Why is my chihuahua yelping, losing hair, and chewing her skin?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | unspayed | 9 months and 27 days old | 2 lbs
My 10 mth old chihuahua will be sitting or laying and yelp loudly and then be sleepy. She is losing her hair and chews herself bloody at times
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 5th, 2019
It sounds like there are few things that could be going on with Belle. She could be in pain with the yelping. The hair loss and chewing could be due to fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. If she isn't up to date on her flea treatment, I can give you one for her. First, I would give her 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 her 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 she is up to date on her flea treatment, I recommend taking her 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 (chewing is a sign of itchiness) is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 11th, 2017
I am sorry to hear about your chihuahua. Fleas can be very frustrating. Bathing will only kill adult fleas that are on her at the time of the bath. I would recommend starting her on a monthly flea preventative. These come as topical spot-on products such as Advantage and Advantix or Frontline, as well as oral products such as Comfortis and Nexgaurd. I prefer the oral products as I feel they are more effective and faster acting, but you will need to get these from a veterinarian. The vet can also check her skin to be sure she doesn't have a secondary bacterial infection, which is possible with bad flea infestations. You will need to treat all pets in the household and you may need to treat your house as well, with either a fogger or a premise spray such as Knockout by Virbac. You can read more about flea control at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1575 which details treatment of your home and pet.
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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