Why is my dog constantly chewing, licking, and scratching her rear?

There can be lots of reasons to lick back there. Allergies are the most common cause, and it could be a reaction to flea bites, foods, or the environment. Intestinal parasites and anal gland issues can also cause irritation. Licking can also be seen during the heat cycle of intact females.

She may be coming into heat which could be causing her to feel irritated down there, making her scratch which damages tge skin barrier and can cause skin infection. Or alternatively she has simply got a skin infection. The skin does look inflamed and the dark pigment could just be natural colour change or it could caused by yeast. She looks sore so I would have the vet examine her and determine exactly what microbes ate present in the area and then decide how best to treat. She may just need an antinflammatory or antihistamine but I suspect she will also require an antimicrobial.

Full or impacted anal glands are one possibility, especially if she is scooting her back end on the floor. Your veterinarian or groomer can express (empty) them if necessary. Other causes would be allergies, parasites or discomfort around the area. Ideally, Ruby should be seen by your veterinarian to diagnose and address the underlying cause. Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent excessive licking until she sees the doctor.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sneaky. Her skin still appears red and irritated. I recommend bathing her with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula to try to soothe her skin. If this does not resolve her itching, then you will need to contact her veterinarian. She may require a different medication to help control the itching and to ensure there is not another issue contributing (urinary tract infection, full anal glands, etc). I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know without an exam. However, this is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

There can be several possible causes of Riley's abnormal behaviors, including irritation from full anal glands, parasites or seizure activity. That said, if Riley is aware and responsive to you at all times, seizures seem less likely. Anal glands are scent glands that typically empty with a bowel movement, but sometimes they need to be manually emptied. If this continues, Riley should be seen by her vet to express/empty her anal glands and check a stool sample for the presence of parasites.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!