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My dog keeps licking her rear. Why aren't allergy meds working?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Cocker Spaniel | Female | unspayed | 23 lbs

My dog keeps licking her vaginal area. It’s either her butt that she’s licking it her vagina. I recently took her to the vet and they said she has allergies because she had a bad rash. They gave her a shot and then instructed I start giving her pills twice a day as of 10/2. The pills don’t seem to help. Based on the picture is there anything I should be concerned about or anything I can do to help her feel better?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ana M, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 6th, 2018

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sneaky. Her skin still appears red and irritated. I recommend bathing her with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula to try to soothe her skin. If this does not resolve her itching, then you will need to contact her veterinarian. She may require a different medication to help control the itching and to ensure there is not another issue contributing (urinary tract infection, full anal glands, etc). I hope this information helps!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 12th, 2019

    Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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