I have a 2 year old lab. I got him about four months ago from a rescue agency. Ever since I've had him he's had some sort or itch problems. He rolls around on the ground a lot, and sometimes he will walk with his chest or head rubbing on the ground. He sneezes at least once a day and snorts a lot. There is only one instance of what I would call excessive sneezing. He started sneezing and didn't stop for about five minutes. It was actually a little frightening. Of course I've taken him to the vet numerous times. The first time he went, he had ringworm and an ear infection. He got treated for that and his ringworm went away, but he was still itching his skin and ears. He still had yeast in his ears, so they gave him a different treatment. They tested his skin extensively, but they couldn't find anything. They gave him a steroid course to hopefully knock it out. He's been on it for months and he's going to be done soon, but he still seems as itchy as ever. He's a very happy guy, and he doesn't really seem to be in pain for the most part, but he's obviously really itchy and he has made his skin bleed a few times from scratching and rubbing on the ground. I want him to be better!

Maybe I should also mention: he has a lot of dandruff, although the focus of his itching is his chest, throat, head, ears, nose, face etc. Not sure if this is related, but he also has terrible gas. I changed his food slowly when I first got him, but these problems have been present since day one. The shelter he was rescued from had horrific facilities. They never took the animals out of the cages and would just spray the cages and animals down with bleach and water. =( Oh and also he is completely up to date on all medical stuff: shots, worm prevention, flea and tick etc. I hope someone can give me some advice for my poor Charlie

First I have to say, nice looking dog. Second, I have to commend you for actually taking him to the vet.

Ok, as for the problem... it seems very similar to what my dog had been through. He is a Lab/hound mix so I can't say if this is common for labs but anyway... we had him to the vet and they suggested that he had very dry skin and was constantly itchy. They suggested possibly allergies were causing this. Unfortunately, and I apologize for this, I can't recall the actual names of what they told us to use. First, they gave him a shot of steroids and then gave us 2 forms of treatment for home. One was a medicated shampoo to help soothe him. I believe the other was some form of Benadryl for the allergies. He is fine now and annoying as ever... so it did work.

One note... this summer, while we were away on vacation, we had him boarded. When we got him back, he was starting to go through this all over again. Long story short... it turned out to be some flea bites. He was allergic to the flea bites but was exhibiting the same symptoms as with the dry skin and allergies. We removed the fleas from him with treatment and the problem cleared up in less than 2 weeks.

Ask your vet about this and maybe they can guide you to the products that will help. I used to hate seeing Angus going through these issues and scratching so much that he would bleed... much better to see him just laying around and being in the way all the time... lol.

Good luck.

Sounds like he has dry skin...

What kind of shampoo are you using?

Has anyone tested him for allergies? Allergies will cause him to itch excessivly and break open his skin.. What kind of food are you feeding? A lot of dogs are allergic to the grains in most foods and some can even be allergic to the perservative on grocery brand foods.

I have also heard of dogs having reactions to house hold cleaners used in the home.

Contact the rescue and ask them if they noticed your dog itching excessively prior to you adopting him... That might be able to narrow it down to a type of allergy or reaction.

Has anyone found fleas on him? Try separating his hair and see if you can find any fleas.. Or flea dirt. Some dogs are very sensitive to fleas and can have extreme reactions from just a few bites.. this is called Flea Allergy Dermatitis. Check his bedding as well...

Food allergy can cause itching, and is seldom responsive to steroids, so... If he is eating regular dog food, you may want to try a bag of something designed more for a food allergy. Just about any food, including some preservatives, can cause allergies. You see foods that are made with 'lamb and rice', or other 'different' meats and grains... these are generally for allergies, but if you get no improvement then this is not conclusive that he isn't allergic to some component in the food. It shouldn't take too long to see some results.