Why is my dog biting and chewing his skin, even without fleas?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear Bam Bam is having some skin problems. Shouldn't be flea or tick related since you have that covered. Skin problems can of course be caused by external parasites including mites, bacteria, fungus, allergies, irritants, etc. Best thing to do is to have Bam Bam evaluated by your vet unless these spots resolve on their own. Your vet can do a physical exam and perform skin tests if necessary (skin scrape, fungal exam, fungal culture, tape prep, cytology, etc) or any other tests to determine what is going on with her skin. Once that is determined, a treatment course can be developed. I hope Bam Bam gets well soon.

Unfortunately she may have an environmental or food allergy involved here. I would recommend taking her to a vet to get the skin looked at. If it is bleeding chances are she needs a good antibiotic and an strong medicated anti-histamine +/- steroid combination to help control the itch. Then comes the fun part, trying to figure out what she has an allergy to? This can be discussed with your vet in detail based on what things have changed in the home (bedding, shampoo's etc) and possibly even starting her on a food trial to rule out food allergies (I like to use Royal canin hypoallergenic hydrolyzed protein or Hill's Z/D for dogs- prescription foods). Only prescription products have been shown to be consistently effective for treating dogs with food allergies. Some dogs even have dust mite allergies of grass allergies (which are proved with skin allergy testing).

Poor Beaumont sounds very itchy!! I would recommend having him checked over by your regular veterinarian. In a young dog like this I would be concerned about a flea allergy (he may need to be started on a topical flea treatment rather than the oral pill), Demodex mites, or an environmental allergy. Salmon oil can be very beneficial for skin health, but it will likely be a few weeks before you see results-take care not to use too much at first as it can cause tummy upsets initially. Your vet may recommend some skin diagnostics such as a skin scrape or cytology to help determine the nature of the problem for Beaumont. Depending on their findings they will then help you to form a treatment plan to get Beaumont feeling and looking better.

I recommend you get him checked by your vet - it is likely the damaged skin has become infected and very painful, hence the biting and snapping towards the area. It is likely he will need antibacterial and antifungal washes and possibly antiinflammatory medication to allow the skin to heal. An omega fatty acid supplement and rigorous flea prevention (including household flea spray to kill the eggs and larvae) are also recommended

Allergies, either to something in the environment or less often to food, would be the most common cause of itching if Charlie is on a prescription flea preventative. He may have a secondary skin infection as well since you are feeling bumps. Mange can cause hair loss but usually isn’t significantly itchy.

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Teddy. We can have a variety of reasons for itching, including allergies to things like food ingredients, environemental allergens, and fleas where just one or two bites can result in a long lasting very itchy dog. You can read more about itching at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 . I would recommend an examination at your vet to check for possible underlying causes, such as fleas, mites, allergies. Your vet can prescribe medication to help treat whatever is causing this. In the meantime you can try an omega fatty acid supplement such as Welactin and a colloidal oatmeal shampoo and creme rinse such as Epi-soothe to help decrease the itching!

Those spots on Lucy could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.