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Why won't my dog stop scratching, licking, and biting his skin?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 12 years and 5 months old | 20 lbs

My dog won't stop biting, licking, and scratching his tail, lower back, and inner thighs. He's chewed hair off of the areas that have been bothering him and sometimes to the point of making a sore. He has a history of allergies and dry skin (we saw a vet for the dry skin and they prescribed some oil to put into his food) but he also has other OCD-type habits. He's a fluffy mutt living in the foothills of Georgia. We can't watch him 24/7 because everyone either works or is in school. Help!

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Mirissa Duncil, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 31st, 2017

Hi there, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry Blackie is feeling so poorly. Dermatology cases are amongst the most challenging of our job. I would first recommend to make sure he is on a good flea preventative and do a skin scrape to rule out any mites that may be exacerbating your skin issues. If it is true allergies-medications like Apoquel (taken orally) or Cytopoint (a once a month injection) can be used to help with the itch factor. Dependent on if your pet has a secondary skin infection, he may also need antibiotics. As for OCD issues-medications like fluoxetine can be pursued for behavioral modifications, but will likely require a full work up with bloodwork before your vet will prescribe them. Most problems are manageable-it just takes a while to weed out what the allergy is to (fleas, food, other environment). Food trials can help a lot with skin issues as well but take a much longer time to see results. Hope this helps!

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello, poor Blackie. That pattern of hair loss and intense itchiness is very consistent with Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). This is caused by the saliva of the biting flea. For FAD, there does not have to be visible fleas on your dog to make the diagnosis of FAD, as the pattern Blackie has is characteristic of it. Now, to control the fleas, Blackie needs to be on flea control that kills on contact and not after the flea bites. You need to also treat your environment for fleas 2-3 times weekly for up to a month. Additionally, Blackie may require medications to control his itchiness and treat any secondary skin infections he may develop. Your veterinarian should be able to prescribe these medications to you. Hope this helps.

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