Why is my Dachshund scratching her lower back and can't get relief?

That looks bad! This scratching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If Lola isn't up to date on her flea treatment, I can give you one for her. First, I would give her 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 her 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 she is up to date on her flea treatment, I recommend taking her 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.

Poor Frank! This itching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If he isn't up to date on his flea treatment, 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 Monday. 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. Good luck, I hope this helps!

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Bella with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

Poor Doris! This scratching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. Fleas live in the environment, not on the dog. They jump on to feed, and then jump off. She still could have fleas even if you didn't see any. If she isn't up to date on her flea treatment, I can give you one for her. First, I would give her 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 her 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 she is up to date on her flea treatment, I recommend taking her into the vet for an exam 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!

Oh no, poor Rozis! This itching could be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If she isn't up to date on her flea treatment, she will need a spot on treatment such as Advantage or Revolution. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. If she is up to date on her flea treatment, I recommend taking her into the vet for an exam 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'm sorry to hear that Bella has been so itchy. In dogs, itching can be caused by a variety of different conditions, with the most common including underlying allergies, fleas, ringworm, or mange. When dogs scratch, they damage the outermost layers of the skin barrier, which can lead to the onset of a skin infection. Infections then causes further itching, creating a vicious cycle. The skin on Bella's neck and the inside of her knee do look as though it may be infected. Chronic inflammation, endocrine/hormonal disorders, and autoimmune conditions can all lead to the dark pigment change with the skin thickening that's visible in the pictures. (We call this lichenification and it resembles elephant skin.) The persistence of Bella's itching could certainly lead to such chronic inflammation. Regardless, it's really important that Bella is examined by a vet so that appropriate treatment can be started. Your vet may need to do some skin testing to check for microscopic evidence of infection, as well as checking for mange (caused by mites) or ringworm (a fungal infection). Then, based on those results, they'll be able to prescribe medications to help her feel better. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

Hi there, Good to hear that you have Tootsie treated for fleas and ticks. Tootsie may well have allergic skin disease or atopic dermatitis, and she may have a secondary bacterial or yeast infection as well. Any of these could cause her to be very itchy. I'd recommend taking her to her veterinarian to be seen. They can recommend the best diagnostics and treatments after her physical exam. The two most commonly used medications for itching itself are an injectable called Cytopoint and a tablet called Apoquel. If allergies are present as well, they tend to be environmental or food based. Environmental allergies often have seasonal patterns and food based ones are typically to an animal protein such as chicken or beef. Hypoallergenic diets are based on novel proteins like fish, kangaroo, or vegetables for these reasons. Your vet can guide you through making the best choices for Tootsie after seeing her. I hope this his helpful information!