Dog's tail has flaky scabs, chewing. What home remedies work?

Poor Buddy! It sounds like this area is itchy for him. This itching can be caused by [fleas](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/flea-infestation-1/), [mites](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/mange/), [ringworm](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/ringworm-1/), or [allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/canine-allergies/). If he isn't up to date on his [flea treatment](https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-do-i-pick-the-right-flea-and-tick-product-for-my-pet/), he will need a spot on treatment, such as Advantix, or a prescription oral flea preventive, such as Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, or Credelio. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. If he is up to date on his flea treatment, I recommend taking him into your vet for an exam. Your 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, your vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment. I recommend taking him into the vet today or tomorrow. He will also likely need an [E-collar](https://www.petcoach.co/article/e-collars-for-cats-dogs-types-of-collars-and-diy-options/) (cone) to prevent him from biting at that area until he sees the vet.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are describing could be due to allergies or a skin infection. I would recommend starting a shampoo such as Douxo PS chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly. I would also recommend welactin omega 3 fish oil, essential 6 spot on by dermoscent and malacetic conditioning spray. If this does not imprive the current problem or it worsens, i would have a veterinarian look at this for further trestment recommendations. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

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.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. About 99/100 times if a dog comes to the vet clinic with something like this they also have fleas. If you don't have him on a good flea prevention then he is likely scratching this location due to fleas. I do think I see some "flea dirt" in the photo. I strongly recommend you get him to the vet for an exam. If he has fleas you need to get a good prescription flea prevention. Also, this type of lesion almost always needs oral antibiotics and some type of oral antiinflammatory to stop the itch cycle for it to heal. As long as he keeps scratching it, it will not heal no matter what you apply topically. If you choose to try and treat it yourself at home, you can use this hot spot spray gel 3- 4 times per day. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) You will also need to get some dog boots to put on his back feet so if he tries to scratch the area it won't continue to traumatize the skin. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/search?query=dog%20boots ) If you do this at home for about 5-7 days and there is no improvement or it looks worse at any time then he needs to see the vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. Without knowing exactly what the underlying cause of this irritation, it is very difficult to make any recommendations other than to see your veterinarian. And I encourage this because the skin really looks almost infected now, & that is worrisome. This is an unusual area to just develop an allergy or sensitivity, but that being said, if you do not see fleas on any of your pets, do not assume you have none. Start using a good product for fleas, & I recommend Bravecto because it will also address skin mites if this might be the cause. The cone was an excellent thing to do, so great job there. But I do think you will need professional help to be able to address this skin infection. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely due to allergies but the allergic component is not likely being addressed which is why this continues. Remember that antibiotics are just to treat the secondary infection and Apoquel to reduce the itch but the allergic component still needs to be addressed for allergies to improve. Based on the fact that this is on the tail, this is most likely due to flea allergy. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

These scabs could be due to itching from something such as fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If he isn't up to date on his flea treatment, I can give you one for him. First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. 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. I hope this helps!