Flea Season is Over! Why is My Dog Still Itchy?

Flea Season’s Over! Why is My Dog Still Itchy?

As we head into the cooler months (it’s actually quite cold in many places already) we can finally rest knowing that flea season is finally over – right? Unfortunately, for many pups out there, the itchy skin they’ve suffered from during flea season only continues at the same itchy level past flea season. Why can’t these poor dogs get any relief?

There are numerous reasons that dogs continue to have itchy skin past flea season . From a poor diet to other health conditions such as allergies, many dogs will continue to suffer from skin ailments throughout the year. Many dogs also suffer skin allergies that cause them to scratch and itch all of the time. There are a variety of irritants that can cause a dog to itch including mold, food allergies and even skin infections. Some dogs will itch excessively due to stress as well. However, one reason that many people simply don’t realize is that their dog might just have plain and simple dry skin!

It really makes perfect sense when you think about it. As the days get colder, does the water in your daily shower get hotter? I know I begin cranking up the heat when it gets cold outside. The same is true for my house as well. I’m a cold natured person, so the heater gets cranked when the days get cold. But, the effect that I and other people suffer from during this time of the year is dry skin. The hotter showers dry your skin out and the heater in your home sucks the moisture out of the air. This leaves us with dry skin and dry skin itches!

The same is true for your dog. As the days get colder and you crank up the heater, your poor dog is losing moisture out of his or her skin. If your dog is suffering from allergies, not only might they have dry skin, but they are also suffering from other ailments that cause them to be itchy. This itchiness may be even worse if the dog has flea allergies as well. The problem with all this itching and scratching is that the skin is constantly irritated and never has a chance to heal. No matter what the cause if of the itchiness, this can cause your pup to develop a secondary skin infection as well.

Now, how do you remedy your dry skin? How does a nice shea butter lotion sound? Or, what about a bath of an oatmeal based skin conditioner? There are products similar to these that are designed for your dog and provide the same relieving effects that you seek in your lotions and bath conditioners.

Colloidal oatmeal products provide a variety of benefits to pets year round and not just during the winter when they have itchy skin. Colloidal oatmeal products can be used year round should your dog find himself bitten by bugs or in a patch of poison ivy. This is because colloidal oatmeal is capable of pulling out irritants that get into the skin and hair. After a warm oatmeal bath, pets begin to feel the effects of the colloidal oatmeal in no time. They will also benefit from smooth skin and smell better afterwards too. However, when you do use these products in your pet’s bath, be certain that you don’t make the water too hot! A lukewarm bath is ideal to sooth irritated, itchy skin.

Colloidal oatmeal is not the same as the oatmeal you eat for breakfast. This is oatmeal that has been ground into a fine powder. When you add it to water, it creates a milky dispersion, rather than congealing as regular oatmeal would. Colloidal oatmeal has a specific anti-itch property to it that makes it perfect to relieve your dog’s itchy skin during the winter months. When your dog’s skin is itchy and irritated, the skin has a high pH level. Colloidal oatmeal helps to lower the skin’s pH back down to normal and it takes away the need to itch. So, not only will your dog benefit from having the irritants removed from their skin, they also lose that urge to itch. Not itching provides your dog’s skin time to heal and recover from whatever has been irritating it.

There are several products available that contain all of the healing effects of colloidal oatmeal. One of those products is Fur Butter. This product is ideal for dogs with long hair and helps to control itching and irritation. Fur Butter also utilizes shea butter to moisturize the fur. Another product is Comfy Dog . This shampoo is ideal for those dogs that really suffer from dry and irritated skin. This shampoo helps to relieve swelling, inflammation, hot spots, and insect bites in addition to the itchy skin caused by the winter months. Both of these products are ideal natural steps that you can take to relieve the itch of winter and you can keep using it when flea season comes back around as well.