Is it "winter itch" or something more?

Winter weather can be hard on skin.  We like to keep our homes warm, of course, but that leads to dry air...which leads to dry skin. If you suffer from dry, winter skin, there's a good chance your pet does too. But when can you tell if your pet's winter itch is something more?

Three months ago, we rescued Ace from the county animal shelter. Despite being underweight, his coat was shiny and healthy. But over the past month we noticed a dramatic increase in his scratching. We added olive oil to his premium dog food to see if that would relieve what we thought was just "winter itch". When that didn't help, and Ace's belly looked "moth eaten" we knew it was time for a trip to the vet.

The first test was a skin scraping to determine if the source of his itch was mange. Thankfully it was not. After a series of questions about his diet and life style, the vet surmised that Ace may have allergies and based on where Ace was itching he believes it is environmental, something Ace has come in contact with. So we are now calming his skin with some antibiotics and antihistimines and once that has taken affect, we will begin the process of determining the source of his allergy.

The first place we're going to start is with our laundry soap. I've had more than my share of experience with allergies in dogs, but I've never known dogs to be allergic to laundry soap. But, as my vet explained, the fragrances and softeners that keep our clothes soft and smelling good can trigger allergic reactions in dogs, just like they can in humans.

We'll know more in a week or two after his skin has calmed down and we've experimented with washing his bedding in just hot water. In the meantime, our next trip to the grocery store will include purchasing some fragrance free, softener free, laundry soap. I've got my own issues with allergies so who knows! If it's good for Ace, it's probably good for us too.