Why is my dog itching her tail, causing a bald spot? How to stop it?

A bald spot could be caused by allergies, skin infection, mites, ringworm, etc. You could bath him with a medicated dog shampoo and see if that helps. If not, have your vet examine him to determine the cause. He may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid, or other medications to help treat the problem. You could also add Free Form Snip Tips to his diet and see if that helps to keep his skin and coat healthy.

That lesion on Lily could be several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection, ringworm (which humans can get) or endocrine disease. 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. You can wash the lesion once a day (not her whole body, just the lesion). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesion is not improving within a week or if it is getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like he could have allergies. Allergies commonly cause redness of the skin and can affect pretty much any part of the body. If there is also flaking, crusting, itching or an odor, those are signs that the skin is infected. Infection can be from yeast or bacteria or sometimes a combination of the two. It could also be a parasite on the skin such as mites. I would recommend taking him to your veterinarian for a skin scraping. This is where they take a sample from the surface of the skin and look at it under the microscope. This way they can determine the cause and know how best to treat it. Until then, you can try a topical triple antibiotic ointment and some hydrocortisone to see if that will give him some relief. I hope this helps and that Bob gets feeling better soon!

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Bella with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

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. Without knowing exactly what the underlying cause of this irritation, it is very difficult to make any recommendations other than to see your veterinarian. And I encourage this because the skin really looks almost infected now, & that is worrisome. This is an unusual area to just develop an allergy or sensitivity, but that being said, if you do not see fleas on any of your pets, do not assume you have none. Start using a good product for fleas, & I recommend Bravecto because it will also address skin mites if this might be the cause. The cone was an excellent thing to do, so great job there. But I do think you will need professional help to be able to address this skin infection. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, and thank you for the pictures! The lower back/base of the tail is a classic area for a flea infestation. Fleas make dogs incredibly itchy, causing them to bite or scratch at the area, and cause hair loss. This area can get very sensitive and painful to dogs. I recommend bringing Nala to your veterinarian at their next available appointment to have her examined. Your vet can do a test to check for fleas, and can perform a skin scrape to see if there are any other external parasites such as mites or lice, or a secondary bacterial infection, that may be contributing to her itching. Nala should be on a consistent flea and tick preventative that can be purchased from your veterinarian. We do NOT recommend using flea and tick products that can be purchased from a food or pet store, as these are not safe or effective for use in dogs. There are no effective "natural" or holistic flea and tick preventatives, either. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Nala!