The Itching, Scratching and Licking Dog - What Are Options for Relief from Itching for Your Dog?

Let sleeping dogs lie, right? Sounds like an adage for a peaceful home, but what if your dog won't ever lie still because she's "ansty" with itches? Not only is the dog going crazy trying to relieve itching that just won't stop, but the dog's owner is driven to distraction with all the incessant scratching and licking. Constant scratching and licking can lead to serious skin problems for the dog and even staph infections if these behaviors are allowed to continue unchecked. But what is a frustrated dog owner to do for his poor itching canine companion?

Our dog, Daisy, has always had some trouble with itching and scratching. For a long time there was no visible evidence of any sort of skin condition or infection. Then she began to develop severe itching and was scratching at strange red spots on her belly. Her scratching and licking became frantic and constant and was causing her to lose the hair on her belly and under her front legs (her "armpits", I guess you could say). The skin was even beginning to take on an odd leathery-looking appearance. We took her to the veterinarian, who diagnosed a staph infection as well as dermatitis and prescribed antibiotics. The antibiotics eliminated the staph infection, but how could we stop the itching? We desperately needed to find some way to prevent the dog from scratching and licking herself into another infection. What were the options?

Corticosteroids