Westies

[Jondel]

Hi
My little Westie is 12 weeks old, I have given her the flea treetment but she is still scratching, I also bath her often,

I know they can have skin problems, but i wondered if any of you out there have a tried and tested remedy.

[kita1]

What flea treatment did you use?

Also when you bath her do you use any shampoo? If so what brand?

[Noweia]

Westies are prone to getting food allergies, which show up as itchiness, especially itchy feet, and ear problems. Westies also get a condition called 'atopy' which also causes itchiness.

Best take your poor girl to the vet and see if they can sort something out for you.

[cruella]

Hi Jondel
Where is your Westie scratching.
Best that you do take her to see a Vet.
I have a Westie and she does not have that problem and has also been tested for it, but my last Westie was prone to a skin problem.
He was given an injection at first, then put on medication for it. He was actually prescribed Piriton, which is an Antihistamine, the same as humans can take. The Vet told me to buy it over the counter once he had been diagnosed with the problem as it would save me money in Vet fees.
Check her back to feel if there are any little lumps. If she does have that then it will be driving her crazy. Take her to be checked at the Vet anyway.

[Jondel]

The flea treetment is from the vet,
also the food, which is called Royal Cannin

[Jondel]

She is scratching her side towards the back, and she have scratched the fur off, but i took her to the vets last week, and he said see how it goes.

I

[kita1]

If you are still in touch with the breeder it may be an idea to give them a ring and see if they have any advice, they probably know the breed better than anyone, if they are good breeders they will be more than happy to advise you.

[jules77]

I always recommend quistel for itchy skin, you can buy the trial size shampoo and spray quite cheaply to see if it helps.
https://www.actigeneruk.co.uk/quistelframeset.htm
Could be a bit of a food allergy though, try decreasing the amount of royal canin and adding some 'fresh' boiled chicken to her 'dried' food, plus a little water to moisten it.

[jules77]

just noticed that you said you bath her often, how often? you could be destroying the natural oils in her skin and coat, making her scratch.

[lankeela]

Did she have fleas, or did you treat her just in case? You may have overdone it with the flea treatment, and certainly as said above she should not need bathing often at 12 weeks! If bred from parents that don't have skin problems the puppies should not get it either. Unfortunately some people still breed from them and so the problem continues into another generation.

[lankeela]

You may find this thread on champdogs interesting:



http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/board/topic/77 810.html

[chewbacca11]

Don't bath her so often. Dogs shouldn't really be bathed more than 3 times a year. When you do bath her, use a medicated shampoo like Episoothe or Malaseb, you can get these from your vet. You could ask your vet to take a skin scrape to check for things like mites. xxxx

[sarahfinglas]

Hi, I'v done some research and found out westies should only be washed once a month or they delvop a skin condition. I have a westie and I no this can be hard as they get dirty very easily, i was given sporal d animal shampoo off my vet works a treat good luck .