My dog keeps iching but has no fleas and he has little spots of missing hair. Is the best thing to do would it be to but some frontline spray and use it on him and buy some itch relieve shampoo like oatmeal?
Optional Information: Pet's Sex: Male Pet's Age: 1
Hello and welcome to Just Answer. While itching can be a sign of a flea allergy it can also be a sign of seasonal allergies, or red mange.
I would take a flea comb and go over the rump a few times, then take the hair out of the come and and put on a white piece of paper. If you see black specs it is flea dirt and is a sign of fleas. http://www.petplace.com/dogs/flea-allergy-dermatitis-in-dogs/page1.aspx
Red mange is prone to some breeds of dog and is not contagious but will need to be treated by your vet. http://www.petplace.com/dogs/demodicosis-red-mange-in-dogs/page1.aspx
Allergies are very common in the spring and can give dogs a moth eaten appearance , they can scratch through the season or sometimes it lasts longer depending on what the dog is allergic to. http://www.petplace.com/dogs/seasonal-allergies-mean-big-headaches-for-dogs-too/page1.aspx
At this time frontline and an oatmeal bath may not help but it won't hurt if your dog has used Frontline before. I would bring the dog in for a skin scraping to be sure what you are dealing with. If it is fleas the frontline will take care of it, but if it is a flea allergy where the dog is allergic to the flea saliva it can get worse, Benadryl allergy will help if it is an allergy and if mange is involved you'll need specific shampoo from your vet.
Ok thank you for you help it was very useful, but I also have another question do I accept and make another ad?
thank you. The only way I will be compesated from the company is if you accept. If you are having other issues with the dog and feel I can help you then you can A) either open a new question if it is not related to your original one or B) you can accept and ask me your second question. IF it has to do with your original question you can just hit reply and ask.
Experience: 24 years training & behavior,pet first aide, Therapy dog eval., PA Animal Response Team