My dogs are itchy after swimming. Is it fleas or water irritation?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

• Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

  Veterinarian

  Published on September 26th, 2018

  This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites.
  First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation.
  If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy.
  Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc).
  Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics).
  Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
  

  

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• Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

  Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

  Published on August 3rd, 2017

  They may be having a reaction to chemicals in the pool, or the pool water could be drying out their skin. You can try rinsing them off with clean water after they get out of the pool and bathing with gentle dog shampoo 2-3 times per week. I like Dechra DermaLyte Shampoo (it smells great, too!). If the skin appears dry, you can start giving fish oil to improve the quality of the skin. You can just squirt a human fish oil capsule over their food twice a day (but it can give some dogs fishy breath and greasy stools).
  
  Other causes for itching could be fleas, ticks, allergies (food, fleas, environment), mites, or bacterial skin infection. I recommend that they both be on a good flea and tick preventative. Since they spends so much time in the water, I would recommend a prescription oral preventative from your vet.
  
  Don't forget to clean their ears! Labs are prone to ear infections, and being in the water can make this much worse! When they get out of the pool, I recommend cleaning their ears with Dechra EpiKlean Ear Cleanser to dry out the ears and prevent infections.

  

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• Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

  Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

  Published on July 10th, 2017

  Poor Pilot! I'm sorry he's so itchy. Chlorine can be irritating to the skin and hair of many dogs, so it's very possible that this could be contributing to his itching. You could try rinsing him off with fresh water as soon as he gets out of the pool to see if this helps.
  
  If not, then it's possible that he may have some type of skin allergy, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange) - all of these problems can cause itching, even he doesn't have fleas or ticks. In that case, it's likely that he will need prescription medication to treat the problem, so I would recommend taking him to the vet for an exam - he/she can do some simple skin tests to help diagnose the cause of the itching and get him started on appropriate treatment.

  

  1Pet Parents found this answer helpful