What does it mean if my dog is always scratching?
Posted by Dog Supplies Advice in Dog Supplies Q&A, Dog Supplies Tips, tags: Dog, Dog Advice, dog care, Dog Health, dog illness, dog Q&A, dog supplies, dog supplies advice, Pet Supplies, signs of illnessWhat does it mean if my dog is always scratching?
Scratching is the dog’s response to an itch in the skin, otherwise called pruritus. Itching can have a number of causes: allergic reactions, impacted anal sacs, the bites of insects or mites, infection with bacteria and foreign bodies in the skin. All of these causes the release of proteolytic enzymes which attack nerve endings in the skin and trigger the release of electrical impulses that then pass via nerves to the brain. In the dog, scratching is most commonly due either to the irritation of flea infestation, or to ear mites.
It is important to establish the true cause and to remove it if possible, so consult your veterinary surgeon at an early stage.
Scratching, and also biting and chewing, can result in extensive selfÂtrauma, and while the cause is being brought under control it may be necessary to administer internally, or apply externally, drugs (often corticosteroids) to control the itch. On rare occasions an animal experiences such severe irritation due to inflammation of a peripheral nerve (neuritis) that in an attempt to obtain relief it will mutilate itself to the point of causing irreparable damage, e.g. chewing away its feet. This is seen in its most extreme form in the fatal disease known as pseudorabies.
It may be necessary to protect the area which is being damaged by covering it, or, to prevent further biting, to fit a muzzle or an Elizabethan collar. Self-mutilation is invariably made worse by boredom or depression, so that whenever possible a scatching dog should be distracted, for example by being fed, played with or taken for a walk.
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