My dog is biting and scratching his rear. Is it seasonal allergies?

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Teddy. We can have a variety of reasons for itching, including allergies to things like food ingredients, environemental allergens, and fleas where just one or two bites can result in a long lasting very itchy dog. You can read more about itching at https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 . I would recommend an examination at your vet to check for possible underlying causes, such as fleas, mites, allergies. Your vet can prescribe medication to help treat whatever is causing this. In the meantime you can try an omega fatty acid supplement such as Welactin and a colloidal oatmeal shampoo and creme rinse such as Epi-soothe to help decrease the itching!

Hi there! There are a number of different things that can cause hair loss and a skin rash in dogs, so it's hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine her and run some tests. If the hair loss is mainly around her lower back and tail, the most likely culprit is flea allergies - so if she isn't already on a good flea preventative like Nexgard or Bravecto, this is the first thing I would suggest. If you're positive that she doesn't have fleas, other possible causes of these symptoms would include other types of allergies (food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment), a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Wheat allergies are one type of food allergy, but it's actually far more common for dogs to be allergic to proteins like chicken or beef rather than grains or wheat - so this is possible, but not nearly as likely as some of the other possible causes. Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so it's important to get a diagnosis first in order to know how to treat her. I would recommend taking Bear to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bear! There are many reasons for scratching/biting. It could be from fleas, mites (scabies or demodex), skin infections from either bacteria or yeast, allergies or atopy. I'd have him looked at by your Vet to check to see if he has a skin infection. If he does they will prescribe antibiotics or antifungals, something to relieve the scratching and biting, and possible a medicated shampoo. Mites are diagnosed on skin scraping. Mites are treated with either ivermectin orally or topically or even edible flea and tick products have been found to have an added benefit of getting some types of mites. If allergies your Vet may recommend changing his diet to a novel protein (from chicken to venison, duck, fish) or a prescription hydrolyzed diet, starting Omega 3 fish oils, an antihistamine or long-term apoquel. I hope this helps! Good luck!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Jack. Allergies can be very frustrating but with the right diagnosis and treatment, can be effectively managed. You have described what could very well be seasonal allergies called Atopy in dogs since you talk about a seasonal pattern. We are in a peak time for late summer allergies in humans and dogs who are allergic to weed pollens which are high at this time of year. Of course other inhaled allergies could be present and cross reactivity exists between some allergens. Each year or allergy season can be worse than the last if the pet becomes allergic to more things. Dogs can also be allergic to flea bites called Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD) and a smaller group of allergic dogs can have food allergies. What you are describing sounds like an inflammation/infection of the skin due to self trauma caused by Jack licking, scratching, chewing, etc those areas. Once the skin barrier is broken the surface bacteria can multiply and gain access to the deeper skin areas causing problems like you discuss. I would advise taking Jack to your vet and let them take a thorough history, do a complete physical, and then advise some diagnostics and/or treatment to address what is going on. Some skin diagnostics include skin scrape, Wood's lamp exam, fungal culture, etc. These would be performed to rule out a problem with mites or fungal organisms. Treatment for allergies includes antibiotics, antihistamines, sometimes steroids for itching, immune modulating drugs (Apoquel), using a good flea/tick product advised by your vet, fish oil, topical treatments, etc. If you wanted to pursue allergy testing, your vet can advise you on that. There are skin tests and blood tests for that and sometimes that involves going to a veterinary dermatologist for some of those services. The goal would be to identify the allergies and then start a hyposensitization program to decrease the body's immune response to the allergy, very similar to allergy shots. They even make allergy drops or sprays that are oral now. Good luck with Jack. I hope he gets a lot more comfortable very soon.

If you haven't yet had him seen by a vet, ideally I would recommend that you have him evaluated. He may have a secondary bacterial infection that needs to be cleared up with antibiotics, and he may benefit from prescription medications such as Apoquel which can make a big difference for these guys! If you are unable to get him to the vet, you can try him on an antihistamine such as Benadryl. See here for dosing info: https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/benadryl/. Try switching him to a "sensitive skin" food, such as this: (this s actually what I feed my dog who has some skin allergies/dry skin/itchiness) https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/hills-science-diet-adult-sensitive-stomach-and-skin-chicken-recipe-dry-dog-food You can also give some Omega 3 supplements, as this may help as well. Bathe him once a week to cut down on topical allergens being absorbed in the skin, and follow with a dog cream rinse. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-shampoo-with-vitamin-d3 https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-rinse-with-vitamin-d3 If these "at home" measures don't give him relief, though, get him in to see your vet. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

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.

I recommend taking Bert to a veterinarian. This can be allergies or there may be an infection on his skin. He also may have fleas, which can make them very itchy and bite a lot. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Bert feels better soon.