Why Do Some Pets Scratch Themselves So Much?

There are pets who love nothing more that sharpening their claws on whatever they can find. From furniture to doorframes, very few items are safe from their constant urge to sharpen their talons. However, from training them to use scratching posts to putting aluminium foil on their favourite scratching locations, there will be many ways to dissuade them from ruining your home.

Other animals, however, have a penchant for scratching themselves until they are red raw, and it can be far harder to stop them from attacking their own skin than it can be to stop them from attacking your furniture.

Those that scratch or bite themselves incessantly will more than likely be suffering from allergies. This could be due to poor nutrition, environmental factors, infections, or even parasites. Knowing the cause will be integral in remedying the situation and trying one or two different approaches to no avail will not mean that the situation is a lost cause.

First off, it will be wise to discuss the problem with your vet. Once a thorough examination has been carried out, the cause of any allergies may become obvious. However, even once a course of action has been decided upon, it will be wise to look at the pet food you offer your animals to ensure that the problem is not exacerbated and that they are not prone to other allergies further down the line.

If it is food that is the problem, it is wise to remember that there will be no test to work out which food ingredients are causing the reaction. Instead, trials should be carried out in which different foods are offered for around ten weeks to see if the condition is altered.

In any case, always be sure to buy high quality food, as the better the class of food you offer your animals, the less likely they are to be allergic to the ingredients those foods contain.