My dog licks himself raw and everything. Should I be concerned?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Not necessarily. In reality, this is not unusual in dogs. I would be concerned though if he is causing himself any skin lesions or wounds from the licking which in that case it could be from allergies and should be addressed. Otherwise, he is likely going to be just fine. Good luck and have a great day!

It looks like he has a bacterial skin infection so he should be examined by your vet for treatment. Your vet can prescribe an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or a corticosteroid to help treat the condition. He could have allergies so he may need to stay on an anti-histamine long term. You could also bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo, like Epi-Soothe, and see if that helps. You could also add Free Form Snip Tips to his diet to help keep his skin and coat healthy.

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 him with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate or advantage), then get him to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might revile 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 stop the chewing and 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).

Hi there! Thanks for using PerCoach! If this is the only place she has been licking, this is likely a lick granuloma in the early stages. This is basically a skin wound that is created by self-trauma. It will take a full examination by a veterinarian to rule out other things though this seems the most likely. Tha main thing is finding out what is triggering this. Sometimes it is behavioral or due to stress and sometimes it is medical in nature such as due to allergies. I recommend that you have Jackie evaluated by your veterinarian to confirm this and to start management for it which often times involves placing an e-collar to avoid more self-trauma, start therapy for the possible inciting cause like allergies, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. In the meantime, you could consider getting an e-collar to avoid self-trauma while you have her evaluated. Good luck!

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking. Consider an exam with your veterinarian to diagnose and treat the underlying cause. Possibilities include parasites (fleas, mites), infection (bacterial or fungal) and allergies (environmental, foodborne, etc). Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials and antihistamine use with your veterinarian.

I hate to hear that Chika is having these problems. Based upon the location and the fact that two dogs are now showing signs, I am most concerned with something communal such as fleas, ringworm (which people can get) or mites. I recommend to rule out fleas by using a really good product such as Simaprica once a month. If the signs go away within 2 months, then you know it's fleas. Treat all pets for fleas once monthly. Diagnosing ringworm and mites require a vet visit for appropriate diagnostics. A visit would also be beneficial since the dogs are chewing themselves raw. The doctor can provide medications to stop the itching, heal and secondary bacterial infections and likely a medicated shampoo. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

If Rico is licking that area then something is bothering him. It may be itchy. This could be a fungal or bacterial skin infection or even mites or a food allergy, and should be examined by a vet and treated. By licking the spots he will further irritate the skin and cause the problem to spread. I suggest you make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam. Your vet will possibly want to do a skin scrape and will prescribe appropriate treatment (antibacterial or antifungal shampoo, ointment or tablets, or steroids or diet change). If he suspects a mite infection, then an acaricide will be applied (injection or tablet)