She seems really itchy on her back,especially at the base of her tail. She is always wanting me to scratch her. It seems to be really bothering her.

I changed her feed to a no corn blend but it hasn't made any difference in 3 weeks. She doesn't have any fleas or signs of fleas or ticks. She stays outside a lot but sleeps inside. She gets a bath about once a week,sometimes once in 2 weeks and I use a shampoo designed to sooth itchy skin. I am very careful to rinse her well. She has no hair loss or spots I can see on her skin. Is there anything else I can try before taking her to the vet? She is nearly 2 and has been itchy for at least 3 months.

If she is 6+ years old she might be getting too much protein in her feed. If dogs aren't real active, the protein can build up in their body and will come out thru their skin sometimes. It has an odor to it.

You're bathing her too often. Labs skin will dry out very quickly with the application of any soap or shampoo too often. My lab gets baths only about every 3 months, or if she really needs it. Most experts recommend bathing them every 3-4 months if possible.

I thought about that and went a month without bathing her,itching only seemed to get worse. Guess it's time to take her to the vet.Thanks anyway.

Allergies. I had a lab that every spring, for the next three months, did the same thing. She would lose all the hair of her butt. We tried everything. Nothing worked until we moved, then it just stopped. Good luck.

mix canned pure Pumpkin puree in her food 2 to 3 table spoons each time you feed her (not pumpkin pie filling )

Vet will probably prescribe Apoquel for itch. $45/30 tablets...ouch

Don't have personal experience with it, but Dyn-O-Vite spends a lot of money advertising it helps issues like allergies and itching.

Are those one a day? Ouch is right..

A vet that immediately prescribes your dog Apoquel is just guessing. Apoquel is kinda a last ditch effort in my opinion, you turn to it when everything else has been ruled out that could cause pruritus. Apoquel is a miracle drug when it works, but it doesn't work for every dog. I wasn't going to get involved in this, but there is some OK advice here, and some that I shake my head at. Consult your veterinarian, or send me a PM if you have any questions.

Add extra fat to her diet. pour bacon grease over her food and any other grease you can for a little while, and see if that helps. Sounds like dry skin problems to me..