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If you live in a region with low humidity, it’s more likely that your dog will have dry skin, which is fairly easy to recognize: When you part your dog’s hair, you’ll see flakes of dandruff in the undercoat, and the skin itself may be cracked and tough. If your dog is itching, and they don’t have fleas one common cause of itching is dry skin.
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The second major cause of pruritus is allergies. The first has to do with the condition of the skin itself: Is it infected? Is it too oily? Is it too dry? Of these three, dry skin is the most common issue. The causes of pruritus can be quite complex, but there are two main reasons why dogs itch. The medical term for scratching related to excessive itching is pruritus, and it’s the second most common reason people take their dogs to the vet (gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea top the list). Keep reading to learn why your dog is so itchy, plus what you can do to soothe their irritated skin. But when a dog is incessantly licking, scratching, biting, and chewing to the point of hurting themself, then scratching becomes a symptom of an underlying issue. Every dog’s gotta scratch from time to time - and that’s completely normal. In addition to seeing your dog scratching a lot, you might notice their fur looks dry and a bit dandruffy, or they might seem to be shedding more than usual.īut why exactly is your dog so itchy? Dogs itch for many different reasons, and sometimes for no reason. Your dog probably isn’t stopping to itch just so they can ignore you when you tell them to “come” or “sit.” There is a chance this is exactly what they are doing, but most likely, your dog actually has itchy skin. See our privacy statement to find out how we collect and use your data, to contact us with privacy questions or to exercise your personal data rights.
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