I have a 4 year old male daschund who is the itchiest little critter I've ever met. He seems to have a hotspot on is neck: any slight touch sends him off thumping. I often see him dragging his neck across the rug or furniture when no one is able to pet or scratch him. It then went from there. Now, just about anywhere on his 17 lb. body is an itch button.

I've inspected his hot spots; there is no redness, peeling, blisters or marks of any kind. Not even dandruff! I've tried all sort of expensive doggie shampoos and even Selsun Blue (recommended by the vet) But nothing seems to help my fleabag.

What I want to know is if it is safe to use a Benadryl cream on his skin, or even Benadryl tablet style. I have a feeling this might be an allergy but I don't want to do anything that could make him sick. I appreciate any suggestions anyone might have.

Thanks,

Sarah and her little dog Buddy

I would cut out all the baths. Give him a good brushing every day with a bristle brush. That should control odor and also reduce shedding. If you must bathe him, rinse, rinse, rinse, and maybe use a conditioner.

Make sure almost all of his calories come from a commercial dog chow. Most of them contain everything needed to keep a dog's skin and coat in good shape. Especially with the lower cost ones, adding a teaspoon a day of ordinary liquid cooking oil may help.

If he has allergies, the vet can do blood tests and maybe solve the problem. Unfortunately that is expensive. You can go with the Benadryl. A couple of capsules shouldn't be too much for a standard dachshund. Only one for a mini. Most dogs would lick off a cream, and I am not sure that would be safe.

There are too many good flea remedies to let them plague him. You can try some of the over the counter stuff, the creams you put down their back. I didn't like the mess they made of my Aster's coat. I used Revolution last summer and plan to again this year. Aster is 11, and developed flea allergies before the good stuff was in common use. Advantage, Frontline, Program, etc. pick one and spare him fleas. You could try the new 6 month shots.

My mother is a dog groomer and I used to assist her in the summer time. We used to see that problem a lot and if it wasn't a hot spot then it was allergies. Check the main ingredients of the food you buy, you can usually figure out what would be causing the itchy skin. All of our dogs eat the brand Eagle Pack which has done wonders for their health! I don't recommend putting oil in the food, that might cause diarrhea. I have heard of people giving their dogs benadryl to soothe the itching, but this is a temporary solution.