My dog is itching. Why did the vet give flea meds without a check?

Question

I took pup to the vet b/c he's been itching badly around his butt. He recently had a de-shedding & gland check at the groomer. (Been told that only vets should do this, oops.) I figured it could be irritated glands from a bad check, allergies, or fleas (but I've never seen any on him.) The vet said it was likely fleas & put him on de-wormer & flea meds w/o checking for them, or exploring any other possibilities. Is this normal? Shouldn't we prove he has fleas, so we know it's not somerhing else? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | 2 years and 10 months old | 60 lbs

David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

Fleas are by far the most common problem causing skin itching, your vet should have checked for fleas nevertheless, but it's usually the first thing we need to rule out when treating itchiness and even if you do not see or find fleas, it's impossible to rule out this possibility completely so usually treatment is given anyway. if the fleas are not the problem, then your vet should move to check other options such as allergies, mites and other skin infections.

My dog is itching. Why did the vet give flea meds without a check?

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