yep..all of the above...

Moira was diagnosed with environmental allergies last year. She lost all of the hair on her underside,her tummy was red and inflamed, she itched so bad she had open spots on her legs. Finally I found the one elusive flea. Moira is allergic to fleas, not grasses, detergents, etc. Not a fun allergy to have, but maybe more easily avoided than other things. Let's hope the Vectra D works this year.

Our lab had the itches too. Took her to the vet, changed food, they gave her some kind of histamine, and we even rubbed baby oil on her tummy. We also gave her fish oil. Her coat got so shinny - still had the itches - but not as much.

My little dog had the same thing happen last fall. The vet said it might be a thyroid condition. I did not believe it and had him treated for mites....the same kind that gets in the ears of floppy, hairy dogs ears. My dogs skin is very thin and he can get cut very easily. I figured it was the same kind of skin in most dogs ears. We treated him with flea and tick medicine like Frontline but it also killed mites. I think it was called Atvantage??? No more itching and his fur grew back in about a month. Hope you figure it out, it's very frustrating. Oatmeal baths seemed to help to soothe him.

I would not go the cortisone / prednisone / steroid route unless your dog is miserable and nothing else helps. Every shot of this drug shortens their lives. Research it before you make a decision.

Now, having said that, here is what you need to do (I have a fox terrier with horrible skin itchies).

Start by giving him benadryl tablets, helps a lot.

Try changing his diet to premium quality - no chicken or beef. I suggest duck, fish, or the like, with no corn or wheat. Supplement diet with salmon oil or similar and perhaps some ester-C (careful with the C, can cause loose stool, introduce gradually - DO NOT USE REGULAR VITAMIN C as it's hard on the tummy, ester-C only).

Bathe with cool water and an itchy skin shampoo. Do not bathe too frequently, it just dries the skin out and causes more itching. If the allergy is caused by pollen, the bathing helps remove it. Try using a leave-in conditioner - again, look for anti-itch.

I have never been able to cure my terrier's allergies but I have been able to get them under control to where he hardly ever scratches.

My male doxie has allergies...he gets a half benedryl every morning. Have to make sure his food contains NO corn or byproducts. He gets Fish Oil on his food every morning. The fish oil sure helps. He will scratch and lick under his front legs until it is raw. My female doxie isn't bothered with allergies.

Hope you find a solution soon.

If the skin is redish pink on the belly then it's a skin problem. The vet told me to use Head and Shoulders dandruff shampoo (I used the Equate brand) to cure it. Works great. Medicated dog shampoo is good but dandruff shampoo is cheaper, milder for the skin, and smells better. My dog doesn't scratch now. The groomer said she has a lot of dogs that only use dandruff shampoo so she was fine with using it on my dog too.

My dog was scratching a lot. The groomer said the same thing happened to her dog, and the vet suggested vitamins, and he hasn't scratched since. I bought the vitamins, and not scratching. I have no idea what one thing has to do with the other, but he is a happy little dog now. I bought "Pet-Tabs" at the local Petco.

My shitsu had the same problem and we eventually couldn't stand it anymore, as she had been bathed in flea stuff ect...so I finally took her to the vet and she had biting lice...yes biting lice, which you can see other than it kinda looks like really tiny spots on her skin, not her hair....The vet gave us stuff and, we shaved her down, bathed her again, and gave her meds. it didn't take long before they were gone. lots of work, as you have to vacum, wash all the dog's bedding, and if your dog sleeps with you, you have to clean your bedding also....in the mean time, you can give them a 1/4 of benadryl as per the vet....

Like everyone else its allergies and it can be to anything just like people. Our boxer it took us 5 different foods and finally blood tests to determine what he was allergic to. His allergies are way off from what other dogs allergies are, he's allergic to milk, eggs, rice, oats, duck, barley, catfish. So we had to put him on food that is completely grain free - that can get costly but we finally found a food for him where he no longer scratches or chews his paws non stop.

Blood tests for allergies can be pricey ours was %200 but at least we found out what the problem was I would suggest doing the same thing - get them checked