Dog and Cat Itch Scale

How Severe Is Your Pet's Itching?

Pruritus (itching) manifests itself by scratching, nibbling, licking, when a pet rubs against objects or people, or when a pet rubs its back. The scale below is designed to measure the severity of itching. Read all the descriptions starting from the bottom to find where your pet's level of itchiness currently lies.

The Scale

0 — Normal dog/cat. I don't think itching is a problem.

1-2 — Very mild itching / only occasional episodes. The dog/cat is slightly itchier than it was before the skin problem started.

3-4 — Mild itching / a bit more frequent. Does not itch when sleeping, eating, playing, exercising, or being distracted.

5-6 — Moderate itching / regular episodes. Itching might occur at night (if observed), but not when eating, playing, exercising, or being distracted.

7-8 — Severe itching / prolonged episodes. Itching might occur at night (if observed) and also when eating, playing, exercising, or being distracted.

9-10 — Extremely severe itching / almost continuous. Itching does not stop whatever is happening, even in the consulting room (needs to be physically restrained from itching).

Reproduced and adapted with permission from: Hill PB, Lau P and Rybnicek J. Development of an owner-assessed scale to measure the severity of pruritus in dogs. Veterinary Dermatology 2007; 18: 301.