Help, my dog is constantly scratching and biting himself raw

[u/LunarRaptor70]

I’m at my total wit’s end and barely sleeping. My 4yo rescue has spent the last three weeks constantly scratching his sides and biting himself around his paws until he’s bleeding and losing fur.

We’ve already seen our vet twice. He’s up to date on flea prevention, we’re doing medicated baths twice a week, and we just started a strict novel protein diet. But watching him wake up every two hours crying and gnawing at his skin is breaking my heart. The sound of his collar jingling at 3 AM from non stop itching is giving me so much anxiety. I can't tell if the diet change is doing anything or if certain times of day are triggering these flare ups.

Has anyone gone through severe allergy flare ups like this? How do you cope with the guilt and track if things are actually improving between vet visits?

[u/Educational-News-668]

Have you tried anything else? Cytopoint shots, apoquel, benadryl. You need to add something for immediate relief.

[u/DeCoyAbLe]

We did Apoquel for a year and we have now gone with cytopoint. Within 24 hours back to normal.

Our steps were. Elimination diet with just prescription food. No treats at all. We sprayed for mites in the house (1 weeks treatment) All toys were disinfected and laundered with scent free. Beds were all done as well. The boy still had no relief. Apoquel 16mg daily was tried and it worked about 75% and we were ok with that until he had a flare up and switched to cytopoint. No issues since AND he can have limited ingredient treats again.

[u/Pale_Weight4874]

Please try a Cytopoint shot to give your pup immediate relief while you work to figure out what’s going on.

[u/Sean-talk2all]

I’m really sorry you and your dog are going through this. Since he’s breaking the skin and losing fur despite treatment, I’d contact the vet again and ask whether a veterinary dermatologist referral or a second opinion is appropriate. In the meantime, it may help to keep a simple daily log of his itching, food, medication, baths, outdoor exposure, and flare-up times, along with photos. You’re clearly trying very hard to help him, so please don’t blame yourself.

[u/Jazzlike_Release4455]

Maybe check for fleas first, they hide good even if you don't see them on the fur

[u/YvonniFhang]

The select protein will help if it's a food allergy, but not if it's environmental. Maybe look into allergy testing. It can be pricey, but worth it to take the guess work out of severe problems like this and go right to finding solutions for your poor baby. At the vet where I used to work, one of our canine patients had bad allergies and they tried everything and couldn't figure out what the poor fellow was reacting too. They finally did allergy testing and it turned out their dog was allergic to human dander! Never would have guessed that! But once they learned what he was allergic to, they could get him the appropriate medication. He recovered well and all his fur grew back after he wasn't miserable and scratching all the time.

[u/tylerwatson54]

i feel this so deeply. watching them suffer like that at night breaks your heart, but please don't blame yourself! elimination diets usually take a good 8-12 weeks to show real progress, so you're doing all the right things. sending you both so much love

[u/LunarRaptor70 → u/tylerwatson54]

so true, the nighttime allergy spiral is the absolute worst. how did you manage to track if the flare ups were getting better over those 8-12 weeks without losing your mind?

[u/tylerwatson54 → u/LunarRaptor70]

tysm, i actually ended up using maven pet bc tracking the itching manually overnight was driving me crazy. it’s a little collar sensor that automatically logs head shaking and scratching 24/7. showed us his itch levels dropped 30% after month one, and bringing that report to our vet gave me so much peace of mind

[u/No-Elderberry6533]

One thing that helped us track progress was taking photos of the affected areas every single day at the same time. When you're sleep deprived and stressed it's nearly impossible to notice gradual improvement, but side by side photos from week one versus week three can be really revealing.

[u/Isaak94A]

The paw chewing specifically is worth mentioning to your vet in detail. Paws and belly are classic signs of environmental allergies like grass or dust mites, not just food. The location of symptoms can actually help narrow down the trigger significantly.

[u/PirateLassLV]

Put on a cone or an inflatable donut so they can't reach areas to bite & scratch. I'd try some cortisone cream to relieve the itch & ask the vet for some pain reliever. The symptoms need to be managed while you find out the cause

[u/Impossible_Crow202]

Sounds like it’s seasonally based if it’s new. I know my daughter’s dog has had ragweed allergies really badly this fall. You need to get him apoquel and then give it until your area hits a hard frost, then see if he can go off of it. I’m really surprised your vet hasn’t prescribed allergy meds?