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Why is my dog scratching, biting, and losing fur with skin spots?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 8 months old

My dog has spots near the base of his tail and up his spine .. he bites a lot and scratches. . He is also losing his fur on his back legs . What is the problem . Thanks

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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

Veterinarian

Published on January 13th, 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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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 11th, 2020

    It is most likely an allergy to something Tucker is in frequent contact with . It could be pollen, grass and other plants, commonly used chemicals, even his regular food or he may be allergic to flea bites. He really needs to be seen by your local vets, otherwise this will get worse. If he keeps biting and scratching excessively he will damage the skin even more and introduce infection to the wounds. Ideally, you need to put an e-collar (cone) on Tucker to stop him from biting himself and get him seen by your local vet as soon as possible.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 8th, 2019

    Poor Chico! This scratching 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 tomorrow. 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. Best of luck.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on April 2nd, 2017

    I'm sorry to hear that Benji is so itchy! There are a number of different skin conditions that could cause these symptoms - some common possibilities would include allergies, a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so I would definitely recommend having him examined by a vet at this point. He/she can do some simple skin tests to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate medication to treat it.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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