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Can stress cause my dog to have itchy skin, redness, or hot spots?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 2 years and 8 months old | 20 lbs

can stress cause allergy symptoms such as extreme itchiness, redness, and hot spot.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 27th, 2016

Stress and boredom can cause a dog to constantly lick and chewing their skin, leading to the redness and hot spot. These symptoms can also be caused by insect, mite, or flea bites, underlying skin infections, and environmental allergies. I would take Sophie into the vet tomorrow for an exam. The vet can determine if her symptoms are caused by a medical or a behavioral issue, and can treat accordingly.

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