My 4-year-old golden retriever has developed an itchy back over the last few weeks, and is always asking me to scratch that awkward bit he can't reach with either teeth or back leg. It seems to be a hot spot too.

He has not changed his life style, nor his food. He has not been exposed to farm parasites such as ticks and I have treated him against fleas. In any case he is no more itchy than normal in other places, just the back. He is well in all other respects.

Any suggestions as to the cause of the itchiness. and anything I can do for it, by way of something in his diet perhaps? He is due to go to the vet shortly for his annual jabs, but I'd like to sort this out before then.

Examine the area, is the skin flaky? is the skin raw beneath the coat? Is the coat dry - meaning non-oily? do you bathe him regularly? If so are you using a shampoo that strips the coat of oils? Believe it or not you need only bathe your dog once a month and a Baby Shampoo (No tears, gentle formula) is the best bet. Unless your dog goes running through the mud, or rolls in grease a monthly bath is all you need to give - any more than that and you will strip the coat and skin of the natural oils.

Do you feed him people food? If not, do you just feed him dry kibbles?

You treated him for fleas, did he have fleas when you treated him? If not what kind of treatment did you use and Why? Was it a shampoo or was it the oil you put on their neck and shoulders? Mind don't treat for fleas until there are fleas - the stuff we use are insecticides. Not really a good thing putting poison on a person or pet.

Is he getting enough grease in his diet? Unlike humans greasy hair is a good thing when it comes to dogs who's skin requires a good deal of oils to maintain their health - Yes, it makes for a stinky mutt at times. However oily coats and skin is what dogs use for insulation from both heat and cold. Remember dogs don't sweat, thus oily skin/coat is their first defense from the elements.

Try about a 1/4 cup of bacon grease mixed with his kibble every other day for about say 2 weeks - see if this does anything. If there is a slight improvement, continue this kind of treatment, after about a month you should reduce to one greasy bowl of food per week or fortnight depending on the results. Short haired dogs require more greasy foods than long haired.

If it isn't just a dry skin issue it could be an allergy - To what? hard to tell. Perhaps that flea stuff?

If the skin is flaky it could be a form of dermatological disease that may need an ointment, or pills or shot. If the skin is raw that means it got damaged - if its not healing that means there is repeated damage - both need a Vet to look into for more ointments, pills and possibly a shot for infections.

If you are bathing regularly, stop it (No not you, him) yes I know he will start smelling like a dog - but he is a dog. DO NOT use flea and tic treatments until your dog/cat has fleas or ticks. Animals will get an allergic reaction to these at any old time - sure you can use it for a long time then suddenly the animal starts reacting to it.

Diet is always important. Folk figure you can feed a dog (or cat) dry food all of their life and they are good - That is like you eating one food all of your life, sooner or later something will go wrong. I suggest reading up on BARF - Bones and Raw Food Diet.

http://www.njboxers.com/faqs.htm Don't bother spending money on their book and dog foods, all of the stuff you have in your kitchen for you is pretty much in this diet.

Sugar (refined sugar) Chocolate and onions are a no no when it comes to dogs - all else - well they are omnivorous just like you and me.

Then use a mixture of people food and dog food. We keep a bowl of dry kibble down all the time for Sirius (our black lab) She gets scraps of food off our plates nearly every night, she will only eat about 2 cups of kibble per day she self regulates her diet. Dogs who are given only 2 cups of food and thats it will tend to gobble and eat all of their food at once - not good for the dog. Having a full bowl around at all times will lead to a change in the eating habits, such as noshing all day long. This may be another key element in your diet issue that is leading to dry skin, Kibbles are greasy, if the dog is only eating one huge meal once a day, then chances are he is getting a glut of grease at one time and the rest of the day no grease is flowing through the system.

Brewers yeast - A couple of tablespoons added to that bacon grease and kibble will go a long way at strengthen and improving the skin and coat - (We are talking a fairly big dog, not a toy puddle right?) Now you can run out tot eh pet supply store and get the Pills for your dog - but in reality getting it from the food store is far cheaper and just as good.

If not shampooing and the additions to the diet and the stopping of flea and tick treatments do not clear up the kin condition, they you can pretty much lay odds that the dog has attained a new allergy. Dogs will contract allergies through out their lives -

I think that just about covers it all.

cheers

David

Wow! Thanks, David. Let's see if I can answer all your points.

No flaky or raw skin. The coat is no drier than usual. He hasn't been bathed for a few months. He's fed dry kibble, with occasional leftovers of people food. He's been on the same stuff since he graduated from puppy food, but there is a possible clue there. I bought a 15 kg. (33 lb.) bag of his food which I started using about the time the itchiness started. I noticed just recently that it's the "adult maintenance" grade, which is aimed at older dogs (mine is 4). I do have a new bag and will start using that, and see if it helps.

There's no sign of fleas on him, but he has a dense coat in which the little blighters could easily hide. When he became itchy, I used the oil which you apply to the back of the neck and the base of the tail to eliminate one possible cause.

I'll try adding some grease/fat to his food, and a bit of brewer's yeast. I'm sure it's nothing serious, but I am puzzled that the itchy spot is definitely warmer to the touch than the rest of his back.

If the spot is warmer to the touch than the rest of his back, then it sounds like a "hot spot" to me...as you mentioned. To help with that...you're best bet would be the vet.
It's been a while since your last post...how is your dog doing?


-AnimalAngel

Thanks for your post and your concern. No change. He's been to the vet (routine for annual shots) and the vet doesn't think it's important. There's no indication of any skin problem. There's just him and me in the house and he does want to be in on everything that goes on. I think he just likes having his back scratched! (I do too.)

He'll be having a bath shortly and we'll see if that makes any difference.

I was going to suggest a vet check also. Dogs can and do have a variety of skin problems. I'm wondering if your vet doesn't think it's important or just can't figure out what it is. It does sound like there is a problem to me. The dog can't be comfortable. It doesn't sound like you are doing anything any dog owner would do to care for your dog.

Maybe ask around to people in your area about a different vet? Walking a dog is a great conversation starter. Most people are happy to give advice on a really good vet. That doensn't necessarily equate to expensive either. I wish that I had a better suggestion.

Wildflower, I appreciate your concern, but I can't accept that I'm being irresponsible. If my dog was showing any signs of distress of course I would follow it through till it was sorted out. What I have is a happy and apparently healthy golden retriever who frequently asks me to scratch his back. He's either saying, "Please scratch my back. It's itchy", or he may be saying, "There's just the two of us. I rely on you for everything. Please scratch my back to show that you still love me and that I am important to you." He may even be saying, "I like having my back scratched. Please oblige."

The vet has examined him visually. There's no sign of parasites or of fox mange, the other realistic possibility. What is a "hot spot" in this context? What causes it and what treatment is required?

I stumbled onto this site that seems to describe the situation that you are going through with your dog. I haven't owned a dog in some time now and don't recall if she ever had problems such as you describe. Hopefully something in this website will help.
Good luck!

What a great site! Thank you. I've added it to my "Favorites". It's not a great deal of help in this case, alas. The itchy bit is the part on the very top of his back that he can't reach to bite or scratch himself, which the website says is the primary cause of hot-spots.

He had a bath today and so far (same evening) he hasn't asked to be scratched. He loves water and frequently goes into a local lake, but not right in. He won't go out of his depth, so his back doesn't get washed that way. He may have had some dirt or dry skin there which the bath has removed. If the problem continues I'll try the herbal remedies suggested in the website. They will at least soothe without irritating.