Dog has loss of hair and scratches all the time?

A stray dog came up last summer and we took her in because no one ever claimed her. Months went by and she has started to scratch and sometimes not even scratch herself, just the motion of her scratching. She also chews at herself like she itches. Some of her hair has fallen out. I have done research and I know this does not look like the mange, and we have two other dogs who are also in the house with us. Could she be allergic to something or would it be stress? She's been with us since June of 2008 and was doing great until recently. We've given her benadryll and baths with medicated shampoos. She does not have fleas. Any ideas what this could be? We plan on taking her to the vet soon, but any help would be appreciated.Dog has loss of hair and scratches all the time?
Yep, could be allergies.





Might be something in her environment (a surprising number of dogs are allergic to grass, for example), or it could be an allergy to her food.





What are you feeding her? Specifically, does the food contain corn and/or grains? Corn is highly allergenic to many dogs, and sometimes the only symptom of allergy is skin/coat issues. Grains are less problematic, but some dogs are allergic to them.





I'd agree that your dog needs to see the vet to rule out mange, etc., and possibly undergo allergy testing, but in the meantime, check the ingredients in your dog food.





ADDED: OH, LORD ... please don't feed your dog Ol' Roy. That is about the crappiest of all crappy foods.





Yes, she WILL eat a better food if that's all you offer her.





About the grass ... well, dogs don't really understand what allergies are, so if she's allergic to grass, she doesn't know it. Which means she won't stop rolling in it (some dogs just love to roll in ... anything!)





Another thing to consider ... some dogs just scratch and bite themselves because they get kinda neurotic, or they use it as a ';comfort'; behavior. Seriously. If your vet rules out skin/allergy issues, you might need to find something for your dog to do that distracts her from scratching.Dog has loss of hair and scratches all the time?
firstly i think u have a wonderful heart :).





secondly it could be scabies..for that you will have to apply medicated lotions, just bath by medicated shampoo will notbe enough..also it can spread easily to the other dogs so you have to treat it soon.





i thinks its a good idea that you are taking her to a doc..good luck
even though flea treated, dogs and cats can have an allergy to fleas which causes them to bite and pull out hair etc. the sooner the vet visit the better - treatment of allergy or dermatitis is not expensive. an antibiotic treatment could help as well. strange it's only just started.
could be skin allergies caused from cheap dog food that has corn in it...stay away from dog food with corn...feed lamb and rice...or it could be the dog is allergic to fleas...don't know if it has fleas or not ....does the dog have flakey skin?...if so dry skin....hope this helps you
What kind of food are you feeding her? If you're feeding her something generic or cheap, that could be the problem. If not, she might have a food allergy to whatever she's eating.
Ol Roy is a terrible food and is likely causing allergy issues. Good for you for taking in this pup, she is a very lucky girl!!
my cousin had a cat that did that, vet said it was anxiety...kitty anxiety...
It sounds like mange, but it could be allergies. Many dogs have allergies. The only way to tell is if the vet does a skin scraping.
The food is it in alll likelyhood.





Ol'roy is crap, beyond crap.





Switch to a higher quality brand and let the dog starve for a few days. She will get it.





here is what you do after the switch to get her to eat it:


Set it out in her bowl.


Wait 5 to 10 minutes for her to eat, pick it up if not eaten and let her starve until the next meal.


Again offer it for 5 to 10 minutes. if not eaten, put it away.





This can and may go on for serveral days since she is used to starving. I would not give in.





if she is eating minimum to survive, try another brand. There are many high quality dog foods out there you can try. You just have to try for your dog.





At this point a step up would be purina, but even then, there is a ton of room for improvment in dog food quality.





Here is a good site to look at:


http://www.dogfoodproject.com


http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com
Ol Roy is junk. Try getting her to eat something different. Mix the Ol Roy with a higher quality food and gradually add more good food until she gets used to the newer, better quality food. That may be the problem. But dogs can be allergic to almost anything. And their reaction is not always instantaneous! So it could be the grass...it could be pollen, squirrel pee, bird droppings or anything else that could be in the grass. I have trouble with my dog in the fall with the falling leaves. And not just any leaf, oak leaves!! I have maple trees in my yard, and she doesn't have a problem. But when I take her out for our walks, she walks through oak leaves, and her feet break out, she gets blisters and I know they hurt like heck!! She will limp and whine.


This could also be hot spots, which will cause itching and her fur falling out. But whatever it is, I would take her to the vet and get it checked out. Changing the food, or a medication from the vet will definately help.