Why is my dog scratching her mouth until it's swollen and bleeding?

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.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes a dog may scratch around the mouth due to food allergies, environmental allergies or even autoimmune issues. If the area is red and irritated you may apply a thin layer of triple antibiotic ointment but Nobby is likely to just lick it off. She is at the age where food allergies may develop so you may wish to try a novel protein diet (generally will need a prescription diet to do this). If the itch continues I would suggest scheduling an examination with your veterinarian as oral antibiotics or other medications like corticosteroids or antihistamines may be needed.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture, this could be a mass of some type or due to an insect bite. If this does not resolve within 24-48 hours, then I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question about Snickers. Given that this licking and scratching is slowing down, keep an eye on her for now. Should she keep licking and scratching or the spot gets bigger, then I would take her into the vet. I hope this helps!

Poor Lola! Her ear does look quite irritated in the photo. Scratching at the ear is usually caused by an ear infection or underlying allergy problem, which may also be why she is scratching at her mouth and face as well. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam when you are able to, to find out for sure what's wrong and get her started on appropriate treatment. In the meantime, you can place an e-collar (plastic cone) on her to prevent her from continuing to scratch at her ear and make it more irritated, or put a bootie or sock on her rear paw so that she can't scratch as effectively.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This actually looks pretty serious. It could be an allergic reaction of some kind, a bacterial or fungal infection, or an autoimmune disease. I really think you should take her to a vet for an exam. If it is starting in other locations on her body then then I would be very worried about this being an autoimmune disease (such as pemphigus). This is not something that you will be able to treat at home.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Daisy. I am glad that she has an appointment with her veterinarian. She may have an infection around her lips and could require an antibiotic. She may require testing to rule out ringworm and mites. If it is determined that it is not an infection, then I would consider a food allergy or an autoimmune disease. Try to keep the area clean in the meantime. I hope this information helps!