Why is my puppy constantly biting and licking? Allergies or dry skin?

Question

A few weeks ago, I noticed my puppy had what looked like an infection on the end of her right ear. I went to the vet & she was prescribed antibiotics. A few days ago I caught her chewing on her left ear, and it’s beginning to break open like the right one. She is constantly biting her paws and licking herself all over. I requested an allergy test, but the vet won’t until she is a year old. Is it possible this is allergies or maybe dry skin? And how can I stop her from biting so it can heal? Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Female | spayed | 6 months and 10 days old | 60 lbs

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Medications like prednisone or Apoquel can help with the itch. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Why is my puppy constantly biting and licking? Allergies or dry skin?

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