My dog twitches her tail when petted. Is she itchy or have worms?

Based on the location, I would be suspicious that Ginger has just a few fleas on her and these are causing the itching. Other things such as allergies can also cause itching. If she is not on a flea prevention, that is what I would recommend to do first. Pick a fast acting oral flea prevention such as comfortis or bravecto. Use it for two months and see if the itching stops. Then explore other causes such as allergies. Best of luck!

The two most common reasons for this type of behavior would be that Charlie does have a naturally more sensitive area or a ‘sweet spot’. This is not pathologic. Another cause is a skin infection or fleas so check his skin very thoroughly for any abnormalities and have him examined by the veterinarian if needed. Best of luck.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Itchiness in dogs, especially on the tail or tail base, can be caused by allergies, such as to fleas, food or environmental allergens. Other causes of itchiness include bacterial infections in the skin, mites such as demodex, and/or fungal infections. Please ensure that Cookie is on a consistent flea and tick preventative medication that was prescribed by a veterinarian. Flea medications/treatments that can be purchased from a food or pet store or online are not safe or effective in dogs. The house itself must also be treated for fleas, with very frequent vacuuming and even "flea bombing". If Cookie is already on an appropriate flea medication year round, I recommend having her examined by a veterinarian for an exam and skin scrape to evaluate for the presence of an infection and/or mites. I hope this is helpful!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would recommend bringing a fecal sample in to your vet to check for intestinal parasites. Even though she has been dewormed, the dewormer used may not have treated all intestinal parasites. This may also be a behavioral problem and an obsessive behavior. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

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 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!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach, and thank you for the pictures! The lower back/base of the tail is a classic area for a flea infestation. Fleas make dogs incredibly itchy, causing them to bite or scratch at the area, and cause hair loss. This area can get very sensitive and painful to dogs. I recommend bringing Nala to your veterinarian at their next available appointment to have her examined. Your vet can do a test to check for fleas, and can perform a skin scrape to see if there are any other external parasites such as mites or lice, or a secondary bacterial infection, that may be contributing to her itching. Nala should be on a consistent flea and tick preventative that can be purchased from your veterinarian. We do NOT recommend using flea and tick products that can be purchased from a food or pet store, as these are not safe or effective for use in dogs. There are no effective "natural" or holistic flea and tick preventatives, either. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Nala!

Itching around the base of the spine/top of tail is frequently indicative of fleas or flea allergy complicated by a skin infection. A good quality flea treatment and a soothing skin ointment suitable for use on dogs should be applied; a full vet visit is recommended if it persists beyond 7days or spreads further to rule out bacterial or fungal infection