Itching Puppy

I have a 5 month old female westie. The vet told me to give her a bath at least once a month. Her hair is course so I fear that if I give her a bath every two weeks her skin will get dry. She is constantly scratching herself, that I noticed she is losing some of her fur. She doesn't have fleas. I check all the time. She's walked on a leash. If she had fleas, she would pass it to the other dogs. Somebody had told me that westies need to be pricked. Does this have anything to do with it and is it painful for them. The fact that she has two layers of coat, is that also a reason for her scratching. I'd like to find about this, before I take her to the vet.

Please help.

I know exactly what your talking about. I still bathe my yorkie every week or every two weeks and he itches because of dry skin. You need to buy a mild shampoo. I use Natural Oatmeal Shampoo by Eight In One. I use this brand and it isn't that expensive and it works. You'll probably see a difference after a month. Or you could also find other brands of shampoo that are mild or containing oatmeal. I also use a really expensive conditioner to keep the hair soft.

I suspect this is about the same for all dogs. I'd say cut back to bathing once or twice a month like the vet suggested.
Here's a link:
Westie Grooming

Reads like your Westie should be clipped or stripped. I'd suggest taking her to a professional groomer~

Don't forget diet!

roxy has been scratching too and i think its dried skin because i know there are not any fleas. well we are givign her a bath every week although the breeder said once every other week. i dotn know how but after we give her a bath, a week later she really smells and she hasnt even left the house. my mom makes me give her a bath or she threatens to put her out in the garage.

Taking into account Roxy's problems with her ears, I can't help but wonder if she's got a systemic yeast problem. You can read more about this on Linda Arndt's site (www.greatdanelady.com).

Thanks for your advice. I did purchase a mild shampoo with a conditioner and will bathe her tomorrow. She hasn't had a bath in three weeks. I'm hoping this will help. If not, it's a trip to the vet. As far as stripping goes, is it the same as pricking? She's only 5 months old and I don't plan on showing her, but I'd like her to look like a westie. if this is going to be painful for her during grooming, I'll have to pan the idea. One of my concerns, is that she's urinating in her crate. She doesn't do it all the time, but when I had my other dogs, they never urinated in the crate. She's very stubborn and I think sometimes, she lays in her urine. I think that maybe this may also cause her itching. I seem to have a problem with her urinating where she should be. It was never a problem with my other dogs when they were pups, but she seems to be fighting me on this one. When I think she's finally got it, she doesn't.

Thanks