Pekingese Itch – Itch Scratch Series
The Pekingese often gets allergic skin disease from food allergy or canine atopic dermatitis. This can lead to itching, scratching, chewing, and licking, which in turn can lead to a secondary infection of the skin with bacteria or yeast. The common skin infection in dogs is caused by Staphylococcus intermedius. The common yeast infection in dogs is caused by Malassezia.
In a Pekingese dog under six months of age, there are three main considerations. Does your dog have fleas? This is the most common cause of itchy skin disease in dogs. Flea signs include flea dirt that looks like black spots through the fur when the hair is parted, and the fleas themselves. If your dog is scratching his back and the base of his tail, it’s probably a flea allergy. Mange can make your dog itchy. This is more difficult to diagnose and your vet would have to do a skin scraping to look for mites. Every itchy dog should undergo a food elimination test, but itchy rashes in dogs younger than six months of age should raise the suspicion of a food allergy.
In an itchy Pekingese with canine atopic dermatitis, you would expect the dog to be constantly biting its paws. Dogs with canine atopic dermatitis also have itchy rashes on the abdomen, groin, axilla (armpit), and on the inner surface of the ears. Dogs get rashes on hairless body parts. This is where allergens like pollen pass through the skin. Pekingese with canine atopic dermatitis have a defective skin barrier that is missing a protein called sphingosine.
There are some very good natural treatments that can help with dog itching and scratching.
