itching himself to death!

Sounds a lot like my sons Dane Ollie. He used to have Doggy Acne really bad,,the would even bleed sometimes.   Stainless Steel bowls now,,and I did used to notice that rubber or platic toys used to make them worse.
 
The biting and scratching and all were also a bit thing with Ollie.  We doctored him a lot and he was put on antibiotics and prednisone and other things a lot. All the medication helped while he was on it but then would start up as soon as he was off.  We got tired of that and took him to a skin specialist. They blood tested him and found he was allergic to grass and dust...the two things we can't do a thing about.   He was given weekly shots, almost about 6 months...my son learned to do it.  Ollie is pretty much allergy free now. He has a few little things, but no more scratching and biting himself to death, and his acne is gone.    He eats Eagle Pack food, raw egg, meat on his kibble and he gets no vaccinations because we feel his immune system is shot because of them.
Good luck with your dog, hope you find the answer.

Regarding the tapeworm, I'm guessing your BF knows what that would look like right?  More like pieces of white rice than anything else.  If you suspect it though, I'd certainly take in a fecal sample and have it checked.  If it is tapeworm, that could explain the chewing of the rear end possibly.  It could also be allergies as Dyan said.  Regardless, I would try giving Benadryl for the short term (1-2 mg per lb) and see if that at least reduces some of the itching.  As for the bathing - if you're confident you've got a good shampoo, then I would continue to use it, but you may need to do it every few days to really help.  I use Nu Sal T for my allergy lab and it helps quite a bit, but I have to keep up with it at least once a week.  You don't mention where you live, but I can tell you that my lab, Sassy, has been itching like crazy the last few weeks.  It's no coincidence that our pollen levels are all in the medium to high range too.  I give her Benadryl twice a day and 3 times on the weekends when I'm home.  It does seem to help some.

I've also noticed that anti-histamines work the best when taken along with a Fish Body oil suppliment. I have no idea why, but if I give Daisy benadryl on it's own, it does nothing for her, but if I give her a Fish Oil pill as well as the benadryl, then she stops itching.
 
You can also use a tablespoon of canned pumpkin in the food for Anal Gland problems- it really does help.
 
Welcome to the boards!!!

Ok, well I got him into the vet at 3:15 today, so I'm not giving him any benedryl until the vet can see him. I'd like the vet to see his problem "as is" instead of "well ma'am, nothing seems to be wrong here" lol.
 
I did find a tapeworm this morning. Still trying to figure out how he's getting these. Is it possible the tapeworm pills I've gotten before just didn't kill it and this is the same one? It's sitting in tupperware right now ready to go to the doc for identification so I know I'm getting the right pills, but it's a tapeworm. I've seen them before.
 
Looking back on it, I really think he's had this itchiness for some time now - possibly months - but I just kept attributing it to his anal glands since I knew they were a problem. Now that those have cleared up (probably over the past month?) he's now itching more than he's chewing, but he still seems to be attacking the same area. It could be the tapeworm, but... I don't know... my gut instinct is that this is an allergy. Maybe pollen? I live in Florida, so pollen is pretty much a constant problem here. The tape worm will be taken care of no matter what. I'll have the pills for it this afternoon.
 
I think I read somewhere about a mite allergy or something? Anyone know how I would know if that was it or is it not obvious and the doc would have to test for it?
 
Fish oil sounds like a plan. I know my mother takes that for something - although who remembers what, she is the supplement queen [] 
 
Oh and about the pumpkin. A lot of people suggested this but it never worked for him. Went right through him. The only thing that seems to clear up his anal glands is fully raw diet. But hey, I'm not complaining. At least I found something that worked! [] And with all that meat, they think I'm the best doggie mom on the planet. Win - win lol!
 
Good to know that everyone's pretty much on the same page that this is most likely an allergy. I just didn't want to take the chance of being blindsided when I went to the doc today. Crossing my fingers that this works for him.

I think I read somewhere about a mite allergy or something? Anyone know how I would know if that was it or is it not obvious and the doc would have to test for it?

Fish oil sounds like a plan. I know my mother takes that for something - although who remembers what, she is the supplement queen

 
I don't think there's any way to know if there's an allergy to mites without testing, but from what I've read, it's fairly common, so probably safe to assume it's a problem.  Other than the allergen serum shots, the only thing you can do is keep everything super clean.  If they have beds or bedding, start with that.  Hot water & hot dryer kills the mites.  Regarding the Benadryl, it's not a bad idea to wait until after the vet visit, but don't be surprised if/when you give it that you can't tell all that much, especially the first few days.  It takes awhile to calm all the histamines down.  Also, if it does work, you may want to continue using it on a regular basis.  The fish oil is also an excellent idea and I use it along with the Benadryl.  You can use things made for dogs (I used Derm Caps ES) or you can buy fish oil caps at the health food store, BUT, you must supplement with vit E when giving just fish oil.  The Derm Caps have vit E in them already but they're a little more expensive.
I don't know a lot about tapeworms but had a cat who had them from catching & eating mice.  I had to treat her twice and then made her a housecat to avoid the problem.  I think they can get it from fleas or from eating infested poop.
Good luck and let us know what the vet says. 

Welcome to idog andromeda: [] It may be possible that the source of the tapeworms is raw meat;
 
   " The larval form (Hydatid cyst)of a tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus is often found in most parts of the body especially liver and lungs on post mortem inspection of beef carcasses. This larvae has as its intermediate hosts, man, sheep, cattle, and swine. Since the adult tapeworm is found in the dog, cat, fox and wild carnivores, it is reasonable to postulate that consuming the larvae of this tapeworm can and will infect the dog and cat, developing into the adult stage. "
   Here is a link about how tapeworms can infect people and dogs from eating raw meat ;    
  
            [linkhttp://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~schisto/Tapes/Taenia.html]http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~schisto/Tapes/Taenia.html[/link]            
 
 
  Someone on this forum has dogs that catch and eat rabbits and get tapeworms from them; I don't remember the member's name.
  Giving a fish oil capsule with Benedryl or any antihistamine as thedoc suggested has been shown in studies to make the antihistamine more effective.
   I think there's a possibility that your dog may have a form of mange; the vet may want to take skin scrapings; good luck and let us know what happens.

Diagnosis: grass allergy.
 
My friends think this is rather amusing since I seem to adopt all the dogs with weird allergies (ex: my dalmatian was allergic to meat.. go figure [])
 
So he's on antibiotics for the pustules - which I didn't see before, but the vet knew what to look for better than I did... he found them on Buddha's belly. Man those things are tiny! I would have never even noticed them if he didn't point them out. He also gave him a shot for the itchiness (ok the name of it escapes me right now).. said it lasts 3-6 weeks, and in theory we could keep giving it to him but it would lose its effectiveness. But it turns out that he's into holistic type medicine and nutrional type healing as much as I am so we're both looking into holistic type maintenance programs to help him out - which we'll start after the pustules go away.
 
I really like this vet. He seemed so much more on top of things than the others I've been to. I admit it, I'm very picky - but this is my kid's health I'm dealing with, ya know? I won't deal with anyone who isn't the best of the best. He also knew the apartment complex I live in and said he's been getting a lot of complaints about tapeworms here... so he has to be getting them from outside. Ordinarily I'd be right with you on the worms in meat thing (I don't trust grocery store meat), but I only buy my meat from a local organic grass-fed farm who tests all their animals before selling them. I have casein and wheat allergies myself, so I have to be very picky about the things I eat - and what I eat, everyone else eats. It's made me a bit obsessive compulsive, I admit it, but no one's complained about how dinner tastes yet [] That, and the first two worms he had he was eating kibble (Eagle Pack) at the time.
 
You guys have been really helpful. Chock full of info! Does anyone have a dog with a grass allergy? What do you do for maintenance besides pave over the lawn? lol

He also gave him a shot for the itchiness (ok the name of it escapes me right now).. said it lasts 3-6 weeks, and in theory we could keep giving it to him but it would lose its effectiveness.

 
My hunch is that he gave him a shot of prednisone.  I don't know of anything else that lasts 3-6 weeks.  If so, you wouldn't want to keep using it regularly anyway.  I'm pretty sure some of my labs allergies are to grass too.  As I said previously, bathing is the single most effective thing you can do (I already knew this, but my derm vet agreed emphatically).  Find a good shampoo for itchy skin/allergies and use it as often as needed, but probably a couple times a week while it's bad.  Others have recommended putting a t-shirt on to protect the belly and my vet also recommended this.  My vet also suggested when we give a bath, to finish with a final rinse of 1 part vinegar (I think white or apple cider works) to 3 parts water.  You just pour it on an leave it.  It helps to balance the ph on the skin.
 
Regarding the tapeworm.  You may be right, but based on the article Janice suggested, I think the issue isn't meat in general, but raw meat.  So, it wouldn't affect you (assuming you don't eat raw meat) but it could affect the dog.  I don't know much about it, but the article was interesting (in a gross kind of way []).

Ok, just found the receipt. The injection for the itchiness was "depo medrol". Is this a type of prednizone?

depo medrol is a steroid -- prednisone (or prednisolone) is a steroid.

Sorry, I addressed the last first.
 
If the inflammation from the grass allergy was severe, then calming the skin down with depo isn't bad medicine at all -- sometimes you NEED to. 
 
Yes, I've had several dogs with atopic allergies, but grass allergies can come in two types -- "atopic" (inhaled -- which in dogs also means it's transmitted thru the skin) AND "contact" allergy -- and when you say there were pustules on the belly (they can look like little tiny blisters) that leads me to believe contact allergy.
 
If you live where there is St. Augustine sod (well known anymore for holding water so it grows a "lush" lawn in hot southern climates).  Also wandering jew, night-blooming jasmine, poison oak -- all of them cause contact allergies.  Yep - just like poison ivy for people.
 
Aloe can help sore skin.  (not an aloe cream -- but the aloe harvested from the aloe plant itself).
 
Given the contrast between the two dogs -- and touch base with this vet on this idea -- I would have him tested for thyroid.  NOT with a regular lab -- don't waste your money.  But rather either send it directly to Dr. Jean Dodds, or send it to Michigan State's lab (she built their lab and they use her protocols).  The idea is a regular lab uses the same 'scale' for ALL breeds -- and it just doesn't make sense that a min pin is gonna have the same 'metabolism' as a St. Bernard, or a bassett or a saluki!  Not size -- metabolism. 
 
If the dog has low thyroid it's not going to 'cure' anything -- but it can level the playing field a bit.  I've got a cocker with low thyroid -- and a year ago I just couldn't keep his skin on his body -- trust me, I've done it all -- home cooking (no grain), elmination diets, frequent bathing, Chinese herbals, and absolutely exhaustive dealings with antibiotics and steroids.  *sigh*  Allergies ARE an immune problem essentially, and you use antibiotics and steroids all the time and you're lowering the immune system besides all the bad side-effects. 
 
Finally found the thyroid problem and wow -- the allergies are there but DO-ABLE!!  What a difference!
 
Tape worm -- could be the raw meat.  But also -- you're getting a little misinformation here.
 
They don't have to 'eat fleas' like a meal.  All it takes is ONE flea.  That's all.  One flea that hasn't had a chance to die yet!  And if the dog gets walked outside he's gonna see an occasional flea.
 
However, that being said -- tapes are TOUGH to get rid of.  Because at the "other end" of all those segments that break off (all you see in the poop are segments --pieces that have broken off from the tape worm and sometimes you can't even find them in a stool sample!!), but at the other end is the 'head' and that is imbedded in the wall of the intestine somewhere.  The tape medicine may kill the segments and leave the head still alive to re-generate. 
 
So a few months later, the tapeworm has grown long enough to finally shed segments again.  So if you treated a 'few months ago' it's likely you just didn't get the head.  And every time you treat that head may get just a wee bit more 'resistant' to the drug -- so make SURE that vet knows you've dealt with this before.
 
Allergic to mites - that's like saying "allergic to spiders".  I'm not being sarcastic -- it's just that there is a lot of misinformation out there.  "mites" are arachnids (yep, they are actually part of the spider family) and there are a bunch of them.  There are cheletelia mites (and I bet I spelled that wrong) like chiggers, ear mites, sarcoptic mites, walking dandruff mites, and demodectic mites.  Each one of those things is called "mange" of one variety or another -- altho sarcops and demodex are the most common to be called 'mange'.  Sarcoptic mites (scabies in people) are the 'catching' ones -- they feast on warm-blood -- so they'll bite anything warmblooded.  Demodex mites eat skin and hair oil -- found primarily in puppies.
 
Sarcops and demodex both are very immune related.  Sarcoptic mites prey on dogs with a weak immune system (old, young, sick animals).  Demodex often hits puppies before their immune system developes but the sensitivity to the mites is a genetic flaw that involves a weak immune system.
 
At the age of your dog, let's hope it's not demodex.  I doubt it is -- it's in the wrong place, the wrong symptoms, wrong age of dog, wrong "presentation" entirely. 
 
Yeah, I know a lot about mange *sigh* -- my husband doesn't call me the "Mange Queen" for nothin!
 
The one question I would ask you specifically (because sarcoptic mites can be tough to diagnose and your description of the unrelenting itch makes me ask this):  Are YOU itching?  Do you ever feel like "gosh, he's got ME itching" or do you have any unexplained small red rashes or tiny pustules??
 
The second dog's immune system might be strong enough to throw off sarcops, but typically a human's isn't. 
 
Sorry, this is a lot but I hope I covered everything.  You adopt dogs with weird allergies?  I'm convinced I have a secret-but-HUGE-blinking invisible-sign-only-seeable-by-dogs that says "Skin problems?  C'MON DOWN!! and the food's good here too!!"

ORIGINAL: calliecritturs
and when you say there were pustules on the belly (they can look like little tiny blisters) that leads me to believe contact allergy.

Well sort of like blisters. He said it's basically folliculitis (which I had on my arm many many moons ago - over a year or more - but I remember what it looked like). He said they start off as tiny pimples - like I had - and then with the chewing they sort of spread under the skin which makes them look more like blisters. But I think we're both really describing the same thing here

Aloe can help sore skin.  (not an aloe cream -- but the aloe harvested from the aloe plant itself).

fabulous idea. I used to use this on sunburn. Much better straight from the plant. I'll have to pick up a new plant.

Given the contrast between the two dogs -- and touch base with this vet on this idea -- I would have him tested for thyroid. 

I'm on it. When I bring him back to the vet (after the antibiotics) I'll have him tested.

However, that being said -- tapes are TOUGH to get rid of.  Because at the "other end" of all those segments that break off (all you see in the poop are segments --pieces that have broken off from the tape worm and sometimes you can't even find them in a stool sample!!), but at the other end is the 'head' and that is imbedded in the wall of the intestine somewhere.  The tape medicine may kill the segments and leave the head still alive to re-generate. 

I'm so glad you said this. This is exactly what I was thinking had happened - or at least something along these lines - and people thought I was insane... "what the heck do you mean it didn't work?". So now I'm relieved that it is possible. The first and second were a year apart, but the second and third were only like, two months or something like that. (I'd have to look it up to be exact, but it was pretty close together.) Last time they gave me.... ok I'm bad at medicine names, it was something with a "d"... dyo... or demo... or.... if I heard it, I'd know it. When I told the vet today that I wasn't sure it actually worked he gave me Cestex instead.
 
EDIT: ok it was Drontol

Each one of those things is called "mange" of one variety or another -- altho sarcops and demodex are the most common to be called 'mange'.  Sarcoptic mites (scabies in people) are the 'catching' ones -- they feast on warm-blood -- so they'll bite anything warmblooded.  Demodex mites eat skin and hair oil -- found primarily in puppies.

Well when we were discussing ongoing maintenance plans, he brought out this liquid you use in the bath after a shampoo. It's... lime sulfate or something like that. Smelled horrible. If I don't remember the name, I'll surely remember the smell. Anyway it's sort of a natural anti funal, anti bacterial, and I believe also anti inflammatory. Said he uses it on his dogs with allergies and it really helps, but it will also help with chitters, scabies and things like that. Have you tried this?

The one question I would ask you specifically (because sarcoptic mites can be tough to diagnose and your description of the unrelenting itch makes me ask this):  Are YOU itching?  Do you ever feel like "gosh, he's got ME itching" or do you have any unexplained small red rashes or tiny pustules??

Just the one time on my arm well over a year ago. He didn't have any symptoms of anything at the time and my dermotologist said it was from sweating more. Gross, eh? But heck, I had just moved from NY to FL. If anyone does that and doesn't sweat more, I think they need to see a doctor hahaha But nothing since. Out of two humans, two dogs and a cat, Boo is the only one itching or showing any signs of being uncomfortable.

Sorry, this is a lot but I hope I covered everything.  You adopt dogs with weird allergies?  I'm convinced I have a secret-but-HUGE-blinking invisible-sign-only-seeable-by-dogs that says "Skin problems?  C'MON DOWN!! and the food's good here too!!"

I know that sign. I think whoever issued you a copy gave me the same one! I told my friend it has to be fate that brought me these dogs. That some deity has a sick sense of humor and brought these dogs to me because they knew I'd put up with it and wouldn't send them back to the shelter I love 'em and I'd do anything to make 'em comfortable - but oy! They get expensive real quick huh!

I'm near Orlando -- if you need anything email me.  I don't mind sending you my phone if it makes your life easier.
 
Drontal would be sensible but Cestex ought to work better.
 
The vet was probably talking about Lyme Dip??  Works on sarcops and such very well and isn't majorly dangerous at all.  Smells like sulphur (rotten eggs).  You could also use a tube of homeopathic sulphur - might help, in fact. 
 
But if you are in good ole Floor-da you GOT St. Augustine sod and that can be a major problem for a lot of dogs.  You've also got both of the other plants -- wandering jew (know that long maroon/green varigated plant that they put around trees or on the corners of your yard/garden where edges get walked off?? great 'ground cover'??  that's just another variety of Wandering Jew).  You've also probably got night blooming jasmine -- all these are mega irritants.
 
Helpful hint:  The last Saturday of July there is an AWESOME symposium at the U of Florida at Gainesville.  My husband and I go every year and it is stupendous.  Almost all I know about dog skin issues I get from there.  Very holistically minded for a state school -- this July not only is Dr. Clemmons talking about herbals, but Dr. Crissman (who is head of neuro) is lecturing on acupuncture!!  How is that for progressive?

Nice to meet you, andromeda.  One idea I was wondering about about the tapes:  Is there any possibility at all even a little one, that the dog snacked on infected poops from a cat or other animal??  That can do it too.  If you have cats or other animals you may also want to get a visual on whether or not they are infected also.  I had a dog who once in a while would 'graze' in the litter box.. UCK! I was wondering if raw meat was indeed the culprit for those pesky tapes, does freezing the meet prior to feeding kill them?  I was thinking along the same lines of sushi.  Freeze first, that way no chance of eating live worms anyway. Eeww...  Jules