# Itching and Head Shaking



## SweetSirenity (Aug 6, 2012)

My Chihuahua, Sirenity, has been itching and shaking her head a lot, my boyfriend said I shouldn't worry "dogs get itches", but I know my dog. I think it could be something more serious, that could be because typing itching and head shaking in dogs into a search engine led me to sites about ear cancer, possible surgeries she may need, and other life threatening illnesses and procedures. I'm hoping fellow Chihuahua parents can help me better understand whats going on with Sirenity. She isn't pained when I touch her ears and her energy level and personality haven't been effected. I would take her to the vet if she had exhibited any further symptoms, but I am hoping someone has had a similar experience and could shed some light on my situation. She isn't in pain but it must be causing her some discomfort because she stops things she loves like playing with our other dog, playing games with me, and even eating her dinner to itch or shake at some point. Any information you can give me would be much appreciated, she's my little girl I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to make sure she is comfortable.


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## AussieLass (Mar 1, 2012)

Could be a yeast/candida/thrush infection (what do you feed her?) or ear mites?

What do her ears look like inside - normal colour, normal odour, any darkness, excess wax, overly dirty?

Have you ever cleaned her ears? There's a liquid you can gently squeeze in there, massage the base of the ear for quite a while and then wipe out the inside of her ears - I do that every 2 - 3 times I bathe them and there's usually a couple of weeks to three weeks in between baths. Chi's love the ear massage bit.


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## woodard2009 (Aug 4, 2010)

Very vague info. Where is she scratching? Is her whole body shaking or just her head? If it's just her head, it could be ear infection/mites, it could be a tooth ache/infection. If you can't find what her discomfort is, a vet visit might be in order.


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

My girl had an ear infection. If she is scratching her ear, the ear is very red and it smells kind of sour, it is probably an ear infection. I took her to the vet, they looked at a culture under the microscope to diagnosis is. I had to put a liquid medicine in her ears for 7 days. She seemed a lot better after a couple days.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Sorry about your boyfriends attitude! If it was me, she'd be at the vets to see if there was a skin problem, or more likely an ear infection. We just can't diagnose on the forum with the info given!


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

also from head shaking she might have a hemotomia (spelling) and they can annoy her but just needs to be drained. What color is the ear wax in her ear? Are her ears red? What do you see?


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## SweetSirenity (Aug 6, 2012)

Her ears are normal color, there is no fowl odor, no excess or abnormal wax color or build up, and I checked for ear mites and she is clean. I bought some ear cleansing liquid and I think it helped her a lot. I think I need to get her a better Flea and Tick medication because after I gave her a bath using Flea and Tick shampoo and conditioner she has been itching and shaking less and less. Any good brands or suggestions for Flea and Tick Meds?


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