The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Hello everyone. My 13 1/2 week old Cocker Spaniel's name is Geneveive, and she is scratching! This is my very first puppy, and I am apt to take very good care of her, but I don't know what is going on. She isn't from a "top of the line" breeder, and her coat isn't very thick and lush, but rather thin and dry. When ever I brush her she sheds dandruff. We check for fleas and only found one (but I assume where there is one, there are millions!!!! I HATE fleas!), so I RAN to the pet store and got some flea treatment and put it on her when I got home. (Then washed her the day after. Haven't seen a single flea since ) I do think this is related to her diet, but I'm not sure. I'm feeding her Purina, but I will be weaning her off it asap. (I know Purina is a no-no! But that was what the breeder was feeding her, and I got her just last week) Maybe there are some oils I can put on her temporarily? Any products you think would help?
This seems like a simple problem, so I want to avoid taking her to the vet, but I will if I must. Anyone know what to do?

Thanks a million!
Emily

Hi.

I also have a Cocker and I rescued him from the local humane society here back in September of 2011. He had to be completely shaved down because he was badly matted and he had skin issues like yeast/bacterial skin infection and kennel cough. I took him to our vet who put him on antibiotics, prednisone for his kennel cough, and a medication called ketoconazole which did the trick and he's over all that stuff now. For flea control, I use the Comfortis flea pill that I get from our vet once a month and it works great for Casper. (Our cat Louis is also on Comfortis and since my cat has severe allergies to fleas/flea bites, the Comfortis is the best thing for him.) Of course, you should use what you feel is the best flea control for your Cocker puppy, as well as what your vet recommends. The vet and I also recently figured out that Casper has allergies to wheat/gluten/grains because he was itching like crazy and his coat and skin were not as good as they should have been. Therefore, I put him on Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-free Chicken Recipe for Adult Dogs and he seems to really like it a lot, too, because he practically inhales it when I feed him! This dog food was recommended to me by a woman who works at our local Pet Smart. I also have friends who feed their dogs Blue Buffalo and their dogs' coats look great. Also, another person here at this website told me that Blue Buffalo is a good food as well. However, since I just started Casper on the Blue Buffalo, only time will tell but all is well so far. If I am not mistaken, I think that Blue Buffalo has a dry dog food that is for puppies and it's called Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain-free Chicken Recipe for Puppies.

Anyway, I hope what I have shared about my Cocker helps you to make an informed decision on what's best for your Cocker puppy. Good luck to you and Genevieve, too.

Cockers are very prone to a mite called cheyletiella, and it's most common in puppies. It's common name is walking dandruff. It takes more than flea medicine to cure it. If you or anyone in your family is getting red itchy bumps that is for sure your culprit. Even if you're not it's still a real possibility. Puppies of that age are not old enough for food allergies yet, so I seriously doubt that is your problem.

Listen to what Julie says

"Cockers are prone to a mite called cheyletiella" -Julie

Julie, I looked up the symptoms of this particular mite. Her symptoms don't match up. There is absolutely no redness to her skin, as articles online say are an indicator, and her hair loss is...normal?
In fact, she has no scabs, no redness, no bleeding; she's a normal healthy dog...that scratches.

I just realized that the original scratching, which wasn't too bad a few days ago, could have been from the fleas, and I think the medication was too strong for her and dried out her skin, causing it to itch and causing the dandruff. She's much better now than even when I posted this. I was just worried and didn't want anything to be wrong with my new baby. I'll just keep an eye on her for the next few days and if anything starts showing up (redness, bleeding, 'walking dandruff') I'll just take her to the vet and let them test it out. Does that sound like a safe plan?

Emily, when are you scheduled for her shots?

I agree with Debbie. If she has not had a complete workup with the vet yet, I would do so now.

You would not see the mite with your naked eye and I've never seen redness or bleeding associated with cheyletiella. Just as an FYI. You're probably right that she has flea allergies so make sure you keep up your preventative.

Please do not use the flea preventative you purchase at the stores. They are worthless and DANGEROUS to the health of dogs. Get something from the vet. You can google and read horror stories about that junk.

Hope you are able to find out what is causing her discomfort.
I just wanted to mention what we use for flea & tick control. I don't like putting all the chemicals on and in my dogs and try to find alternatives. For the past year we have been using Bark2Basics Citrus Plus Shampoo and have had excellent results. No Fleas...No Ticks!
FYI- I have used Advantage on the dogs we take to the dogshows just for added protection for them.

Here is a link to the shampoo. We are very pleased with it. Leaves the dogs smelling clean.

http://www.groomerschoice.com/Bark2Basi ... nfo/BBCPG/

IMHO, thin fur, dandruff = dry skin. Might want to switch her to a gentler shampoo and a good oatmeal based conditioner.

So, the itching has much improved since I posted this. I believe the original itching was because her flea treatment was too much for her skin and caused it to be painfully inflamed, (I'll be sure to use half the dose next time, since she still is a puppy) because she was significantly better after just two days. Though, the itching hasn't completely stopped so I'll be taking her to the vet. I don't want this to be mites or anything dangerous, so I'll get her checked out. Thanks to you all for your advice! It is much appreciated.

Emily

Don't use that poison from any pet store for flea control. It is worthless and dangerous for an adult dog much less a pup. Get flea meds from your vet ONLY, same with worm meds! Awful awful stuff!!

Ask your vet if it is okay to put a tiny bit of olive oil in your pups food. It helps with dry skin and makes the coat super shiny!!

Also it's worth treating the house as well as the dog if you think you may have fleas. You need a spray with insect growth regulator.