You have treated for fleas, combed through the coat over a white towel, found nothing, and your dog is still scratching. It is one of the most common frustrations owners bring to a vet, partly because itching has a long list of possible causes and partly because the scratching itself makes everything worse.
Here is how to think about narrowing it down.
First, rule fleas out properly
Worth being thorough here, because flea allergy is the single most common cause and a flea-allergic dog can react badly to very few fleas — you may never see one.
Comb your dog over a sheet of damp white kitchen roll, concentrating on the base of the tail and the back of the thighs. Black specks that smear reddish-brown when wet are flea dirt. Also check that every animal in the house is treated, and that the treatment is current — flea eggs in carpets and bedding can keep a cycle running for weeks after you have treated the dog.
Where the itching is tells you a lot
The pattern of where a dog scratches is one of the most useful things you can bring to a vet appointment.
- Paws, face, ears, armpits and belly — the classic distribution for environmental sensitivities
- Base of the tail and back legs — points towards fleas
- Ears and rear end together — often seen with food-related sensitivities
- One spot, worsening quickly — could be a hot spot, a local reaction or something embedded like a grass seed
- All over, with flaky skin — more likely to be dryness or a coat-condition issue
Does it come and go with the seasons?
Environmental triggers such as pollen, grass and dust mites usually follow a pattern. A dog who is fine all winter and itchy from April is telling you something quite specific.
Itching that stays constant all year is less likely to be seasonal and more likely to be diet, something in the home environment, or an ongoing skin condition.
Keep a simple diary for a month — date, how bad, where, what the weather was doing, anything new. Patterns emerge on paper that are invisible in memory.
Things owners do that make it worse
Bathing too often. The instinct with an itchy dog is to wash them. Frequent shampooing strips natural oils and can leave skin drier and itchier than it started. Unless your vet has recommended a medicated wash on a schedule, less is usually more.
Human shampoo. Dog skin has a different pH. Use a product made for dogs.
Changing food repeatedly. Switching diets every few weeks makes it impossible to identify a trigger and upsets the gut along the way. A proper elimination diet runs for eight to twelve weeks on one food, and is worth doing with veterinary guidance rather than guesswork.
Ignoring the house. Washing bedding weekly at 60°C, vacuuming soft furnishings and rinsing paws after walks in pollen season are unglamorous and often help.
When to see the vet rather than experiment
- Broken, bleeding or weeping skin
- A patch that is hot, smelly or spreading by the day
- Hair loss in defined patches
- Head shaking, or dark discharge and odour from the ears
- Scratching bad enough to interrupt sleep
- Any itch that has gone on for weeks without improving
Persistent itching is genuinely miserable for a dog, and secondary skin and ear infections are common once the surface is broken. This is not something to manage indefinitely at home.
Coat condition and diet
Separately from any specific trigger, general coat condition depends on diet. Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and biotin are all nutrients associated with skin and coat, and they come primarily from food. Oily fish is the usual dietary source of omega-3.
Our Skin & Coat soft chews contain omega-3, biotin and zinc, fed daily by bodyweight — 1 chew up to 10lb, 2 for 11–39lb, 3 for 40–79lb, 4 for 80lb and over. The dosage calculator works out the amount and how long a tub lasts. They are a daily supplement, not a treatment for an itchy dog — if your dog is scratching persistently, the vet comes first.
More on this in our itchy skin guide, and see the full range on the pet supplements page.
These are general care tips, not veterinary advice. If you are worried about your dog, speak to your vet.
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