Ways to Kick Your Dog’s Scratching Habit

Itching and scratching are major concerns that bring many canines to the vet’s office. It is normal for humans, as well as dogs, to scratch occasional itches. Nevertheless, excessive scratching in dogs is a sign of a behavioral or medical condition. Your dog’s scratching habit can be harmful if not taken care of quickly. The first step to resolving your dog’s scratching problems is identifying the cause. In this guide, we will walk you through some of the causes of this issue and how best to resolve it.

Reasons Your Dog Is Scratching Profusely

• Dry Skin: Your dog might be scratching continuously because of dry skin. Some of the things that could cause dry skin in dogs include fatty acid deficiencies and winter weather.
• Allergies: Allergies also trigger excessive scratching in dogs. Your dog can scratch continuously due to allergies to environmental or food triggers, including pollen and mold.
• Hormonal Imbalances: Your dog might suffer a superficial skin infection if the body does not produce enough thyroid hormone or releases excess cortisol. This might result in bald spots on your dog’s skin, and they might lick or scratch it.
• Anxiety or Boredom: One of the physical ways dogs respond to psychological upset is scratching. Dogs can lick or scratch themselves when bored or anxious, resulting in severe damage.

Reasons to Address the Scratching

Once you notice your dog in this scratching state, you should look for the best and fastest solution to help them. As we mentioned earlier, this scratching habit can be harmful, so the earlier you address the issue, the better. Here are some reasons you should address your dog’s scratching issues:

• Injuries: Dogs have sharp and pointy claws that could inflict injuries. If the scratching gets out of hand, your dog might incur secure injuries on their skin.
• Discomfort: If your pet could speak, they would complain bitterly about how uncomfortable the situation is. Dogs develop scratching habits mainly due to medical issues. When your dog scratches, they are trying to resolve the situation and make it stop. The continuous scratching and the underlying cause make them highly uncomfortable.
• Pain: Your puppy might also suffer severe pains due to excessive scratching. It is even difficult for pet parents to watch dogs go through such suffering. Hence, you can end their pain and discomfort by dealing with the cause of the scratching.

Ways to Deal with Scratching in Dogs

Since scratching in dogs is caused by many reasons, there are also several ways to deal with the issue. Here are some of the common ways to deal with your dog’s scratching habit:

• Use Medication: If you take your dog to the vet, the vet might recommend medication. The vet can recommend systemic or topical steroids, antibiotics, or anti-itch products.
• Change Diets: Food allergy is one of the causes of this condition, and changing your dog’s food might just be the solution. However, you need to find out the ingredient(s) your dog is allergic to so that you will avoid them in the next product. You can switch to limited ingredients formulas like the Absolute Holistic Freeze Dried Raw Chicken Patties for Dogs. These contain 1 meat protein only. You can also check out these single-ingredient treats for cats and dogs. 
• Eliminate Parasites: Another way to deal with this issue is to eliminate parasites. You can use flea and tick products to free your dog’s skin of parasites.
• Address Boredom and Anxiety: If your dog is scratching excessively due to anxiety or boredom, ensure they receive enough attention, exercise, and love.

Recommended Products

• Accurate Flea & Tick Control Spray: This spray offers maximum protection for dogs against ticks, flea, bugs, lice, maggots, and mosquitoes. It also offers antifungal/bacterial action. You can use it on dogs and cats of all breeds and sizes. The product eliminates skin and eye irritation without penetrating the bloodstream.
• Bravecto Flea & Tick Prevention Chewable Tablet: This product kills almost 99 percent of fleas within 24 hours to 12 weeks. It delivers rapid results and frees dogs of skin irritations. You will notice the effect two hours after administration, lasting up to 12 weeks.
• Absolute Plus Colloidal Silver: This is a natural antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral product. It helps treat skin infections, hot spots, and wounds. It is suitable for dogs of all breeds, sizes, and life stages.
• Dermcare PYOHEX Medicated Shampoo: You can bid farewell to your dog’s scratching issues with this shampoo. It cures and prevents skin infections and hot spots in dogs.
• Shed-X Shampoo for Dogs: This shampoo helps wash allergens and dander away and nourish the skin. It contains omega fatty acids for healthy skin and coat.
• Vet’s Best Allergy Itch Relief Shampoo: This shampoo is formulated to eradicate your dog’s allergy-triggered itching problems. It is great for dogs having itching skin because of allergies or sensitive skin.

Wrapping Up

It is normal for dogs to scratch occasionally, as even humans do it. Nevertheless, you need to swing into action once you notice that the scratching is getting out of hand. Finding the cause of the scratching will help you resolve the issue quickly. The products listed above will help resolve and prevent this issue from happening again.