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Why does my dog have painful, itchy scabs on his back and bleeding?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | unneutered | 80 lbs

Our dog has scabs all down his back that are very painful. It itches so bad that he scratches till it bleeds. His skin is very tender and pink. He is a long haired dog. Can you help us?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Kristin DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 2nd, 2018

Thank you for your question. Patches must be pretty uncomfortable. There are several possible reasons for this type of itchiness. The first thing I recommend is make sure he has been treated for fleas. Even one little flea can trigger massive itching in a dog that is sensitive to them. Other things that can cause this type of itching are food allergies, environmental allergies, mites, and bacterial skin infections. When the skin becomes this damaged, a trip to your veterinarian is necessary. We often have to prescribe antibiotics to control local bacterial infections that can result from all the scratching. We also need to get the itching under control. Sometimes this means steroids, and sometimes we prescribe a medication specifically to control itching. A t-shirt can be used to protect the skin from further scratching while it heals. There are some over the counter anti-itch sprays you can try, but many times they are not strong enough. I hope this helps, and Patches is feeling better soon!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on September 17th, 2017
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 Vader with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get him 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 him 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 him on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on November 15th, 2019
Scratching 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.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on June 30th, 2017
When dogs get very itchy like Pepper is, at the base of his tail, it usually indicates a type of flea allergy dermatitis. This means that Pepper is allergic to the saliva in the flea bite and it causes him to itch excessively. The itching causes the skin to break down and then leads to infection, which causes him to be even more itchy and for the hair to fall out. To get it cleared up he will likely need a course of antibiotics again and some itch medication to help him feel better while the infection is getting under control. It is also very important that he be on flea control every month year-round to prevent it from happening. Your other dog should be on flea control as well.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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