Are you looking for a solution to dog itching? Dog itching has many causes and therefore more than one solution. There are several products that can help reduce itching but it’s important to find out the cause before taking action. Today I wanted to write a short guide to help you figure out if your dog is just scratching due to fleas or something else. I have been in a situation myself where my dog was constantly scratching himself up and biting his belly, which made me very concerned. My vet told me it was a flea allergy and prescribed to me some medication, but I still wasn’t completely sure if that is what made my dog itching more than usual.

No Fleas But Still Scratching

Introduction

It’s a heart-wrenching sound. The distressed cries of a cat with itchy skin. Lumps, bumps, rashes, scabs and hair loss are equally distressing for the owner of a severely itch-prone cat. If your kitty is driving you crazy with incessant scratching, know that you’re not alone. According to Dr. Sarah Heath at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana, the majority of feline dermatology cases present with an associated pruritis (itchiness). So what’s causing all this itching?

In this post we’ll take a look at some common causes of chronic feline itching so you can make sure your vet’s investigation is thorough enough to help relieve your poor kitty’s discomfort.

Fleas

The most common cause of itching in cats is fleas. The hard-to-see parasites can be detected by their bite marks on the skin, or by their presence in your cat’s fur. Although they do not directly harm cats, they are known to cause allergies and anemia (a shortage of red blood cells).

• Fleas are easy to spot when you look at your cat’s coat closely; they’re small, brownish insects that jump about with great energy. Look for them under the tail and near the head/neck area as well as along the spine line behind the ears and around each leg—these are prime areas that fleas will frequent during feeding time (usually at night), so chances are good that if you see a few crawling around here then yes indeed: FLEAS ARE HERE!
• If possible remove all bedding from kennel areas before bringing dogs back indoors after being outside for long periods such as during walks or playing fetch games outdoors because this will give any existing fleas less places to hide from

Food Allergies

Food allergies are the most common cause of Itchy Cat Syndrome. Cats are often sensitive to beef, chicken, dairy products and fish. Food allergies may be seasonal or chronic in nature.

Atopy

There are many different triggers for atopy. The most common ones are:

• Dust mites (very small bugs)
• Pollen from trees, grasses and weeds
• Mold spores (small air-born fungi)

Contact Allergies

• Contact allergy is the most common cause of allergic skin disease in humans, and it’s also one of the most common causes of itching in cats. Some cats may be allergic to something in their environment, like dust mites or pollen from trees or grasses. Other cats may develop an allergy to something you are feeding them, such as a particular protein source (like chicken) or food preservatives like benzoate. Cats can also develop allergies to things that come into contact with their skin, like litter box materials or bedding material (such as cotton).

Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune disease is the most common cause of Itchy Cat Syndrome. It’s when the immune system attacks its own tissues, as opposed to foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. Autoimmune diseases are not always easy to diagnose, so it’s important to have your vet run a thorough checkup on your cat in order to rule out other causes before you start treating an autoimmune disease.

In addition to steroids and other medications which treat symptoms, there are also some dietary changes you can make at home that may help reduce scratching and improve your cat’s quality of life.

Skin Conditions

Skin conditions can cause itching. Flea and other skin mites, poison ivy, scabies and other parasites, or allergies to food or environmental irritants may be the culprits. An allergic reaction to something you are being exposed to inside your home or on your pet can cause itching, as well as an allergic reaction that has nothing to do with a flea bite (atopy).

Many people also have contact allergies — reactions to chemical triggers in items such as perfumes, detergents and dyes. A person could develop a contact allergy after having frequent exposure to certain chemicals over time. These chemical sensitivities can be caused by synthetic fibers (such as polyester) in clothes; by nickel in jewelry; by rubber shoes; by latex gloves; by fragrances in shampoo and lotion; by chlorine swimming pools; even by common household cleaners such as bleach or ammonia!

Autoimmune diseases are another possible source of chronic itchiness — they occur when the body’s immune system attacks healthy tissue instead of foreign invaders like viruses and bacteria. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is one example of an autoimmune disorder that causes persistent itching due to inflammation around the thyroid gland located deep within the neck region between your Adam’s apple muscles above where vocal cords would normally sit next if you had them).

To determine the cause of Itchy Cat Syndrome, your veterinarian will need to do some real detective work.

To determine the cause of Itchy Cat Syndrome, your veterinarian will need to do some real detective work. He or she will take a complete medical history and perform a thorough physical exam on your cat. In addition, he or she may recommend one or more tests to help pinpoint the underlying issue.

The first test is a skin scraping. This is done by gently removing loose, dead cells from the surface of your pet’s skin with a sterile scraper (called a “scraper”). The tissue removed from these scrapings is examined under a microscope for mites and other parasites that might be present in your cat’s coat and/or hair follicles. If there are no signs of external parasites, then additional testing could be recommended to look deeper into internal causes like allergies or food sensitivities (more on those below).

Conclusion

Itching in cats is a common problem and can be caused by any of the conditions discussed above. Cats can develop these problems at any age, but we tend to see them most often in adults. Be sure to talk with your veterinarian if you notice your cat exhibiting any of the signs described here.