[Greater Swiss]

We're currently trying to figure out the potential cause of some minor dandruff and a second yeast infection in Caeda's ear (second one in about 2-3 months). She scratched, or bit her legs occasionally, but not much. Basically a little itch that went away easily.
This morning I noticed something odd. She slept with me last night and this morning she was scratching a LOT and biting at her legs/butt. Not making herself bloody or anything, or even taking fur off, but I've never seen her do that as much as she did this morning.
The only thing that occurs to me is that I washed ALL of my bedding yesterday, sheets, blanket, mattress cover and the big blanket that protects the bedding from "dog dirt". We also did go for quite the romp in the snow yesterday.....though its never correlated with the itching before.
Could she be allergic to the laundry detergent I used? Has anybody come across this as a sensitivity before? I'm washing the couch blankets today, so I'll use something else....that "might" help me track it down. I just never realized that it was something a dog might react to (silly me)

 

[bonesygirl]

One of the horses I look after used to get reactions from laundry detergent, among thousands of other things. He would get hives/runny eyes though. I'm not sure how that compares.

 

[Shell]

Sure, that could easily cause a skin reaction. Laundry soap often has perfumes, and fabric softener is another big culprit for skin irritation. People, dogs, cats, any animal can be sensitive to detergents and additives.

Try using a fragrance-free detergent. I use Arm and Hammer powered detergent that's "free" of nearly everything extra (no coloring, no scent, etc) and only use 1/2 the recommended amount (most detergents suggest way too much and a lot of residue gets left on the clothes and sheets).

Don't use a fabric softener at all. If things are static-y, take them out of the dryer before they are completely dry and let them air dry (or air dry from the start for some fabrics or items).

 

[Greater Swiss]

Thanks!
I just threw her blankets in with some Tide Free for sensitive skin. No bleach for unbleachables or any other additives, so here's hoping that it'll help.
I've also got the food issue to deal with, I'm hoping that the salmon and sweet potato isn't causing this (GRR the variables are driving me nuts!).
The only direct correlation I can see between yesterday (limited scratching) and this morning (LOTS of scratching) is the soap.
I don't know why I for some reason thought that dogs wouldn't be as prone to soap used on linens causing a problem....fur as protection or whatever, but I'm still learning

 

[Bordermom]

Could totally be that, you can also do a second rinse with a cup of vinegar to get rid of residue.

Diet wise if you can do raw and feed just the one protien, it's much better than a kibble with a ton of ingredients as far as weeding out the bad stuff. I had one dog who couldn't do chicken based kibble, but ate raw chicken for the next ten or so years of her life, no problems.

 

[Amaryllis]

I use All free & clear and use white vinegar as fabric softener (i put it in a downy ball) for myself. All is cheaper than Tide, works just as well and you can usually find it on sale at the grocery stores. (I don't pay more than $2.99 for a 28 load bottle.) Allergies to perfumes in detergent are no joke and pretty common and can come out of nowhere.

 

[Abbylynn]

" All " also makes an allergen-free dryer sheet ... if you can find it not out of stock. :/ It is called " All Free and Clear " also. I have to use both the detergent and dryer sheets for Blu Boy ... just one of his sensitivities.

 

[Amaryllis]

" All " also makes an allergen-free dryer sheet ... if you can find it not out of stock. :/ It is called " All Free and Clear " also. I have to use both the detergent and dryer sheets for Blu Boy ... just one of his sensitivities.

I have such a problem finding those dryer sheets. There's one store that carries it- Giant- and I think I'm racing every other allergic person in the area to get to it first. I've only won that race once. It was a glorious day.

White vinegar works well enough, though. Your clothes don't end up smelling like a salad, which was my main concern.