My dog is chewing herself raw. What can I do until I see the vet?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question. Oh that’s not good! It’s quite concerning the skin is exposed, and it may be infected. You did the right thing by putting a cone on him. I would have him seen by a vet on Monday for this issue. Best of luck.

Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further rubbing or trauma. By your description, Sophie may have allergies. These can be frustrating to diagnose since there are many causes (fleas, foods, inhaled, contactor seasonal). You may not see any fleas, but in sensitive dogs, just one flea bite can trigger a reaction. Have your veterinarian physically examine Sophie. She may need antibiotics to treat any infection, steroids to stop the itch and antihistamines to prevent it from recurring. Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets and food elimination trials with your vet during the exam.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the pictures, it appears Riley has a skin infection known as a hot spot. She will need to be seen by a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause and get treatment for the infection and itching. Hope this helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about your friend's dog. Yes, I would recommend having her seen by a vet. It looks like she could have a hot spot, and that typically requires prescription medication to treat. I'd have your friend take her into the vet in the morning. Best of luck.

Poor Cooper! It sounds like you're already on the right track for ruling out issues, however, environmental allergens can also flare up this time of year which may be causing the excessive itchiness. Since that area is very badly irritated and inflamed, I definitely agree with getting into your vet ASAP. Since it's right on his neck, you can try inverting an Elizabethan (cone) collar so that the cone part covers the irritation and the neck park sits up closer around his ears, so that it doesn't rub against the irritated spot and protects it from further scratching. Keeping the area clean and dry can also help reduce any secondary infections that may take hold in the irritated skin. An over the counter allergy medication such as Benadryl can also help by reducing any irritation/itchiness, and may also have the added benefit of making him a little drowsy so he's less likely to scratch. However, getting into the vet like you planned is the best course of action. If there is a big wound opening up, it gets worse, it oozes debris, or Cooper seems in major distress, getting into your vet sooner or reaching out to an urgent care vet may be a good idea.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Toby! Possible causes for that severe of an itch are: scabies mite (exposure to foxes or other dogs that are itchy?), allergies or a skin infection. Even a few fleas can cause a severe flea allergy response. When a dog has a flea allergy it just takes one flea because they are allergic to the saliva of the flea. Since Toby is chewing herself raw she needs to see a Veterinarian. There are no at home drugs that will be sufficient to reliever her discomfort. After your Vet examines Toby they may want to do a skin scrape to check for scabies. Scabies is treated with ivermectin injections of topical Revolution. If she has a skin infection she could receive oral antibiotics and something to relieve her scratching, either prednisone or aopquel. She needs to be on year round flea prevention if a flea allergy is possible. I would recommend either Nexgard, Simparica, Bravecto or the Seresto collar. I hope this helps and I wish Toby a speedy recovery!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a severe focal infection. I recommend you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as this will likely require local therapy with cleaning of the site, pain control medications and antibiotics. Also, your veterinarian could check for a possible underlying cause like allergies, mites or a foreign body reaction. Good luck!