Why my Dog itchesI had an Alsatian named Odin who was about eight years old. He developed an itch which wouldn't go away. We asked the vet, "Why does our dog itch?" The vet informed us that sometimes dogs itch because they have fleas or other parasites. He informed us that he would know the full reason until he had studies skin samples which he took from the skin of our poor dog. The fact was that Odin did have fleas. There had been a area wide flea infestation for sometime and that had made our dog itch like mad. But we had dealt with the flea problem especially after myself and my daughter began to itch too. Well when the results of the skin samples came back the vet informed us that our dog had a serious problem. He had some parasites living in his skin. He put our dog on a strict diet and gave us pills and creams. He also shaved our poor Alsatian and applied a special silver spray to stop our dog's itch. For a while it seemed that our dog Odin was getting better but then he got worse. The vet changed the medication a couple of times but nothing seemed to help. In the end poor Odin was suffering so much that we had to ask the vet to put him down. It was a very sad experience but one which also helped to teach me more about this wonderful pet. Odin even when in pain would try his best to be happy and loving but when someone would accidentally touch his open wounds he would growl or snap and in the end just before we put him down he even bit a couple of people. Well he is no longer in pain now and I know what to do and what to avoid if my dog begins to itch. Fleas and other such insects are probably the largest cause of dogs having to itch. If not treated the itching can become so bad that it opens sores in the dogs skin. These can become infected if they are not treated promptly. Be sure to take your dog to the vet at the first sign of an itch. The food you feed your dog can also have an affect on his skin so don't just assume that a dog's itch is from fleas. | 
