Just last week, I took my dog to the vet.
She was scratching all the time.
I didn’t see any fleas on her or notice any evidence of fleas in the house. Therefore, I was becoming concerned that she might have some sort of allergy or something. All that scratching is enough to drive me crazy, and I figure the poor girl must be sick of it, as well. The vet looked back over her history and noticed that she was brought in for itching at this time of year several times. That is when we figured out that it is the dry winter air that is making her itchy. It is true that the forced air heating I use in my house does make the air drier. In fact, I don’t even like to use the heating system at all because it dries out my sinuses and makes my lips chapped. I just never thought the heater would cause my god problems as well. Now that we have it figured out, though, it is time to do something about it. I am going to try three things. I am going to use the heater less often. If it is just slightly cold, I am going to use more blankets and less heating. Plus, I am going to get a dehumidifier. Using the dehumidifier will likely help the dog’s itchy skin as well as my headaches. Third, I am going to feed the dog vitamin E oil capsules. I use lotion when the heater is on, so she likely needs a little moistening, too. Less frequent use of the heater will likely be the best thing.