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Why is my dog biting her skin until it bleeds, even without fleas?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 5 months old

My dog is biting her skin until it bleeds. She does not have fleas. I have been putting aloe. What do I do?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 2nd, 2016

Unfortunately she may have an environmental or food allergy involved here. I would recommend taking her to a vet to get the skin looked at. If it is bleeding chances are she needs a good antibiotic and an strong medicated anti-histamine +/- steroid combination to help control the itch. Then comes the fun part, trying to figure out what she has an allergy to? This can be discussed with your vet in detail based on what things have changed in the home (bedding, shampoo's etc) and possibly even starting her on a food trial to rule out food allergies (I like to use Royal canin hypoallergenic hydrolyzed protein or Hill's Z/D for dogs- prescription foods). Only prescription products have been shown to be consistently effective for treating dogs with food allergies. Some dogs even have dust mite allergies of grass allergies (which are proved with skin allergy testing).

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17Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on June 7th, 2018

    Hi there. Poor Bella! Yes, it's very possible that this could be due to allergies - this is usually the most common cause of itching and hair loss that we see, especially this time of year. Because this looks quite severe and seems to involve most of her body, she'll almost certainly need prescription medication from your vet to treat this effectively - so I would recommend taking her in for an exam as soon as you are able to. In the meantime, you can try bathing her in an aloe and oatmeal dog shampoo if you want to. This won't treat the underlying problem, but it may soothe her skin and help relieve the itching a bit until you're able to see the vet.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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