Issues with my dog, itchiness?

I have a Corgi and have commented on my poor Corgi's medical and mental issues in the Corgi aqnd Dane thread.

Well besides all the behavior issues and physical issues she has now started a new one.

First of all - for physical, she has 3 deformed feet, due to the fact that she has almost no joint left on her right side hind hip (30% 2 years ago and 75% left of left one at that time.) She has been on Rimadyl for the pain since.
The last few eeks I have noticed her chewing a LOT at her sides, both sides and scratching. I have checked her again and again for fleas and nothing, I have not ever seen a flea here since we bought the place in 2001. I know what fleas look and act like, as when I was younger, our animals had them growing up. So I do not think this is fleas. My other thought is that she has some kind of skin issue, but I see not sores, redness, flaking, or anything abnormal going on. She has not lost any patches of fur....yet.

I am kinda thinking that MAYBE, its just winter itch, like what we get, but I have had her for about 9 years and never an issue. She is on excellent quality food, Flint River, coat is not dry or brittle, nice and shiny.

However, she is on Rimadyl and that is a NSAID drug and I am wondering about getting a blood test to check her liver functions. She has been on Rimadyl for about 2 years, and while it was always fine when we did blood tests int he past, I suppose that does not mean its OKAY now.

I am planning on trying to get her into the vet on Friday, or tomorrow afternoon to do blood work. I also had planned on bathing her with an oatmeal shampoo this weekend to help her itch. She has always picked and licked at her feet, several years since then have gotten deformed, and I use bitter apple to get her to stop and this past week I have been using it to try to get her to not pick at her sides. When I brush her, and reach her sides, her back leg goes crazy like when you hit that spot that tickles, but also at the same time, she dips her head down and hunches (if thats possible for a dog to do) like it hurts her.


I am not sure why I am posting this really, I guess I just wanted thoughts as to what to do to sooth the itchiness....as she will be getting to the vet anyway this week no matter what I have to do. Any ideas to help her with the itch?

 

Well, I got her to the vet this afternoon. Anyway, to answer some questions, we have no carpeting in our house and longer, and they do not have apet bed of any kind in the kitchen with them. So they sleep on the tile floor. Sure, I would like them to have a pet bed, however, she will pee on anything, including her own bed....always has.

And well, thats pretty much it for her environment. no new anything in the house as far as chemicals and no plants.

My initial thought was to at least get blood work done, as I interpreted her biting as itchiness from something internal just because of the way she acted.
Well, the vet was not terribly concerned about any of it, feel a bit put off that they did NOT draw blood at all on her even after I mentioned it. The vet looked her over all over her skin and said she does not have fleas which I did not think she did. In my area, I have never seen a flea in the 10+ years I have lived here in this "town" not even on the outside cats. But the vet said no, but he did say that the spot that is the worst he said it is a "hot spot" and he shaved the whole area really close to get a good look at it. He washed it really well and he said that he was wanting to give her a steroid shot but could not because she is on the Rimadyl. However, he did give me a spray to put on it that was a antibiotic, with a tiny bit of topical steroid also in it, and I am to use it 3 times a day. He said to go ahead and bathe her with the oatmeal shampoo I picked up. He also is having me give her 1/2 a Benadryl 2 times a day. He said if she does not improve by beginning of the week, we can try a collar to keep her from biting at the spot, but if it continues, he said to come back next week and we will try again.

Its funny kinda though about the benadryl, because here I am, in my kitchen, cutting open a tiny capsule (they do not open easy at all) and pouring the contents out and dividing in half with a razor blade. I mean, heck, I hope to god no one comes up to my door by my kitchen when I am in there and sees me through the window...as it would certainly look like I was preparing a line of "you know"!

Well, been about an hour and a half since the Benadryl and the dog is still awake LOL, and she has had her second spraying done. The area after shaved is pretty red, and the main itchy part looks well, kinda yellowish, like it was starting to ooze from all the biting and such she has been doing.