I have not tried this recipe. I've also been looking for a homemade recipe to help dog's itch but I wanted something that would lather up. I found this recipe at Yahoo Answers:

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webitgrl wrote:

After trial and error - this is the recipe that I've used for the last 10 years. It works really well!

Grab a gallon container that has a good seal ( I use a thoroughly rinsed out laundry detergent container or milk jug) and label it well to avoid any confusion:

Base:

12 oz or 1 1/2 Cups Dove, Ivory, or Dawn liquid soap - don't buy any of the antibacterial selections, just the basic soaps. Dawn is well known for killing fleas on your dog.

2 oz or 1/4 Cup liquid glycerine( Available at most pharmacies)

2 oz or 1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar

****Add optional additions below if desired****

Optional / mix-n-match Additions:

2 Tablespoons liquid vitamin E (also at most pharmacies) - great for your dogs coat

1 Cup Oatmeal - I usually run the oatmeal through the food processor, but you don't have to. It's the "milk" that the oatmeal makes with the water that is the important part. It all washes out either way.

essential oils of tea tree, peppermint or lavender - peppermint and lavender are found to be flea deterrents

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Remember to fill the rest of the container with water and shake it to mix well every time you use it. Also, don't be fooled by its' liquidy nature. A little bit of this stuff goes a LONG way!

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I made this today and added the oatmeal and vitamin E oil. I could not find any peppermint or lavender oil at Target. I don't know where to buy that stuff. I did not add the extra water she recommends at the end so the stuff I made was pretty thick which was fine with me. Shampoo lathered up well and got Pippa good and clean and smelling lovely! I will have to wait to see if it helps with the itching.

I made half the above recipe which was just enough for a large dog (Pippa is a German Shepherd mix) but if I had some left over I would definitely put it in the fridge since it has oatmeal.

I know this is not the exact info you were hoping for but I hope this helps anyway.

Update:

Pippa does still itch but nowhere near what she was doing before. Also her coat is really soft and fluffy.

thannks a lot cats and dogs. I am going to make your recipe and see what happens. I did make the one I already have and as yet have not bathed the dogs but will do so today. Your recipe sounds a little better than mine. I did add a little bit of baby shampoo to mine but the ingredients in yours sounds better. Thanks again. My dogs will appreciate it.

You are more than welcome brownthumbia. Be sure that you do add the apple cider vinegar though as it seems this is an essential ingredient. When I first read the recipe and saw vinegar I was like "No Way!" That is really going to burn her skin and make the itching worse, so I did a little research. It appears that a dog's system is healthier when it is acidic and the vinegar will help to maintain the proper PH level. It actually helps to soothe the skin believe it or not. One source I found said that it had to be unpasteurized but I'm pretty sure what I used was organic but not unpasteurized but it still worked.

I'm probably telling you what you already know but I thought it wouldn't hurt to mention it. Good luck with that itching!

I do know some about apple cider vinegar because one of my dogs had a real problem in late spring with itching which didn't seem to be allergies. Something was wrong with her blood plasma and ahe developed extreme skin problems for some reason that neither I nor the vet could understand. But she developed huge scabs all over her body and constant itching. I could not and still do not understand how she could have developed those awful scabs even before I saw any open sores. But it was horrible and after going online I read over and over about apple cider vinegar. Well, I tried it on those sores and I could not believe how the dog would come to me immediately when I said, 'okay, let's wash your sores'. I would have thought that it would sting like crazy and I'm sure it did but it was like it was a relief from the itching. And I also got some shampoo from the vet that contained apple cider vinegar and baking soda. I know I keep repeating APPLE CIDER VINEGAR because that is what you have to be sure to use...not white vinegar, just in case someone else wants or needs to try it. I am using it again on the 2nd dog and it seems like the itching isn't as bad as it was but I'mk going to continue using the homemade shampoo and I am going to add the vinegar. Thanks again c & d.

resurrecting this old thread, did this work brownthumbia? My male dog has had a lot of itchiness this last month or so. We thought he had fleas but have treated him twice and still don't see any evidence of them. I was thinking to use something mild & thought first of oatmeal, googled & it led me right back to the gardenweb (of course).

Doesn't the vinegar react w/the baking soda? I'm going to try it, have nothing to lose, none the ingredients looks like they could hurt him.

Hi jomuir, got your post just fine. It's very possible your dog has some sort of allergies. I'm not a vet but after the time I had with my dogs I feel like I am. LOL. The shampoo that I make does not have baking soda in it. That was a bottle the vet gave me to try. I must admit I altered this recipe a big because I thought it asked for a lot of dawn soap so I cut back on that some, also did not have any glycerine or oils so I left them out. However, I will get some kind of oils when I make another gallon because I like a nice smelling dog. One thing, keep it refrigerated, don't know how necessary that is but just to be safe I do. Also, when you shake it before bathing the dog, there is a LOT of pressure in the jug. Be careful or you may be bathing more than the dog!! Ha. I hope this helps because there is nothing that makes me more nervous than a dog that sits all day and scratches and licks themselves. Must be terrible for them. One more thing----had you considered getting an E-collar from the vet, or possibly a pet store, for your dog? It may keep him from licking himself sore like mine do.

Well I made it with just soda, water & oatmeal (ground up 1st in blender). From the first part of this post. Added a little cider vinegar. It foamed up from the vinegar-soda mixture but not too much.

Forrest seems to be a lot better. I'm not sure if maybe it is allergies & just rinsing off pollen helped, or if it was the mixture itself. He likes to hang around the flowers & veggies in the garden. He's also been licking himself a lot & I read that dried saliva can be irritating.

I think I'll try some fish oil too, handymac mentioned it in another thread. if the licking keeps up I will get an E-collar, they sell them at our local pet supply store. Thanks for the update!

Check your dogs diet. The shampoo is just treating a symptom, not solving the problem.
My dog used to lick his feet a lot and would have itchy ears, but after switching to a no-grain food it has all disappeared.

Thanks for the recipe. I just made it using the Dawn, Glycerin, Apple Cider Vinegar, Oatmeal & water. He's drying off now :)

He's been itchy lately and I think it is because of some treats I bought him at Costco. Going to stop giving that to him to see if it eliminates the scratching.

His itchiness has decreased a lot since we bathed him, I'm pretty sure he had some pollen allergies going on. I was glad to use a natural homemade product on him for a change!

There is one more thing I do that may sound strange but I have a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar and if the itching starts between baths, I just spray the vinegar right on the dog, rub it in and brush her a little---in a few minutes she settles down and it seems like the itching is gone. Annz is also correct about the food you feed your dog. I am feeding no grain food right now but to tell you the truth I can't say it's making much difference in the itching.

There is one more thing I do that may sound strange but I have a spray bottle of apple cider vinegar and if the itching starts between baths, I just spray the vinegar right on the dog, rub it in and brush her a little---in a few minutes she settles down and it seems like the itching is gone. Annz is also correct about the food you feed your dog. I am feeding no grain food right now but to tell you the truth I can't say it's making much difference in the itching.