My dog is extremely itchy and losing fur

[hipp5]

Hi,

My Jack Russel has been getting increasingly itchy skin. It is mostly under her armpits and down on the groin area. She constantly licks her itchy areas. SHe has licked them so much now that they have turned pink and lost all thier hair. She also has very stinky ears.

We have tried switching to hyperalergenic food. She does not have fleas.

Has anyone else had this hapen? Anyone know an answer? Any help would be really great!

-Ian

[Carina]

One of my Rotties got a staph infection, sounds very much like what your JRT has. That can be a stubborn thing to treat - I believe Cephalexin is the best antibiotic for that, you need to get that from a vet.

On the ears - yeast overgrowth is the most common cause of stinky ears. If they smell real bad, they could be infected. Does she yelp when you rub the base of her ears? You can use a room temperature mixture of vinegar & water...gently get it all the way down into the ear canal, rub gently. You should hear a squishy sound - then let her shake her head and clean the visible parts of her ears with cotton or kleenex. Dogs who are prone to this benefit from regular ear cleanings. The vinegar helps stabilise the Ph.

Also, a grain free diet, or one using whole, high quality grains, will probably really help. Check the links on my website; the "BowChow" link is an excellent resource.