So she’s been scratching and digging practically since we brought her home. We felt bad for her, but didn’t think all that much about it.
Well, it started to get worse, and the vet recommended we wash all her bedding in dye-free/scent-free detergent (no fabric softener, either!) plus we changed her food to the ultra-expensive all-natural made-from-meat-and-veggies food. And she still itched and scratched herself RAW.
We took her back to the vet and he said it’s probably a food allergy—she’s most likely allergic to chicken! Hoo boy, there’s chicken in her treats, her bones, and of course the Ultra-Expensive Natural Food we just bought 30# of. Plus, he said she can’t have any toys for at least two weeks! He also wants to rule out germs or bacteria as the source (i.e. her saliva on the toys).
So in addition to the poor baby being scratched raw and going through ANOTHER food change (now we’re on an expensive lamb and rice formula)…she has no toys to play with! Which means she drives us nuts and is attacking Boots with more ferocity than ever! She does seem to be itching less, though, so it’s all worth it.