Why is my dog chewing tail fur and getting skin rashes? Allergies?

Question

i have a apbt and she is chewing her fur off from her tail and gets weird rashes could it be a wheat allergies? Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 8 months old | 50 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Hi there! There are a number of different things that can cause hair loss and a skin rash in dogs, so it's hard to say what might be wrong without being able to examine her and run some tests. If the hair loss is mainly around her lower back and tail, the most likely culprit is flea allergies - so if she isn't already on a good flea preventative like Nexgard or Bravecto, this is the first thing I would suggest. If you're positive that she doesn't have fleas, other possible causes of these symptoms would include other types of allergies (food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment), a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Wheat allergies are one type of food allergy, but it's actually far more common for dogs to be allergic to proteins like chicken or beef rather than grains or wheat - so this is possible, but not nearly as likely as some of the other possible causes. Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so it's important to get a diagnosis first in order to know how to treat her. I would recommend taking Bear to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on appropriate treatment.

Why is my dog chewing tail fur and getting skin rashes? Allergies?

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