Do puppies scratch a lot? The Ultimate Guide

Diagnosing the Cause

If you dont see any obvious parasites on your puppy then a veterinarian can help you aid in finding the reason for the itching. Sometimes simply tests need to be performed to find any skin or ear parasites and other times a discussion about nutrition and environment will discover the underlying reason for the itching. For allergy concerns, there are blood, saliva, and skin tests available to help discover whether or not a puppy is allergic to something but they are not very accurate. Ruling out a specific thing in a diet or household, such as a certain meat protein or feather pillows, is usually the best to determine what a puppy is allergic to.

If the reason for the itching is due to a parasite, medications will be prescribed to kill off the intruders. Other medications such as antibiotics, steroids, and anti-inflammatories may also be needed to help soothe a puppys symptoms or treat an infection. Sometimes adding in a supplement to improve the skin condition, changing the diet, or avoiding allergens is needed to treat the reasons for itching that arent due to parasites.

Using regular preventative medications to kill off fleas, mange, ear mites, and other parasites will help keep your puppy from scratching due to an infestation. If parasites are already under control then Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil along with probiotics are good supplements to add to a puppys diet to help keep their skin healthy and itch-free. If you suspect your pet is sick, call your vet immediately. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pets health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet.

What are common causes of itching and scratching in puppies?

Some of the most common causes of excessive scratching include;

Fleas are extremely common in puppies and often overlooked, mostly because they are small and, if the infestation is mild enough, we don’t often see them. The most effective way of identifying fleas in a dog is by brushing their coat on top of a few sheets of paper towel, then gently wetting the paper towel with water. If a few red spots appear, you have the confirmation for the presence of flea dirt and, therefore, fleas.

However, regardless of whether your dog has fleas or not, you should treat them regularly with an appropriate product; keep reading and we will go through the different options below. Learn more here: How do I know if my puppy has fleas?

If your puppy is scratching mostly their head and ears, the culprit could be ear mites. Infection by this parasite is often associated with severe itchiness and a brown and dry bilateral ear discharge. Some antiparasitic products cover against ear mites and can be useful in preventing infection.

Mange is an infection by mites that can live in any part of the skin. Dogs with mange usually have some degree of hair loss, as well as mild to moderate itchiness. Learn more here: What is mange in dogs?

Puppies’ skin can be sensitive to cleaning products and even to some topical treatments. If your puppy is itchy and you notice their skin is red in places that were in contact with artificial products, this could be a skin reaction (or contact dermatitis).

Skin allergies to dietary and environmental triggers such as pollens, grasses or dust mites are very common in dogs and tend to be diagnosed between 4 months and 3 years of age; however, they can develop at any age. This condition is called atopic dermatitis and is usually associated with redness and itchiness of the paws, ears, belly and/or inner thighs.

Reasons Why a Puppy Is Itchy

When there is some sort of irritation to the skin the urge to itch or scratch soon follows. At a cellular level inside the body, histamine release is the main reason why a puppy itches but sometimes simply the annoyance of a reoccurring insect bite can also cause a puppy to scratch itself.

Fleas: Puppies can get fleas very easily. Fleas can jump from the grass or other outside surface and onto a puppy as well as off of one dog onto another. They rapidly reproduce and feed off of puppies by biting them, which is very irritating. Puppies may itch and scratch when the fleas bite and some puppies may also have a flea allergy which only makes things worse because they may develop flea allergy dermatitis. Fleas can be hard to spot until there are a lot of them but can be seen running through a puppies fur or their feces, called flea dirt, are often found first.

Dry skin: Some puppies live in low-humidity or dry environments and this can lead to a lack of moisture in their skin. If the skin is too dry it becomes itchy and puppies will scratch at it. Poor diets or diets lacking in adequate Omega-3 fatty acids may also contribute to dry skin in puppies.

Ear mites and infections: Itching and scratching due to ear mites will be isolated to the ears because this is where ear mites live. Ear mites are loud since they are inside the ear as well as irritating because they are moving around and feeding. This is why a puppy will scratch at its ears if it has ear mites. Dark and dry ear debris is typical in a puppy that has ear mites. Infections of bacteria and yeast inside the ear canal can also be irritating and cause a puppy to itch. These commonly occur after the ears get water in them and dont dry out.

Mange: There are a few different types of mange mites that can affect dogs but demodectic mange and sarcoptic mange are two of the most commonly seen. These microscopic parasites live in the skin of a puppy and cause hair loss along with itchiness.

Allergies: While food allergies are actually quite rare in dogs, some puppies will have allergies to things in the environment as well as things they eat. If a puppy is exposed to something it is allergic too it may itch.

Ticks: If a tick bites a puppy the puppy will most likely itch at that spot until the tick is removed. Ticks can latch onto a puppy if a puppy is walking in tall grass or wooded areas.

Why is your Dog Scratching And Biting Himself? 6 Reasons to Know

So my editor boss-guy gave me a list of topic suggestions when we first planned out Purely Puppy. One of the topics was “diseases and conditions that affect puppies in their first year.” Well, since that’s a little broad, well talk about something that I get asked just about every time I do a new puppy exam: “My puppy is itchy. Does he have fleas?”

Literally, when I walk into the exam room, a little clock starts ticking in my head. It’s almost like a game. “When will the itchy puppy question come up?” I ask myself. Here’s the thing, I think all puppies itch. Sometimes it’s actually significant; sometimes I think they are getting used to their new collars, or maybe just their own skin. Things that commonly make puppies itch: Fleas – This is the one everybody worries about. Look for the little black-brown bugs, maybe the size of a pinhead, running around on the dog. Fleas like to hide at the base of the tail or on the belly where it’s dark, leaving behind “flea dirt,” which is really flea poop consisting of digested blood. If you have superhuman eyesight, it looks like little black curlicues. For us mere mortals, it just looks like “dirt.” Flea dirt turns rust-red when wet, so if you bathe the puppy and the water looks “bloody,” it’s probably got fleas. Mange – There are two kinds: Sarcoptic and Demodectic. Sarcoptic is contagious (to animals and humans) and itches like CRAZY. Demodex is usually less itchy and is not contagious. Dogs are born with a predisposition for the mites to multiply in their skin. Youll need a vet with a microscope to diagnose this. Ear Mites – Little bugs that live in the dogs ears, wiggling around and eating. Not all itchy ears have mites. They are contagious. You need that vet with the microscope (or at least an otoscope) to diagnose these. For every client that comes in saying their dog has mites, maybe one in five of them actually have them. The rest have either a yeast or bacterial infection or both (the microscope and vet help figure this out). Dry Skin – Sometimes it’s nutritional, sometimes it’s just environmental. Its common for pups to have mild flaky skin; however, your vet needs to examine the puppy to make sure its only that and not an infection. Less commonly found is lice, or Cheyletiella (“walking dandruff”), which are bugs that can hide in, cause, or look like dandruff. (And no, dog lice don’t infect humans, and vice versa). Puppy Pyoderma – Sort of like pimples on the skin, usually in the groin area. They are fairly common in puppies and we usually let them be unless they become numerous. Generally they go away on their own as the puppys immune system matures. Again, have the vet check it out to make sure. By no means is this list exhaustive, but it covers the important points. Maybe you could surprise your vet by asking: “Does my puppy have Cheyletiella?” You know, instead of just asking about fleas … just to throw her (or him) off. 😉

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