My dog is aggressively licking his back leg area. What's going on?

Question

Hello, my dog has been intensely licking himself all over his back leg area. He is a 12 year old shih tzu/pekingese mix. He has some hard warts all over his body, which we took him to a vet for who said they were not serious/cancerous, and we could leave them or pay for them removed. He is just aggressively licking his back leg area and I dont know what to do. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 16 lbs

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

It sounds like Charlie is itching if he's intensely licking his back leg area. This itching can be caused by fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If he isn't up to date on his flea treatment, I can give you one for him. First, I would give him Capstar. It's a one time pill that starts killing fleas within 30 minutes. Then follow up with a spot on treatment, such as Advantage or Revolution. This is a treatment that has to be used once a month. You will also have to disinfect the environment. Wash his bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. If he is up to date on his flea treatment, I recommend taking him into the vet for an exam this weekend or on Monday. The vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the itching is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment. To keep him from licking more, I would put an Ecollar on him. You can make one at home (I will put a link below on how to do it), or you can buy one at a pet store. I hope this helps! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

My dog is aggressively licking his back leg area. What's going on?

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