Mary Allen
Every dog scratches behind the ears every now and then with relish. He usually removes dead skin cells or the fur in the change of coat.
But what it means when your dog is constantly scratching its whole body and what you should do then, you will find out in this article.
In a nutshell: When your dog is constantly scratching
A healthy dog will not scratch in the same place constantly or for a long time. Therefore, you should monitor such behavior more closely and examine your dog.
Does he have injuries? Is the skin inflamed or dry? Does he suffer from a flea or mite infestation? Many problems irritate your dog’s skin and cause persistent itching. In order to properly care for your dog, you should know the most common reasons for itchy skin.
6 causes of constant scratching
The need to scratch is usually aimed at removing something from the coat or skin: dirt, dander or simply hair from the change of coat.
Even if a dog is not used to a harness or piece of clothing, it will try to scratch it off its body.
This is a completely natural and unproblematic behavior. Only if the scratching increases should you pay attention. Then there may be underlying causes that require treatment.
1. Skin diseases
Sick or dry skin causes unpleasant itching for the dog, which it only relieves for a short time by scratching all over the body frequently.
Such a condition can be a fungal infection, skin inflammation, or simply dry skin.
Many sensitive dogs have dry skin in the wintertime, when the heating draws moisture out of the air. Bathing too often or using the wrong soap with the wrong pH value also dries out the dog’s skin or the lack of unsaturated fats.
A fungal infection or inflammation of the skin is particularly problematic when it slows down the healing process of a wound. In addition, fungal infections do not heal by themselves.
2. Injury
Even small injuries itch when scabs form and tempt the dog to scratch more at the appropriate spot.
Here you shouldn’t let your dog scratch it too often, because your claws keep tearing open the wounds and bacteria and dirt can penetrate.
3. Allergy
Dogs can get rashes from allergies too. In the case of food allergies, this can appear in random parts of the body or, in the case of contact allergies, over a large area at the point of contact with the trigger.
Since the skin is only responding to an internal mechanism with the itch, constant scratching does not reduce the symptoms and your dog will continue to scratch.
4. Stress
The three most common signs of stress in dogs are licking, drooling and scratching.
On the one hand, this is a kind of substitute action, because your dog cannot eliminate the stress factor itself, on the other hand, it relieves the slight pain of scratching but also the skin tingling that occurs when you are nervous.
5. Parasitic infestation
Fleas, ticks and mites are annoying parasites that affect every dog and are not always easy to remove.
While ticks only bite into one part of the body and stay there until they feed themselves or you remove them, fleas and mites can be found all over the body. Then the dog constantly scratches all parts of the body.
You can see fleas with the naked eye as small, black dots that move across the skin. They are extremely persistent and can also jump on you. Removing them takes time, but they don’t go away on their own, and they can also transmit disease.
Your dog usually catches mites when it roams through the meadows. However, you do not see a mite infestation directly, but only when your dog scratches like crazy and bald spots may already form.
6. Improper grooming
Dogs with a lot of topcoat and undercoat in particular must be combed regularly so that the fur does not become matted or tangled in it. Hardened clumps of dirt or plant debris will irritate the skin underneath. In addition, fur knots prevent normal air circulation on the skin and thus promote fungal infections and inflammation.
Bathing more than once a month is usually not good for your dog’s skin. Even if he returns from every walk almost completely covered in mud, a quick shower with a garden hose, a wet rag, or, in the case of short-haired dogs, waiting for the dirt to dry and fall off by itself or by combing will suffice.
How much scratching is normal?
An occasional, irregular scratching is natural at first, even if it happens every day.
However, if your dog seems to scratch itself uncharacteristically often or always in the same place, a closer examination is appropriate.
If your dog has major wounds or wounds that don’t close for more than two days, you should definitely make an appointment with the vet. Open wounds always have an increased risk of inflammation and, in the worst case, your dog can develop canine neurodermatitis if it scratches for a long time.
Even if you cannot identify a cause, it is advisable to get support from your veterinarian.
What you can do about your dog’s itching
Cooling compresses help against acute itching. You can do this by placing a wet towel or washcloth over the itchy area, as long as it’s not covered by thick fur.
However, very playful dogs could sabotage this and prefer to nibble on the cloths.
Wound balms specially approved for dogs are ideal for particularly irritated skin areas. Here it is very important that you do not use any ointment for humans, because the dog will also lick the itchy areas and thus absorb the ointment.
If your dog is only scratching itself out of boredom, this helps as a distraction. Encourage him to keep his nose and head busy, and increase his daily exercise routine to keep the scratching from coming back.
If the itching doesn’t go away, you should bring your dog to your veterinarian’s office. Even for harmless reasons, constant scratching can cause sores that are easily infected by dirt and bacteria.
How can you prevent scratching?
Check your dog regularly for bald spots, sores, and skin lesions, and to check for fleas or ticks. The sooner you notice wounds or skin infections, the better you can treat them.
Think about your bathing schedule and look at your grooming products to make sure they are all dog-approved. It is best to find out from your vet what coat care your dog needs.
Talk to your vet about the right food for your dog and see if any food intolerances develop. Occasionally add a teaspoon of olive or fish oil to dog food to ensure an adequate supply of unsaturated fats.
Conclusion
Constant scratching in dogs definitely indicates a problem. The causes are varied, so you have to take a close look for optimal care.
You can solve some problems quickly, such as improper grooming or scratching out of boredom. Others, if left untreated, can cause serious problems for your dog.