My dog's back fur is brown. Why is he biting and scratching?

Question

My minature schnauzer hair has turned brown and he is biting & scratching himself. His hair has only turned on the back of his body. Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Schnauzer | Male | neutered | 7 years and 7 months old | 20 lbs

David Darvishian · Accepted Answer

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Max. The place he is chewing is very suspicious for a flea allergy. The brown staining of the hair coat is evidence that he is licking this spot. Proteins in the saliva will stain light color coated dogs. This could be something else, but this looks like classic Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). FAD is an allergic reaction to flea bites that cause an inflammation/infection of the skin known as dermatitis. So looks like Max has become allergic to flea saliva and every time he gets bitten by a flea, the allergic cycle is activated. One flea bite a month is enough to keep this cycle going in highly allergic dogs unless something is done to intervene. I would advise a trip to your veterinarian. Give them a detailed history and let them perform a thorough physical exam. Once that is done, they will be able to formulate a treatment plan which could include effective flea/tick control, clip/clean of the area if needed, oral antibiotics, anti-itch medicines (antihistamines/steroids/other), topical medicines, and an E collar for starters. If other things are suspected, your vet may advise some diagnostic tests such as skin scrapes, fungal cultures, blood tests, etc. Effective and consistent flea control is definitely at the core of treating this problem if it's FAD. Good luck with Max.

My dog's back fur is brown. Why is he biting and scratching?

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