Itchy dog - what could be the reason?

Our dog (boxer) has been real itchy lately. She is literally scratching all the time and she is leaving sores. We have tried several things on her and she won't stop. She has a vet appointment tomorrow. What do you think it could be?

The only time we've had such a problem with a dog was a young German Shepherd nearly 40 years ago, and at the time the vet said it was just dry skin, to pour a little bit of bacon grease on her dogfood. That worked back then, but your problem may be entirely different.

My parents' dog had the same issue and it would get the point where she would have open sores on her feet from biting them and a red belly from scratching. They took her to the vet and found out she was allergic to grass and the dog food she was eating. She had to be on a special diet for years (special food only available at the vet office), but eventually the cost of that special dog food was too expensive. My parents eventually weaned her off of that food (it took a year) and now she seems to be doing a lot better. She doesn't lay in the grass anymore, but every now and then she will start biting her paws and they use a spray to help sooth her feet.

That's distressing, My dogs get that from time to time and I recomend sulfadene. You can get it at Walmart it"s very inexpensive and it should relieve the symptoms.
The cause can vary but I assume that you live in the north and it's because of the dryness but it may be a fungus or caused by a flea, either way sulfadene twice a day for 3-5 days is a good bet, worth a try anyway. I pour a little on the affected area and rub it in with my fingers then wash my hands throughly.
I'm confident you will find some results.

I think the most common causes are allergies, food or envrionmental, or thyroid problems. We've had dogs that had both problems. Right now, 2 of my 4 dogs are on thyroid medication. Another dog takes benydril for itchy skin. I've had other dogs that had to be on special food due to itchy skin. A good vet will figure it out.

I second adding grease or oil to the food. My mother's black lab started itching like crazy and she started adding one or tablespoons of vegetable oil to the dogs food and it stopped the itching. Also, she got sensitive shampoo as well.

Well, I said the German Shepherd many years ago was the only one, and now we have a Chihuahua that was scratching a lot. The vet told my wife it's allergies, so she cuts generic benadryl caplets in half and gives the dog one of those halves each day, and no more itch or scratching.

One of the most common reasons is yeast infection. Spray the sores with Listerine. Like bird said benadryl helps.

Probably, the most common cause is either Dry Skin or Allergies. If you give him baths(ie... an inside dog) then it is probably dry skin as shampoo washes out all the natural oils in the skin. If it's an outside dog it still could be dry skin but another think to consider is allergies. Dogs can be allergic to certain things just like us humans. Sometimes something in their food or something in their environment. I agree with Bird, give the dog 25mg of Benadryl and see if that helps. Benedryl won't hurt him as it is one of the safest drugs you can take. (I know b/c i'm a retired MD).

Yes, it can be allergies. I found no ticks and fleas on my pet but I found red patches. The vet said its called moist dermatitis.