I need some advice

I need some advice from all of you fellow pug owners. My pug, Jake, always likes to itch his wrinkles on things. No biggie, no surprise.
I clean out his wrinkles twice a day and he gets a good bath once a month so I know it is not always an itch because of dirt thing.
Lately, he has been doing it more than usual and I know that allergy season is in full effect. I am guessing just as a human goes to scratch their nose when they have allergies, he probably has an itchy face just the same way. Per the vet?s recommendation, Jake always gets half a Benadryl with breakfast and half a Benadryl with dinner. Originally they wanted me to give him a whole pill, but I did it once, and he was so drugged and out of it that I felt badly for him.
Anyway, the Benadryl does seem to help a bit, BUT, he is scratching so much and he tend to want to scratch on cement sidewalks, corners of hard tables,etc., all things that make me worry that he will hurt himself. I left a message for the vet this morning, but have not heard back yet.
Do any of you have pugs that do this? Any advice? I would appreciate it so much.

The pollen counts in our area are more then DOUBLE the usual. I would think he is reacting to all that on his skin. When you bring him in from outside wash his face with cool water, and his fet also. Seems to cut down on some of the irritation.

I have to ask.....can you smell anything in the nose fold area? Sometimes with washing with alot of water..even though a cosmetic pad comes back clean...the way they have to drink....water gets trapped in that area......they can get a yeast and fungus infection in that area easily. I've put a tad ( tiny bit on my finger) of hydrocort cream ....and rub it in the nose fold area. This keeps the area dry....and takes the itch out for my one pug.

also as a suggestion for ear and nose fold cleaner alot of show folks use...

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup rubbing alcohol

Mix and use this mixture to clean out ears and nose areas with it. I put the mixture on a Q tip to do the nose fold. The alcohol dries out these areas....and the vinegar keeps the Ph at a decent level. But our pollen here is horendous ! Long stragley shreds of yellow junk laying everywhere.....I hope with this good rain today...it will knock it out of the trees and we will be done with it. I can use a rake then a shovel to clean it up in and around my yard this year. My gutters are full and will need cleaned again ! It is creeping inside the house too. My girlfriends horse is on allergy meds ...he is head shaking so bad....can't stand his nose touched right now....so even the horses are feeling this years pollen. His nose and eyes are running constantly.

Mary

My vet found me a product that is a lifesaver!!! My pug did the same thing but his face also smelled like cheese so on top of him rubbing his face into everything, he was stinking up the place. My vet introduced me to what are called malaseb pladgets. You can buy a container for around $20. You start out using them every day for a week and then taper off to about twice a week. They look like stridex pads and you basically clean out the folds with them. They are amazing!!! No more stink and no more rubbing!!! Good luck!!!

i actually use stridex pads!!! my one puggie used to get horrible chin acne until i took him off of grains and started to wipe his face with the stridex pads. my vet said that was fine. i just watch not to let them get near his eyes.

We also use the stridex pads for the pimples. When we clean the folds, we use baby wipes.
Barb.

Hello --I understand how you feel. Psalms itches year round.

-I clean her wrinkles with baby wipes, but she also has food allegies, so I have to be careful about what she eats. If she eats the wrong thing, poor sweetie will spend all night itching.
--A good food for dogs with food allergies is Wellness (Swordfish and Sweet Potatoes)
helps her fur grow back/ and also controls the dandruff and dry skin.

Hope that helps :)