Itchy, scratchy and down right annoying!!

[cleanfreak]

My mothers West Highland White Terrier seems to be allergic to EVERYTHING! His skin turns bright red and he can;t stop nibbling. She has tried everything from visits to the vets to removing the sources of allergy. Has anyone got any good remedies to cure the irritation as prevention is proving difficult.

[lindapinda]

Cleanfreak,if  you google "westie allergies",there are loads of sites relating to this problem it seems.Looks like westies are particulary susceptible to skin problems.Good luck!

[Eels]

Absolutely right lindapinda, Westies are extremely prone to skin problems.  These are usually allergic responses to environmental or dietary allergens.  Things to try include using a hypoallergenic brand of food such as Wafcol, James Wellbeloved or Burns, and adding an evening primrose oil capsule to each meal to maintain good skin and coat quality.  Piriton is safe for dogs - a dog of this size could get 0.5-1 tablet twice daily (Piriton only comes in 4mg size) and may be afforded some comfort by this.

These sort of problems are lifelong and require good management - I recommend keeping in touch with your vet as you may find you need to call on them at times when the skin has flare up, for more aggressive treatment.  They will be a good source of advice.

[goldie8907]

hi cleanfreak, you say you have been to the vets-did the westie have an anti histamine {check the spelling!} injection because my dog seemed to chew his fur/skin until it bled and became infected, we took him to the vets after trying everything and within a day his skin was getting better. hope that helps