Did you just Google “How to stop my dog from itching?”
We were asking ourselves this same question a couple of years ago.
Our sweet Shih Tzu, Misto, was miserable. She was constantly itchy (which led to developing hot spots from chewing and scratching all the time) and we didn’t know how to help her. So, we started looking for the best natural remedies for itchy dogs.
After a year of working on Misto’s health, we are thrilled to report that Misto is doing SO much better and her health is continuing to improve every day!
Not only has she stopped scratching all the time, but she is also back to a healthy weight and a normal stool, and her coat quality, energy, and mood have improved drastically!
Today, we wanted to share what worked for Misto, so you can learn “how to stop my dog from itching” (and help them heal from the inside out!)
Working With Our Vet to Stop the Itching
Over the next few months we began working with our vet to help Misto stop itching.
While he still wasn’t sure what the root cause of Misto’s symptoms were, these were the things he suggested we do to begin giving her some relief:
- An anti-itch shot
- Anti-fungal medicine
- Antibiotics in case of bacterial infection
- Bathing her twice a week with a medicated shampoo
In addition to these things, we used our favorite natural Skin Support Spray for dogs which also helped to heal up her hot spots quickly.
While all of these remedies for itchy dogs gave her relief from itching and chewing herself for a few weeks, we continued digging for answers.
Allergy Testing and a Limited Diet
Next, we did an allergy test which said Misto was allergic to chicken and all grains, along with many other things.
So, per our vet’s recommendation, we got her off of everything and started her on a limited diet of only:
- Freeze-dried beef, and
- Frozen veggies (butternut squash and green beans)
While this limited-ingredient diet helped to reduce the stress on her body and was an important step in her healing journey, we still felt Misto was missing something.
Around this same time, we began focusing on improving ALL of our dogs’ health as we learned more about what they need, which led us to take a closer look at their health history.
As we dug deeper into Misto’s history to figure out what could help her stop itching, more pieces of the puzzle began coming together.
Learning How Gut and Immune Health Contribute to Itching
As a puppy, whenever Misto had a loose stool our previous vets would give her Flagyl. (Flagyl is the brand name for metronidazole, an antibiotic and antiprotozoal medication.)
Since we had learned that there is both good AND bad bacteria in our dogs’ gut and that antibiotics kill BOTH kinds of bacteria, we knew it’s critical to rebuild the good bacteria in the gut with probiotics anytime our dogs’ take an antibiotic.
However, we DIDN’T know how much damage Flagyl can do, or that it takes MULTIPLE strains of probiotics to even begin to repair the gut after this strong of a blow.
We were giving Misto FortiFlora, (a single-strain probiotic recommended by our vet,) but it wasn’t enough to repair the cumulative damage to Misto’s gut microbiome after all the times she’d been given Flagyl.
Later, we also learned that the gut microbiome needs to be in balance to maintain a strong immune system.
So a healthy gut and a strong immune system are closely linked.
After reading some of the research on these discoveries, we began wondering if Misto’s itching was revealing a damaged gut and weakened immune system.
So we decided to begin supplementing Misto’s limited diet with this powerful multi-strain probiotic and prebiotic supplement (which also includes helpful digestive enzymes.)
A little while later, we added our favorite immune system building vitamin for dogs back into her diet as well (even though it had chicken liver in it) and monitored her carefully to make sure she didn’t have an allergic reaction.
She responded so well to both of these supplements we knew were onto something!
A Complete Nutrition Plan for Gut and Immune Health
By this time we had switched all of our other dogs to an amazing, healthy kibble we had just discovered after years of searching for something like it!
Since Misto still hadn’t been able to regain the weight she’d lost on her extremely lean, limited diet, we felt like Misto would benefit from the more complete nutrition in this food.
We chose a grain-free recipe, the first two ingredients being turkey and garbanzo beans, which were two things she was not allergic to.
There were a few fruits and vegetables in the recipe that were on her allergy test, but we decided to try it anyway to see if her gut had been able to heal enough to handle a few of those ingredients again.
So we began to mix the kibble with her freeze-dried beef to see how she’d do.
We were pleasantly surprised at the results!
Misto’s Turn-around!
It was at this time that Misto’s health really began to turn around.
Our quest to find out how to stop my dog from itching was paying off!
We were so excited that she didn’t have any trouble with any of the fruits and veggies when we introduced the new kibble – in fact, she only continued to improve!
Around this time, we also learned that omega-3 fatty acids play an essential role in supporting immune function and improving skin and coat quality.
So, since the new holistic pet food company we found offers an excellent quality source of Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock oil for dogs, we decided to try that too.
The omega-3s in the salmon oil were another key ingredient that helped reduce inflammation and soothe Misto’s itchy skin all while boosting her immune system!
On her new nutrition plan, not only has Misto stopped itching, but also she is back to a healthy weight with normal stools, she feels good with lots of energy, and her coat is thicker than EVER!
It is such a relief to see her thriving and acting like herself again!!
Misto’s new diet includes:
- Real Turkey & Garbanzo Bean Recipe kibble
- Gastro Pro Plus (multi-strain probiotic, with prebiotics, and digestive enzymes)
- Wild Alaskan Salmon & Pollock Oil (an amazing source of omega-3s which help the skin, coat, and immune function)
- NuVet Plus (immune system vitamin which also supports healthy skin and coat. Use breeder code 86223 to order)
Keep in mind, you can find a LOT of probiotic, immune system support, and salmon oil products out there, but not all of them are made from the same quality sources and with the safest production processes.
So, after doing lots of our own research, we only use the products we have linked in this blogpost to help our dogs stop itching, since we trust these companies to be SAFE for our dogs and always made with ingredients from the BEST sources.
Here’s How to Stop My Dog From Itching…
So, if you’ve been wondering, “how do I stop my dog from itching?” we hope Misto’s story has encouraged and inspired you!
We are convinced that a damaged gut and weakened immune system were the root causes of Misto’s problems because we saw the biggest changes in her health when we focused on improving these two things.
If Misto’s health struggles remind you of your dog, we highly recommend trying Misto’s nutrition plan and seeing for yourself if supporting your dog’s gut and immune system helps them heal from the inside out too!
Ready to Try Misto’s Nutrition Plan?
If you’re ready to try Misto’s nutrition plan to help your dog stop itching, we created a shopping checklist with everything in one place to make it easier for you to get started!
Inside you’ll find all the links we’ve mentioned in this blogpost, PLUS instructions for portion sizes according to your dog’s weight!!
Enter your info below and we’ll send you the checklist ASAP!
(You’ll also receive notifications from us when we drop more tips and tutorials like this blog post!)
References:
Here is some of the research we dove into through this process! We’re also drawing conclusions from many conversations with several vets we’ve worked with over the years and from our personal experience with our dogs.
- The Interplay between the Gut Microbiome and the Immune System in the Context of Infectious Diseases throughout Life and the Role of Nutrition in Optimizing Treatment Strategies
- How your gut is controlling your immune system | MIT Center for Microbiome Informatics & Therapeutics (CMIT)
- Is My Gut Bacteria Unbalanced? Signs and Symptoms
- The Similarity of Human’s Microbiomes with Dogs
- Therapeutic Use of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Immune Disorders In Search of the Ideal Omega-3 Supplement – PMC
Want more?
Keep exploring our blog for all the support in your Shih Tzu parenting journey you need!
The Shih Tzu Parent Survival Guide: 6 Home Remedies Every Shih Tzu Parent Should Know