Why is my dog itching and chewing his genitals, causing sores?

This presentation could be due to a trauma initially or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). For sure there is an over infection due to scratching or licking. A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching. 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.

This is probably 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.

The first thing you need to do is put a cone collar on him to keep him from continuing to lick the skin. He has scrotal dermatitis (an infection of the scrotal skin) and no matter what you use to treat It with, if he just continues to lick, it will not get better. So, get the cone collar ASAP and then apply this Vetericyn spray (linked below) to the affected area 2-3 times per day. If after about 5=7 days of doing this, it is not better than you need to have him checked by your vet. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-e-collar ) ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-hot-spot-antimicrobial-gel-for-dogs ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Poor Louis! There are a number of things that can cause excessive itching and chewing of the skin like this. Some common possibilities would include allergies, fleas, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). If there is a focal area that is moist and looks infected, this may be what's called a "hot spot", which is a bacterial skin infection that is quite painful and itchy. It sounds like Louis will likely need prescription medication such as a steroid and antibiotics to treat this problem, as well as possibly some skin testing to determine what caused the infection, so I would recommend taking him to the vet today for an exam. Your vet can do some simple skin tests if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate medication to treat it. In the meantime, I would also suggest placing an e-collar (plastic cone) on Louis to prevent him from continuing to chew at the area and make things worse until you are able to see the vet.

This looks like scrotal dermatitis, which is not uncommon in unneutered dogs. Often, there is an infection present, which will need prescription medication to treat it. This particular problem tends to take a long time to heal and can get worse without proper treatment. For these reasons I recommend taking Dexter to the vet for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. For now, wash/spray the area with cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. It's important not to put any ointments or creams on this, because they will likely be licked off and may not be helpful anyways. I hope that helps and Dexter gets better soon.

Poor Buddy! It sounds like this area is itchy for him. This itching can be caused by [fleas](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/flea-infestation-1/), [mites](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/mange/), [ringworm](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/ringworm-1/), or [allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/canine-allergies/). If he isn't up to date on his [flea treatment](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-do-i-pick-the-right-flea-and-tick-product-for-my-pet/), he will need a spot on treatment, such as Advantix, or a prescription oral flea preventive, such as Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, or Credelio. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. If he is up to date on his flea treatment, I recommend taking him into your vet for an exam. Your vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the itching is found, your vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment. I recommend taking him into the vet today or tomorrow. He will also likely need an [E-collar](https://www.petcoach.co/article/e-collars-for-cats-dogs-types-of-collars-and-diy-options/) (cone) to prevent him from biting at that area until he sees the vet.

The main concern is if it is an infection being that close to the opening, it has potential to travel up the urethra and cause a bladder infection. You can try to clean the area with soap and water and apply cortisone alternate with Neosporin to soothe the area, just discourage licking while it is one. This will help coat the area to minimize the contamination. If it does not improve or it continues to bother him, then I would get it checked out.