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Why is my dog chewing her legs raw, bleeding, and has a raw muzzle?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Female | 11 years and 7 months old | 58 lbs

My dog has gnawed all hair off on both legs. She also has a raw spot on her muzzle near her nose. Last night she chewed at her legs so much they bled. Not just a little bleeding, A LOT of bleeding. My husband cleaned it up and put an Elizathan Collar on her. What could cause this? We have very minimal flees. She has never had flea bite allergy, diet hasn’t hasn’t changed, she seems fine. But this gnawing and bleeding must stop. Nancy Johnson

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura Johnson VMD

Veterinarian

Published on December 20th, 2017

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Toby! Possible causes for that severe of an itch are: scabies mite (exposure to foxes or other dogs that are itchy?), allergies or a skin infection. Even a few fleas can cause a severe flea allergy response. When a dog has a flea allergy it just takes one flea because they are allergic to the saliva of the flea. Since Toby is chewing herself raw she needs to see a Veterinarian. There are no at home drugs that will be sufficient to reliever her discomfort. After your Vet examines Toby they may want to do a skin scrape to check for scabies. Scabies is treated with ivermectin injections of topical Revolution. If she has a skin infection she could receive oral antibiotics and something to relieve her scratching, either prednisone or aopquel. She needs to be on year round flea prevention if a flea allergy is possible. I would recommend either Nexgard, Simparica, Bravecto or the Seresto collar. I hope this helps and I wish Toby a speedy recovery!

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    Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Poor girl. It is possible she is having an allergic reaction to something she came into contact with and this is causing a condition we call contact dermatitis. It is hard to say exactly what the stimulus was but make sure to look at any new additions to your home, changes in her bedding or yours that she frequently lays on, changes in detergent, floor cleaning supplies, etc. A flea allergy is still very possible because fleas are always adapting and causing intense itching in pets. I would recommend getting her on a high quality flea preventative right away such as Bravecto, Nexgard, Comfortis, or Simparica. Then it’s best to take her to your vet for strong medication to help stop her itch immediately. She could also use a nice soothing bath in a medicated shampoo from your vet or you can try an aloe based or oatmeal based shampoo from your local pet store. I hope this helps Toby with her severely itchy skin. Best of luck moving forward with her care. Take care.

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