Why is my dog licking his tail? It's oozing with black flakes.

It sounds as if your dog has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex) or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your dog’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your dog to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your dog will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or Cytopoint to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. 

 I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi there and thanks for posting! That tail looks very raw! It is hard to say exactly what the cause of Hunter's skin/ hair condition may be without examining Hunter first, but I can offer some possibilities. Skin irritations around the tail base are a signal of a flea allergy. It only takes one flea to induce a flea allergy! If Hunter is not on any flea preventative monthly, then this could be the culprit. It could also be a bacterial or yeast infection. our veterinarian can diagnose these potential conditions with a few simple skin tests. I would recommend Hunter visit his vet soon to have the possibilities above ruled out. He may need flea preventative/treatment as well as an anti-inflammatory and antibiotics/anti fungals. Best to you and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

That looks infected. Pets can get infections like bacteria or yeast. Sometimes the infection is related to flea bites or allergies. You must protect the area from licking/chewing by having Denzel wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian and he will likely get antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory (which will decrease the itching and make him feel better) and a medicated shampoo. If fleas are the cause, discuss which flea prevention is best for him. I hope this helps.

Poor guy. This sounds like he may have a common condition called “happy tail” and likely injured the end of his tail due to hitting it on hard surfaces. Another possible cause is a fungal infection, but typically this causes hair loss as well. The hair needs to first be shaved to get a better look at the skin and also allow the area to be cleansed antiseptically and apply topical ointment or spray if needed. Oral antibiotics will also likely be needed if the infection is deep. This would be best taken care of by visiting your vet. Proper wound management is essential for wounds like this to heal well and since it is the tail area it already proves difficult to shave without causing further harm. Your vet will be able to do this quickly and efficiently and also be able to provide a prescription for antibiotics which is often needed for tail wounds to prevent the infection from seeping into the bone and causing further issues. Until you can get Louis seen, you can clean it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water. Best of luck with your pet Louis and his tail wound. I hope this heals well soon! Take care.

Hello, that looks like a local skin infection. This could be secondary to fleas or or some prior local irritation which causes itchiness and a subsequent infection, This could respond to antibiotics if the infection is bacterial. Other kind of infections include parasites and fungal infections which are less likely. I would recommend having the area looked at by your veterinarian as it may need either topical or oral antibiotics to treat. Additionally, ensure your dog is on adequate monthly flea prevention and in the interim, you can put an e-collar on your dog to keep the area protected from the licking which could make it worse. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It looks like he has a severe dermatitis so he needs to be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine, and/or other medications and your vet can prescribe. At this point, I don't think over the counter medications are going to treat his problem.

These look like little crusts associated with a skin infection. Your dog was probably chewing his tail excessively and caused the skin infection. If it is localized to only the tail he probably will not need antibiotics. You can try to use a topical antibiotic ointment on the area to help clear it up. If you cannot get it to clear up or if it begins to spread I would recommend taking Louie in to the vet to be checked out.