candida. Just a caution, with fish oil. My little doxie cross loved the oil too. And I got to feeding them for treats. She got worse and worse, very sick looking. Then I read something about how it can thin the blood. I was thinning her blood too much! I stopped cold and she came back strong!
Fish Oil
Posted by Marilyn S. (Neillsville, Wi) on 08/28/2015
How much fish oil do I give? How many tablets meaning mg?
Dietary Changes
Posted by Deirdre (Earth Clinic) on 09/13/2009
★★★★★
I have 3 dogs and took my 15 year old dog, Max, whom I've written about numerous times on this site, to a holistic vet in July. Because he was going #2 every 3-4 hours, the vet advised me to take him off his senior food and put him on another brand of food with less fiber. I slowly switched Max to another holistic brand. Well, changing to a new brand of food cured Max of his constant bowel movements, but within a few days, one of my other dogs, Tuxy, whom I also switched over to the new food, started itching and scratching. Within a week he was itching and scratching like no tomorrow: morning, afternoon, evening, middle of the night, scratch scratch scratch, bite bite bite. Poor boy! I surmised pretty quickly that the new brand of food was causing his new itchy skin issue, as I found no sign of fleas on him when I used the flea comb. What eased the scratching but did not solve the problem was to add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to Tuxy's evening food and a small clove of garlic mashed up just once every few days. I also bathed him and finished the bath with an oatmeal rinse. I put 1/2 cup of instant oats in a Bodum pot (the kind that pushes the coffee grounds down to the bottom) and then filled up the rest of the Bodum with hot water and let it sit while I was shampooing him. Once I rinsed off the shampoo, I poured the oatmeal water over him and did not wash it off. I could tell he was feeling pretty good after that and the scratching stopped for about a day.
At any rate, I ordered Tuxy's old brand of food online and just got it delivered yesterday. Amazingly enough, he has almost stopped scratching after only 1 day back on his old food!! So I am guessing he had either a yeast overgrowth or allergies in connection to the new food. Isn't it interesting that he started to scratch right away on the new food and stopped scratching just as fast on the old food?!
If your dog has skin allergies or yeast issues, consider that their food may be the culprit!
Dietary Changes
Posted by Demi (Atlanta, Ga) on 05/04/2010
What was the food you ordered? My lab mix puppy scratches too. She doesn't have scabs, but scratches as soon as she wakes up.
EC: Blackwood was the brand I ordered. However, I have since switched them all to Taste of the Wild (Salmon).
Note: Be careful with higher quality holistic foods - two of my dogs gained about 7 pounds in 6 weeks on Taste of the Wild (Bison and Venison) and are now on a strict diet!
Deirdre
Dietary Changes
Posted by Vicki (Dallas, Tx) on 01/27/2011
★★★★★
I've been the round with dogfoods and as I have a lot of dogs & 3 cats; it's been difficult to find a holistic brand with guaranteed ingredients that don't have grain, or a lot of fat, that I can afford. Pancreatitus is a danger with the high fat brands & if your dog is not an actual working dog in a cold climate, there's a definte risk of this. Grain is responsible for diabetes, yeast infections, & allergies in dogs. One of my little males suffered through 3 rounds of pancreatitus years ago from ProPlan (my vet commented on the high fat content, but it didn't register with me at the time) plus he & 2 of his daughters last fall had a seizure type reaction from one I thought was ok (Blue). Wellness is what I feed them now, with no problems. ACV in their drinking water has improved their coat & skin condition even more. Will be trying coconut oil on one ex-feral cat who continues to have severely itching skin, who vomited the ACV water & refuses to drink it after one episode.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Remy6287 (Florence, Ky, Usa) on 03/14/2011
★★★★☆
I have a 10 yr old Akita that has suffered from itchy skin for a number of years. It first started when she was bout 7 and then we took her to the vet, got a cortisone shot and she was better for a time. Then about a year ago it came back worse than ever. She was also having trouble with her joints and biting them, mostly her hips.
After doing some research on this site I decided to try a combination of things. Every meal along with her Taste of the Wild food, she gets, 1-2 cloves of garlic , chopped into small pieces (I started with one to see how she reacted and then when she showed no negative side effects, gave her more). About 1 teaspoon of ginger root, chopped up, 3 scoops of organic yogurt, 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil, and 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses (to help with her joints). Within a month of using this combination, her skin cleared up, coat looks shiny, and she is bouncing around like she used to. She still has 2 hot spots on her chest but I think it is due to our location. Hope this helps!
Baking Soda
Posted by Shirley (Midwest, USA) on 09/10/2007
★★★★★
Borax Bath, ACV remedies -- I have two dogs; both are less than 5 lbs. One has itchy skin so I started using the borax solution bath on both dogs. In about 3 hours after the bath, the one with itchy skin was scratching again. I didn't know what to do at that point so I rubbed dry baking soda over her whole body. While I had her on her back applying the soda under her legs, she went to sleep. It was that comforting to her. Anytime she starts scratching and it seems it won't quit and I don't have time to do a bath, I have been using the baking soda. She seems to love it and her skin stops itching for at least 3 days.
While she was in her comfort zone of no itching, she was walking better, running and playing and wasn't so scared all the time. So the itching was causing some social behavior problems too. I have tried both recipes of borax and peroxide and then I've done borax and ACV, Her skin still itches after each but she does seem a lot better then before, not quite as much scratching going on. One question though.
Do you think if I added some baking soda to the solution that would help her since the dry soda does wonders for her? They do not have mange or fleas. Also I have been putting a teaspoon of ACV in their drinking water all summer. Their water bowl holds 2 & 3/4 cups water. I do add about 1/16 teaspoon of baking soda to the vinegar. For a couple years I was putting the medicine on their backs for fleas and ticks. Ticks are the worst problem here. I decided to put the ACV in their water and I then stopped the spot on- medicine. They have gone the whole summer without getting one tick on them. We live in a heavily wooded area with lots of tall grasses where ticks love to wait for a host to walk by so they can latch onto them. Both dogs play in the woods a lot because they are always looking for something to chase Using the ACV water instead of the medicine has saved me a bunch of money and made both dogs a lot healthier.
Baking Soda
Posted by Valerie (Iowa) on 02/15/2017
Have you ever tried oatmeal baths?
