: How do I help my itchy Bichon Frise? My male Bichon Frise goes crazy when we take him to the groomers and when he comes home. He has very sensitive skin and is itchy. I don't know if he has a flea or if there's another cause

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If it's only happening when you take him to the groomer it's likely an allergy to one of the products they use. Try a more sensitive, oatmeal based shampoo like Earthbath Fragrance Free Oatmeal and Aloe. It's also possible the groomer isn't getting all of the shampoo out and there is residue still on his skin which is irritating. Your vet should have had you try this before prescribing steroids.

If he's itchy all the time, regardless of having been groomed recently that's another story. You vet should be checking for fleas by parting his hair in multiple places and inspecting his skin for flea excrement. If the vet hasn't been doing this you can do it at home with a comb. Also, your dog should be on a flea preventative.

You can try an anti itch spray (usually tea tree oil and oatmeal based - not bitter apple spray or other deterrents). If that doesn't work you can try Benadryl (the dose is 1 mg per pound, so if your dog is 10 pounds the dose is 10mg). Make sure the Benadryl doesn't have any added cough or cold medicine mixed in. Lastly you can look at your dog food choices - it's possible he's allergic to something he's eating.

Hope your pup feels better soon.

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If he has sensitive skin, then he could be allergic to the products they are using at the groomers. My dog can only use hypoallergenic shampoo and anything else causes him to scratch so hard that his crate is covered in fur. A common way to get rid of dry skin for dogs is to feed them a teaspoon or so of olive oil. Additonal info about the olive oil: thebark.com/content/winterizing-your-dogs-coat