Itchy Ella

Emily

Emily

Location
Melbourne, Australia
Poor Ella is really itchy. We're booked in to see the vet next week but I'm going to give them a call when they open to see if we can get in any earlier.

It's one of those weird things that slowly crept up on us so we took ages to notice a change. Over the last few months, Ella has become more and more itchy. I think it's from lying on the grass when we're outside. It's her paws, belly/chest, lower legs and 'armpits' on her front legs (that's the best way I could think to describe them 🤷😆).

When I look at her skin, it all looks OK but the hair is starting to thin from the scratching. Poor girl.

Anyway, off to see what the vet can do.
 
MellowYellow

MellowYellow

Oh, my old Bones used to get something similar in the summer, it was an allergy to grass mites. I hope the vet can sort it for you quickly, poor Ella.
 
M

M.F.

Snowie is the same. It’s so frustrating. And I’m sure just awful for him. Is it summer your side? In winter, Snowie is perfect. But as the weather heats up, it’s terrible. I think moulting is one of the reasons to scratch. But he also licks his tummy. Skin is too terrible!! I recently bought a gel with buchu (indigenous plant) that has really improved things. Maybe it’s available where you are? Made by Ricky Litchfields. Also, frequent baths help.

At the moment he has a toe infection. When that is sorted out, I want to chat to our vet about Apoquel. I know it has side effects. But he’ll be 10 years old in a few weeks and I think itch free is more important now.

Why does your insurance exclude itchy skin?
 
Emily

Emily

Location
Melbourne, Australia
M.F. said:
Why does your insurance exclude itchy skin?
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Because we stuffed up and I do believe the vet could have been more helpful. Ella was on a 6 week Pet plan policy from the breeder. We took her for her 8 week check when we brought her home and, a few days later took out a new insurance policy with Woolworths. When we sent the info to the insurer, it turned out that the vet had written "appears a little itchy" in her notes for the 8 week check so our insurance excluded anything skin related from then on 😭😭😭😭
 
Emily

Emily

Location
Melbourne, Australia
OK, so Ella was a star at the vet (with trazadone on board) and would happily accept treats from the vet while being examined. She was still looking nervous but I'll count it as a win.

Obviously we can't be 100% certain but everything points towards a seasonal contact allergy - likely grass. We spend an awful lot of time outside with Ella lying in the grass. The irritation is only along the parts of her bod that touch the ground (bottom of chest, lower legs, inside of "wrists" etc.). The hair is a little thin from scratching and the skin is a little pink but thankfully not sticky or scabby or broken. The swab did show a mild infection though.

So, we have medicated shampoo and conditioner to treat the infection.

We have also had a Cytopoint injection which we're hoping will provide an improvement. Best case scenario, we might have 2-3doses of Cytopoint each spring/summer. At $170 per injection 😬😬
 
Lab_adore

Lab_adore

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Sydney, Australia
We keep Maxx's mild itchiness under control with regular baths with malaseb and an oatmeal skin conditioner for in between baths. The malaseb is the second wash and stays on for 10 minutes before a thorough rinse. He had a normal pet shampoo for the first wash. We also apply malaseb directly to his pink bits such as paws, under his armpits or groin area if they are inflamed in between baths. 10 mins then rinse
 
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