My dog keeps pawing his mouth and rubbing his red face. What's wrong?

Poor Momo! He could have a sore tooth in the back of his mouth causing him to scratch at it, he could have a skin infection of the side of the mouth called a lip fold pyoderma, it could be caused by allergies, or he could have a foreign body stuck in his mouth. I recommend taking Momo into your vet to have his mouth examined, have the cause of the scratching diagnosed, and you vet can determine the appropriate treatment.

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 his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 

 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!


Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

It could be that your dog has a skin infection, and it does sound like its bothering her if she is grinding her face into the floor. I would have her seen by a vet today for this, as I'm concerning that she has bruised her face from pushing it on the floor. The vet can diagnose what is causing this problem on her face and can prescribe medication to treat it.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to something affecting the mouth such as dental disease, inflammation or even a growth causing discomfort. I recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check what is going on so that therapy can be started. Best of luck!

Red skin can be caused by several things including parasites, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy, contact allergies or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica or a skin scrape. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Contact allergies are addressed by keeping pets away from things they are allergic to. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the redness should not come back. 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 his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Luka wear an elizabethan collar if needed. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like Ruffo may be experiencing an allergic reaction. This could be due to something in the environment, foods, bee stings, etc, especially if it is causing facial swelling or puffiness. I would definitely schedule a visit with your vet to figure out the underlying cause and get him started on some meds such as an antihistamines to help with the swelling and itchiness. If the swelling worsens on his nose, or appears on his face, head, or neck, seeking care sooner is best as this is considered a serious condition.