My dog is itching, biting, and losing hair. Are flea baths enough?

Question

My lab mix is about 8 years old and has had what we thought just bad fleas, but now we believe he has a skin irritation (he has had all his life where he scratches his lower back/butt) in which he bites and scratches so much his hair falls out. It has gotten worse and now he's biting/ losing hair on his feet too. Should I just keep focusing on the flea baths? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 8 years and 1 month old

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

This is a common area for a dog to itch when they have flea allergies. Unfortunately, flea baths only remove fleas on the skin at the time of the bath. They do not prevent other fleas from jumping on later. Twitchy would need a good flea preventative and may need a prescription anti-inflammatory to help with the itching. Other causes of itching in this area include fungal infection, deep pyoderma (bacterial infection), and mites. A vet will do a thorough examination and may collect a sample to be examined under a microscope. Hair loss on the feet could be caused by excessive licking or may be related to the cause of the itching around the butt.

My dog is itching, biting, and losing hair. Are flea baths enough?

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