Reasons Why Golden Retrievers Scratch So Much
Golden retrievers have solidified their place as the fourth most popular dog breed in America, and its no secret as to why.
These social, devoted, energetic dogs are touted as the perfect family dog, and their intelligence has even earned them some spots as working dogs. However, regardless of all their amazing qualities, golden retrievers are actually very prone to a variety of skin problems.
As a golden retriever owner, youve probably seen some excessive scratching from your golden retriever . Maybe you didnt think much of it, or maybe it became a larger, more concerning issue.
Either way, a dog who cant stop scratching is an undesirable situation all around. Seeing and listening to your dog scratch is likely just as uncomfortable and annoying for you as it is for them not only that, but no one wants to see their dog suffer especially from excessive scratching and its effects.
So, why might your golden retriever be scratching so much? As it turns out, there are quite a few solid reasons. Lets explore them so you can find out whats bugging your golden, and help your furry best friend stop all that scratching.
Which Product Is Right For My Dog
For long term skin health and control of allergic reactions, we recommend giving your dog daily Skin and Coat Supplement chews. Our Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil is also great for daily maintenance of atopic dermatitis and many other skin conditionsits packed with essential fatty acids and nutrients to help heal skin lesions and prevent them in the first place.
For more intense healing directly on the itchy areas caused by a flare up, try one of our balms:
Take Your Golden To The Vet
Suppose you notice that your Golden Retriever has been shedding and losing hair in clumps a lot more than usual, and they have also been scratching themselves vigorously. In that case, you should consult your veterinarian. As we have already established, dry skin is often a symptom of another health issue.
If your Golden Retriever has an allergic reaction, you should take them to your veterinarian. In severe cases, your Golden Retriever may need urgent medical attention.
Some infections and bacteria are difficult to see with an untrained eye. However, your veterinarian will be able to diagnose your Golden Retriever and provide treatment before the condition worsens.
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Switch Up Your Dogs Diet
Allergies are, at their core, an immune response. Consider changing your dogs food to support their immune system. Youll typically want to look for foods that are grain-free to help reduce inflammation. Omega-3 supplements, or foods containing them, may also help to reduce inflammation. Talk to your vet if you arent sure which foods and supplements are safest. It might also help to switch from wet to dry food or vice versa. Either way, changing your dogs diet could help strengthen their immune system and ward off allergens.
Can You Prevent Dog Allergies In Your Children
Can you imagine how bad it would feel if you had a child that was allergic to dogs and you had to give away the baby dog?
Ill be honest, thats one of my biggest fears, but heres some great news:
According to this study, if the mother has a dog or cat in the house while shes pregnant, the baby is less likely to have pet allergies than if the mother didnt have a dog or cat in the house.
How crazy and awesome is that?!
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Golden Retriever Skin Problems
Though Golden Retrievers are popular for their lush coat, they are also prone to skin problems. Here is a brief overview about the common skin diseases in these dogs.
Though Golden Retrievers are popular for their lush coat, they are also prone to skin problems. Here is a brief overview about the common skin diseases in these dogs.
Golden retrievers are indeed one of the best dog breeds, with a great amount of charm as well as intelligence. However, they are also prone to certain health problems, especially those affecting the skin. In spite of proper care, these dogs may sometimes develop certain skin problems that may go unnoticed due to the lush golden coat. So, it is very much important to check for skin changes, if you own this dog.
What To Do About Dull Coats And Skin Problems In Golden Retrievers
On a recent visit to my vet, I asked if there were something I could do to help, and the vet asked if I gave the dogs an Omega supplement. I explained that I gave the dogs a high-quality dog kibble that claimed to have a balance of nutrients, including Omega-3 fatty acids.
This is where I learned my first mistake.
My vet explained how dog food, even though it claims to contain Omega-3, rarely has any fatty acids that are biologically available to dogs. Biologically available? I had to have my vet expand on that one. Apparently, when dog food is processed, it is exposed to high heat. Omega fatty acids just so happen to be very sensitive to high heat. So by the time you pour Fido a bowl of kibble, the essential fatty acids are no longer in a state that is beneficial to your dog. In addition to dry, itchy skin and unhealthy coats, I was told that Omega-3 deficient diets also lead to:
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Prolonged healing of wounds
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Hot spots
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Excessive itching
Fortunately, my vet offered a solution. She recommended that I start my dogs on an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement. Sounds easy? Not so much.
I also learned that all supplements are not created equal. The ingredients that are used to derive the fatty acids is key. I think most people know that salmon is high in Omega-3s, but did you know that its also high in toxins, such as lead and mercury?
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Common Allergens For Golden Retrievers
- Pollen
- Food
- Medications
- Shampoos and other cleaning products
- Latex
Allergies are a hypersensitive and damaging response of the immune system to external allergens, such as pollen and food. Its the same for humans and dogs. However, with dogs the signs and symptoms may go unnoticed because our furry friends cant tell us whats wrong. So as the leader of the pack, we need to be hyperaware of what to look out for.
How To Keep Your Golden Retrievers Skin And Coat Healthy
We all want our dogs to look, feel, and smell their best, but it takes effort to keep that coat shiny. Grooming practices vary from breed to breed, and factors like bathing, brushing, and diet all have an impact on your dogs reflection. Lets get into the importance and logistics of keeping your Golden Retriever healthy on the outside, too.
Why do we brush and bathe our dogs in the first place?
Although bathing seems like it would be the more important of the two, brushing actually has a much greater impact on your Golden Retrievers health.
Brushing removes dead skin cells from your dogs body and helps to stimulate and redistribute the natural oils that give his coat that lustrous shine. With regular brushings , youll also start to know your dogs body like the back of your hand. This means that if any potentially worrisome growths pop up, youll notice and get them checked out by your vet quickly.
Golden Retrievers shed all year long, but typically shed more in the spring and fall when their coats change. Ideally, your Golden Retriever should be brushed daily to improve shedding. Regular use of an undercoat rake can also be a big help for you .
How does your Golden Retrievers diet affect coat health?
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Treating Skin Allergies With Antihistamines
Does Atopic Dermatitis Go Away
Unfortunately, atopic dermatitis only rarely goes into remission or spontaneously resolves.
Once treatment has begun, your veterinarian must see your dog every 2-8 weeks to ascertain the effectiveness of the treatment and to check for drug interactions.
Then, as your pet’s itching becomes more controlled, they will need to be brought into the veterinarian’s office every 3-12 months for checkups.
Its very important to stay vigilant and make sure your dog gets treatment at the first sign of an itch.
If left untreated, allergies can change a dogs personalitythe constant itch and frustration can lead dogs to shy away from people or be aggressive when touched.
This is especially true for dogs with ear infections as part of their allergy symptoms. Chronic ear infections can also lead to deafness.
If your veterinarian should find the trigger for your pet’s allergies, he or she will advise you as to how to best avoid those type of allergens.
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Turn On Your Air Purifiers
Placing air purifiers throughout your home can help to keep pollen and other airborne allergens from overtaking your home. Air purifiers are good for lighter allergens, but youll need to vacuum regularly for dust mites and heavier substances they tend to sink to the ground and hang out in your rugs.
What Causes Hot Spots
In a lot of cases, the root cause can be traced back to moisture. Moisture under the fur that did not fully dry and is trapped by the thick double coat, causing irritation.
Dogs often get hot spots from continuously and at times, aggressively, scratching, licking and biting their skin.
Their coat then traps that moisture which creates a perfect environment for a bacterial infection. If your pet continues to scratch, the infection can spread to other areas of the skin.
There are a number of factors that can contribute to the irritation of your dogs skin:
It is important to identify and address the cause of your pets hot spots so that you can manage and prevent any reoccurrence and/or future skin problems.
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He Or She Needs A Different Food
It may not be the first thing you consider when trying to figure out why your golden retriever is scratching so much, but food type actually plays a large role in skin irritations in golden retrievers.
If your golden just cant seem to stop scratching, you may want to consider their food as a source of the irritation. Some dog foods dont include a lot of the proper nutrients and ingredients necessary to help golden retrievers with their overall skin health.
Luckily, there are foods out there you can switch your golden retriever to that will help him or her with their skin sensitivities and skin and coat help. Well discuss this more later on.
What Causes Skin Allergies In Dogs
A skin allergy, often called allergic dermatitis or atopic dermatitis, is a chronic itchy skin condition that can affect any dog. When dogs have this condition, they experience an allergic reaction to one of these general causes:
- Inhaling or having direct skin contact with environmental allergens
- Ingesting a substance to which they have an insensitivity
- Flea bites
- Allergic reaction to normal bacterial flora on the skin
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Dog Skin Yeast Infection
Yeast on a dog’s skin can result in a dog scratching or chewing theskin. This often happens in specific areas of the body such asscratching dog ears., face, toes or under the dog’s tail.
If the condition is diagnosed as being mild, then a Benzoyl peroxidebased shampoo such as the DermaPetBenzoyl Peroxide can behelpful. Cases that are not mild will require a prescriptionmedication .
Time Your Walks Differently
Pollen counts are usually at their highest first thing in the morning and towards the latter part of the afternoon. Try to push your walks back to late morning or evening. If your dog really seems to struggle, do a little research to find out if there are any indoor dog arenas or play areas you can visit for some bonding time and exercise.
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What Causes Skin Problems In Dogs
Your dog is itching and scratching, but that doesnt always mean they have a skin allergy. In fact, some dogs itch for no reason at all.
When your dogs scratching, licking, and biting becomes excessive, though, its time to take action.
The general term for canine skin disorders is pruritus, which simply means that something is causing your dog to scratch, bite, or lick at their skin to ease discomfort.
All kinds of things could be causing your dogs skin to be itchy and irritated. These are some of the more common causes of pruritus.
Intensity Of Welfare Impact
The intensity of the welfare impact varies greatly . The primary itch due to atopy itself varies from mild to severe between individuals. It may also vary according to the season and environment that the dog is experiencing ie whether it is housed indoors or outside and where it is exercising, for example a dog allergic mostly to grasses may be better at the seaside than walking through meadows. Skin infections worsen the condition and their severity can vary. It has been reported that 68% of dogs with atopic dermatitis have had at least one skin infection by the time that the diagnosis is made . Atopy can cause great suffering in moderately-severely affected dogs due to the constant skin itching and irritation and the secondary damage that is done by the dog to its skin creating sore inflamed areas that are uncomfortable and possibly painful. Owners reported that having atopy negative affected their dogs life in that it interrupted and interfered with normal activities such as playing, walking, sleeping and sometimes eating . Atopy can be difficult to control medically and suffering can be difficult to avoid during the time when a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis is being confirmed. This can be a prolonged and involved procedure .
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Types Of Dog Allergies
Allergies. Oh,those pesky allergies. Even though Golden Retrievers are predisposed to varioushealth conditions, allergies are probably one of the most frustrating to haveto deal with. Dogs can develop allergies at any stage in their life. They candevelop one or multiple of the following types of allergies:
- Environmental/seasonal allergy
- Food allergy
- Flea allergy
Allergies in dogs usually cause incessant itching. However,depending on the cause of your dogs allergy, the symptoms can vary. In thearticle below, well discuss the different causes of allergies. Well alsodiscuss what symptoms you may see if your dog is suffering from seasonal versesfood verses flea allergy, along with available treatments for each.
Its important to note that there is not a cure for allergies.All of the treatments available are aimed at decreasing the intensity of theallergy and managing it. But nothing developed, as of yet, will truly cure it.
Golden Retriever Types Of Ear Infection
Bad smell, itchiness, ear sensitivity, inflammation of the ear or the surrounding area, and redness, all of them are signs that your dog is suffering from some kind of ear infection. There are many types of ear infection that infect golden retrievers, here are some of them
There are three types of this infection, firstly, Otitis externa it caused usually when water is stuck in the ear canal which leads to moist environment and bacteria that result unbearable pain and swelling, that can spread through the ear and bones around it.
Secondly, Otitis interna Itis the most dangerous type of infection, because its located in the inner ear which are the nerves for hearing connected to the brain if it didnt treat as soon as possible, it can lead to deafness.
Thirdly, Otitis media, is one of the reasons for the previous type of infection, because its located behind eardrum, it can easily spread in the inner ear, however, this type is the less common, usually caused by an extension of infection from the external ear canal or by penetration of the eardrum by a foreign object.
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The Connection Between Food And Skin Allergies
If you see your Golden frequently or excessively biting, scratching, rubbing or itching, a food allergy may be the cause. Self-trauma and chronic allergies can lead to yeast or bacterial infections that may take the form of lesions, seborrhea and crusting.
In many cases, the cause of food allergies in dogs is an animal protein such as chicken or beef, although some dogs also develop allergies to other sources like corn, eggs and milk. Your Golden Retrievers reactions to a food allergy may manifest itself in areas aside from the skin often, dogs with food allergies will also experience gastrointestinal distress.