Herbal Remedies for an Itchy or Scratchy Dog

Dogs are covered in hair, and so scratching occasionally throughout the day is normal. If your dog is losing fur due to scratching, preoccupied with scratching, or damaging their skin by scratching, it’s important to find them some relief. Itchiness and scratching can have many underlying causes. You must rule out fleas, as well as detergents (especially the popular commercial ones, like the kind that comes in an orange container), dryer sheets, laundry scent boosters, carpet powders, floor cleaners, and any other products your dog regularly comes in contact with. I can’t count the number of times I have seen dogs with excessive itchiness have a sensitivity to products in the above list.

Itchiness, scratching, biting, and gnawing are all reactions to skin afflictions. These types of issues can make us desperate to find quick solutions for our pet, but most of the time, when fleas and flea allergy have been ruled out, itching and scratching are due to underlying causes like low immune function, liver congestion, emotional imbalance, or microbiome imbalance, especially candida overgrowth. When looking at herbs and supplements for itching, focus on immune and liver support, antibiotic recovery, and yeast or leaky gut herbs. Remember to always support your dog’s nervous and lymphatic systems while you are trying to quell the itch.

Causes of Itching

• Airborne irritants
• Constipation
• Contact sensitivities
• Dampness
• Damp heat
• Depleted skin oils from too much bathing
• Depleted nervous system
• Digestive enzyme insufficiency
• Ear infections (head and face scratching)
• Food sensitivities
• Lack of B-vitamins
• Leaky gut
• Imbalanced microbiome

Sometimes, having strategies for calming your dog’s itching and scratching can go a long way while you work on the inside. Here are a few tried and true methods.

Rinses for Itchiness

Herbs that are good for itch-relieving rinses include calendula, chamomile, chickweed, cleavers, dandelion root, echinacea, lavender, plantain, yarrow, and yellow dock.

Rinse for Dry, Scaly Skin with Heat

Heat describes the energetics of this condition. Yarrow is specific for hot, dry skin. St. John’s wort is an anti-inflammatory and specific for redness and heat, and goldenrod is specific for scaly dry skin. Prepare the St. John’s wort as a cold infusion, using apple cider vinegar instead of water and letting it steep overnight. You can use dried or fresh herbs to make the infusions here.

• 6 ounces goldenrod infusion
• 2 ounces yarrow infusion or 15 drops yarrow tincture
• 1 ounce St. John’s wort–infused apple cider vinegar or infusion

Rinse for Itchy, Irritated Skin with Heat

Lavender infusion is specifically for itchy, dry skin, with an emphasis on the itch. The apple cider vinegar can be plain or infused with any itch-relieving herb (and if your dog is sensitive to vinegar, replace it with more infusion). Chickweed relieves itching; when it doesn’t work, use yellow dock root. Both will cool the skin and relieve the itch.

• 6 ounces chickweed infusion or dried yellow dock root decoction
• 2 ounces lavender infusion
• 1 ounce apple cider vinegar

Rinse for Inflamed, Red, Itchy Skin

Plantain relieves inflammation, draws heat out of the skin, and quells the itch. Yarrow will help bring down the redness and heat.

• 8 ounces fresh or dried plantain infusion
• 1 ounce apple cider vinegar
• 1 ml yarrow tincture

Excerpted and adapted from The Herbal Dog by Rita Hogan, C.H., Foreword by Isla Fishburn, Ph.D. © 2025 Healing Arts Press. Printed with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International. InnerTraditions.com