Scratching and Bitting

[RottGRL12]

Hello! My 9 month old (Gemma) has been constantly bitting herself in one area for atleast 2 weeks now. She has all of her shots and we do regular schedules of flea drops. I tried giving her a bath using an oatmeal product and that did not help. Also, I have noticed underneath her fur whit/greyish patches of hair, these patches are on her top neck area and also one small patch on her sholder. I am wondering what this is because it is not on top of her fur but underneath. Any thoughts? Should I be concerned at all? Thanks!

[RottiMomCT]

even if not seeing fleas, they may be present, especially if she's been chewing/biting at herself, she's probably ingesting the fleas, Where is she chewing herself? If near the rear end/base of the tail, I'd be willing to bet it is fleas.

What are you using for flea prevention? Also, too much bathing can cause dry skin, and an oatmeal shampoo can actually be drying. Try a low suds herbal dog shampoo.

The lighter hair is probably her undercoat. My dogs have brown/grey undercoat that shows through behind their ears/on the neck as well as other places on their bodies - perfectly normal.

[RottGRL12]

She's bitting more towards the top part of her back, and sometimes down a little further, not quiet to her behind though. We usually use a generic brand from petsmart, not too sure of the exact name. I was reading online that her bitting may be Dermatitis? not sure what that is or if you do? Thanks!

[MarthaGier]

She's bitting more towards the top part of her back, and sometimes down a little further, not quiet to her behind though. We usually use a generic brand from petsmart, not too sure of the exact name. I was reading online that her bitting may be Dermatitis? not sure what that is or if you do? Thanks!

RottGRL12, Welcome to ROL. If she doesn't have fleas she could have a food or other allergy? When I got by male as an adult he had flaky skin and itched like crazy. I switched to a better quality dog food and that helped.

[RottGRL12]

Ive had a few people say to switch her food. Any good ideas on a better food I currently give her IAMS. Thanks!!!!!

[MarthaGier]

RooGRL12, There are many good quality kibbles. I feed Healthwise and my one rottie gets California Natural. I think there are better kibbles then what I feed and have tried a number of different ones but these two types work well for my 3 rotties and very old husky. Corn is a big problem in most foods so if you read the ingredients and see corn find another one to try. That's what I would do. I know how frustrating having a itchy dog is and changing to corn free kibble solved that problem for me. Good luck to you and Gemma.

[FL Cracker]

Great advice above...our girl CoCo is so sensitive to fleas it's crazy. She will literally chew her hind quarters, top of her tail...scratch her chest...neck...ect. The darn part about it...I spent an hour looking for fleas or droppings, and ran a comb through her with nothing on it. I did while searching her with a flashlight and comb had a small flea hop onto my forearm. Frontline is no longer effective on our dog's here in FL. It's like the fleas became immunized to the stuff. I had to resort to using Comfortis...which within 24 hours eliminates her scratching/digging. I will add that I HATE giving my dog an insecticide...but it's the lesser of two evil's. I have to give the Comfortis in stages...otherwise it induces vomiting in CoCo.
Good Luck finding the fix for your pup, welcome to ROL...and if you switch kibble...just remember to switch slowly.

[RottiMomCT]

Please be careful of generic flea products - you may not be getting what you think you are getting - and may end up poisoning your dog - not worth the 'savings', is it?

Allergies usually manifest in ears and feet - scratching/chewing/licking, and food allergies can make a dog just all over miserable, but again, mostly in the ears.

If considering a food trial, be prepared to feed NOTHING but that food for a MINIMUM of 3 months - no extra treats, bones, or anything - ONLY that food - that will truly tell you if your dog is allergic to something in the food.

How does your dogs coat look? Is it dry and flaky? If so, it very well could be the kibble - especially if it contains alot of grains, specifically corn. Maybe try a grain free kibble?

[laughing]

Food allergies are a possibility, but I'm not too sure.

I would say with biting on the back vs paws/ears this could be mange. (Mange = mites under the skin.) Where do you live? There are tons of burrowing mites all over the world. Perhaps a quick skin scrape can clear this all up??

[RottiMomCT]

If mites are diagnosed, use Revolution for parasite prevention - but it also depends on the type of mites.

But, before ANYTHING new is tried, a trip to the vet to find out what it is and is not would be the first thing to do.