my dog has been biting himself

by jennifer w
(manahawkin, nj )

my lab has been biting himself around the base of his tail and belly for a few weeks now i gave him a oatmeal bath and now he still is doing it still.

But, it's really bad he is bleeding what can i do to help? please answer my question.



Hi Jennifer
What you describe sounds like classic symptoms of an allergy. Canine allergies are more common than most people realize and can make a dog quite miserable.

The first thing I would check for are fleas, many dogs are allergic to flea saliva and it sets up intense itching. If this is the problem, treating your dog with a good spot-on/topical flea and tick preventative such as Fronline will take care of it.

If you're certain your dog doesn't have fleas, the next thing I would look at is his diet. Dog Food Allergies are responsible for a lot of the skin symptoms in dogs (such as excessive itching, scratching, licking, biting, hot-spots, rashes, hair loss and more.

Your best bet would be to start your dog on a food that contains ingredients he has never eaten before. Most dogs react to a food that they've been eating for some time as their body becomes sensitive to certain ingredients. You'll find lots of information and advice on this, plus some of the best foods for dogs with sensitivities/allergies on my Dog Food Allergies page.

Whatever the allergy trigger, most allergies result in skin conditions as mentioned above. These can make a dog very uncomfortable. There are quite a few products on the market that can help to relieve the itching and discomfort. Oatmeal shampoo is gentle and a good one to use on dogs with itchy skin, but to ease the irritation try a product with hydrocortisone. Find out more about this on my Canine Skin Allergies page.

Best of luck, hope your dog is feeling much more comfortable soon.