My dog keeps scratching & biting his skin. What's wrong? How to treat?

This itching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. Coconut oil will not help with these causes. If Patton isn't up to date on his flea treatment, he will need a spot on treatment such as Advantage or Revolution. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. If he is up to date on his flea treatment, I recommend taking him into the vet for an exam today or tomorrow. The vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the itching is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment.

How lovely of you to take in this senior dog! Poor Oliver, that area under his front legs looks very uncomfortable for him! Yes, he could be suffering from allergies, and he could also have a secondary bacterial infection from biting and scratching at that area constantly. I would have him seen by your own vet or speak with your vet about referring him to a veterinary dermatologist if your vet isn't sure what is going on with his skin. The cause of this needs to be diagnosed in order for it to be treated, and it may require advanced knowledge from a veterinary dermatologist. I would have him seen by a vet today or tomorrow. In the meantime, put an Ecollar on him to keep him from biting at that area. I will put a link below on how to make one at home. http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

This presentation is probably 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.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the pictures that you provided my primary suspicions would be a skin infection. There are some things that you can do at home if you are unable to get to a vet right away. I would suggest starting with a shampoo that is medicated such as Duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe him twice weekly until the infection is resolved. I would also suggest starting welactin omega-3 fish oil and essential 6 Spot On by dermoscent. If there is no improvement then I would see your vet for further testing and treatments. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text base consultation if needed

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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Considering the signs you described and the pics, this presentation is likely to be due to an allergy, although skin infections or mites could be responsible for it as well. First, to rule out skin parasites, I would recommend to ask your vet to prescribe a good quality flea treatment and perform some skin tests to rule out infections and mites. If all the tests are negative, allergies can be considered and treated.

Poor Logan! Even though you are not seeing fleas, Logan may be sensitive to even 1-2 flea bites and could be scratching as a result. Make sure that he is receiving a high quality flea and tick preventative, such as Nexgard, Bravecto, or K9 Advantix II regularly. It is also possible that Logan has an allergy to something in his new environment, either inside the house or different plants/allergens outside. Instead of coconut oil, you could try using fish oil supplements ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19121 ) in his food to improve his coat. Fish oils tend to be far more effective than coconut oil. Logan may also benefit from a bath in a medicated shampoo ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27980 ) to manage his itching. However, if his itching continues or becomes more severe, he could develop a skin infection from ongoing skin trauma. Moderate to severe itching is absolutely a vet-worthy issue, so if it continues, take him in to be checked. I hope that all goes well!