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My dog has itchy ears, vomiting, and loose stools. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | neutered | 45 lbs

My dog has scratched all the hair off the back of his ears. Paws at face and scratches inside his ears and constantly shaking his head. Licks his paws occasionally. Has had a couple days off loose stools and some accidents in the house. A little vomiting. He's still playful and doesn't seem sick. He eats his food and drinks water.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 5th, 2017

Scratching at the ears and shaking the head is often signs of an ear infection. Since Taswell is also having a little bit of vomiting and some accidents it could also be a sign of allergy or other systemic illness. I would recommend a veterinary visit to check for an air infection or other signs of illness for Taswell. I hope he's feeling better soon, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By David Darvishian

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Taswell. This could very well be seasonal allergies called Atopy in dogs. We are in a peak time for late summer allergies in humans and dogs who are allergic to weed pollens which are high at this time of year. Of course other inhaled allergies could be present and cross reactivity exists between some allergens. Dogs can also be allergic to flea bites called Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD) and a smaller group of allergic dogs can have food allergies. What you are describing with the pawing of the face, shaking the head, scratching at the ears, and licking the paws are all signs of allergic skin disease. The scratching at the ears and shaking the head indicate allergic ear disease or an ear infection secondary to the suspected allergic problem. The gastrointestinal signs may also be attributed to an overall allergic patient. I would advise taking Taswell to your vet and let them take a thorough history, do a complete physical, and then advise some diagnostics and/or treatment to address what is going on. Some skin diagnostics include skin scrape, Wood's lamp exam, fungal culture, skin or hair cytology, etc. These would be performed to rule out a problem with mites or fungal organisms. Treatment for allergies includes antibiotics, antihistamines, sometimes steroids for itching, immune modulating drugs (Apoquel), using a good flea/tick product advised by your vet, fish oil, topical treatments, etc. If you wanted to pursue allergy testing, your vet can advise you on that. There are skin tests and blood tests for that and sometimes that involves going to a veterinary dermatologist for some of those services. The goal would be to identify the allergies present and then start a hyposensitization program to decrease the body's immune response to the allergy, very similar to allergy shots. They even make allergy drops or sprays that are oral now. Good luck with Taswell. I hope he gets a lot more comfortable very soon.

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