My dog is itching, scooting, and has bad breath. What could it be?

I recommend to discuss ruling out a food allergy and hypothyroidism with your veterinarian .Without any further information it’s hard to know which is best but your regular veterinarian should be able to guide you. Food allergies are easiest to diagnose when pets have a proper diet trial with a hydrolyzed prescription protein. Thyroid disease is diagnosed with a straightforward blood test. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like you have done everything you can to help with this at home. However, this may be due to impacted or infected anal glands that may need veterinary evaluation and treatment. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to diagnose the issue and treat it accordingly. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. It sounds like this possible infection may be significant though it is hard to tell without an examination. 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!

It's odd that it improved when the [Giardia](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/giardia/) was treated. My first suspicion for the ongoing odor is that she may be licking at her anal glands or eating her own (or someone else's) poop. Ideally, have her examined by a veterinarian just to make sure there are no wounds, irritation, etc in her mouth or throat that maybe contributing. You r vet can also check her anal glands to see if they seem full or irritated which could lead t her having a tendency to lick at them a lot. If her anal glands are fine, and her mouth is fine, use a daily product for dental health. [CET products](https://us.virbac.com/cet-veggiedent-fr3sh-dental-chew-for-dogs) contain chlorhexadine which kills bad breath causing bacteria. [Water additives](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-oratene-water-additive) are great too. I hope thats helpful for you. Thanks for asking PetCoach! Good luck!

Hello. There could be more than one issue going on here, although the symptoms of some conditions can overlap. Bad breath can come from tooth decay, gingivitis, or even some stomach issues ( gastric reflux ). The shedding could just be a factor of the time of year ( mine are beginning to dump their winter coats ), but low thyroid could actually fit with all three symptoms. Adding a good probiotic to Coal's diet daily can help with the diarrhea & bad breath, & I would recommend Purina FortiFlora being one of the better ones. I also like Proviable KP, as this is designed specifically for diarrhea & has the probiotics, too. Both are available over the counter. If the probiotic does not help the diarrhea, please consider seeing your veterinarian for some testing to make sure there are no more serious situations to consider. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, I am so sorry for your concerns with Darcy. It sounds like she has multiple issues, some of which are probably allergy driven. There are many medications & treatments to help with itchy skin, but we need to try & identify the underlying cause. It could be fleas, sarcoptic mange, food sensitivities, inhalant allergens from dust or pollen. There are just too many things that can only be routinely diagnosed with a good physical exam from your veterinarian. That is where you need to start in order to find the relief that Darcy deserves. I hope you can have her seen soon. Take care & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. This could be either environmental or food related. Unfortunately, it is not specific to any of those possibilities. 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!