My dog is itching above his tail and has small bumps. What is it?

It could be an allergic reaction to an insect bite or a traumatic wound. Itchy bumps are almost always allergic in nature however. You can try topical soothing creams (sold at your local pet store) for allergic reactions, and cleaning it with chlorhexidine solution 3% or iodine diluted 50:50 with warm water. This will help some with the inflammation. If it still isn't better after 24-48 hrs then it is best to have your vet take a look at it and potentially give her stronger medications to treat it.

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. 

 I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Based on the location, I would be suspicious that Ginger has just a few fleas on her and these are causing the itching. Other things such as allergies can also cause itching. If she is not on a flea prevention, that is what I would recommend to do first. Pick a fast acting oral flea prevention such as comfortis or bravecto. Use it for two months and see if the itching stops. Then explore other causes such as allergies. Best of luck!

I would make sure that she is up to date with her flea treatments as 90% of skin issues affecting the base of the tail are linked to flea dermatitis. Make sure the products you use are applied in the correct way and that Whiskey is not bathed shortly after. It is often necessary to spray the environment with another insecticide in order to kill all the larvae.

This can be caused by various reasons such as fleas, mites ,fungal infection, bacterial infection and allergies. the first 4 needs to be ruled out before we start treating for allergies. in order to do that first de-flea him with a high quality flea treatment such as advantage spot on, if it doesn't help - take him to the vet in order to check for/treat the other possibilities. If everything is ruled out, then an allergy treatment can be started. Usually an hypoallergenic food is a good way to start together with anti histamines. if it doesn't help - the best solution is a medication called Apoquel which treats allergies with great success and without side effects

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Itchiness in dogs, especially on the tail or tail base, can be caused by allergies, such as to fleas, food or environmental allergens. Other causes of itchiness include bacterial infections in the skin, mites such as demodex, and/or fungal infections. Please ensure that Cookie is on a consistent flea and tick preventative medication that was prescribed by a veterinarian. Flea medications/treatments that can be purchased from a food or pet store or online are not safe or effective in dogs. The house itself must also be treated for fleas, with very frequent vacuuming and even "flea bombing". If Cookie is already on an appropriate flea medication year round, I recommend having her examined by a veterinarian for an exam and skin scrape to evaluate for the presence of an infection and/or mites. I hope this is helpful!

Hello. Itching, especially in the back end, is generally due to allergies, especially to flea bites, but there could also be some inflammation in the rectum itself. This can result from inflamed/infected anal glands or even the presence of intestinal parasites. It would be best to have Buster evaluated by your veterinarian so that a proper diagnosis can be made & this will allow for the correct treatment/medication to start. Once this is done, Buster should be much more comfortable. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.