Why is my German Shepherd itching and biting? How can I help him?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | unneutered | 6 years and 2 months old | 100 lbs
I have a 6 year old male german shephard. He has a skin irritation thats causing him to constantly itch and bite himself. What could it be and what can i do to help him itch and bite less?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on May 7th, 2018
Most likely he has allergic reaction causing a lot of skin irritation. The other causes include skin infection and skin parasites, which are also common in dogs. The most effective treatment for excessive itchiness due to allergy are steroids (injection or tablets). I would recommend you to take Kane to your local vet to confirm the diagnosis (looking at the skin scrapes may be necessary to make the diagnosis) and to get the right treatment for your dog.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on May 21st, 2019
Poor guy. Demodexx mites is definitely a possible cause here, which does not always cause itching. I would recommend asking your vet to test for Demodexx mites first. Allergies typically will always cause itching or excessive licking, so if you are not seeing that then allergies are low on the list of causes. Other possible causes is an immune mediated skin disorder or even thyroid disease. I hope that you get to the bottom of Hank's skin condition soon. Best wishes and take care!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Please help!! My husband and I took our dogs on a road trip from N.C. to C.A. and back. We started to notice our GSD started to bite and scratch so much to the point where he is balding. We took action in our own hands, we bought him flea and tick pi
Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking or chewing. This may be enough to allow healing, but if the underlying cause is not treated then it may not help. Ideally, Ceaser should be examined by a veterinarian to diagnose infection (bacterial, fungal or parasites) or an allergy. Antibiotics may be needed if the skin is broken. If not, steroids and/or antihistamines may provide relief from the itch.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog(German Shepard) is having continuous itching .tried injecting ivermectin by doctors but she didn’t allow.gave nayflee but still no response.what should I do treat her because she has lot a of fur. Help!
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
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
He is 7 yrs old gsd male.. Dont knw whats happening to his skin.. Hv visited several vets bt yet no solition even after treatment.. Whenever i move my hands under he neck arra this dry particles falls down from his skin.. What could b rrason for thi
This is probably 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 (advocate or advantage), 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). 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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My name is Kyle and I own a German Shepherd named Sasha. Over the past month, the skin on her lower back (where her back meets her tail) has been turning grey and scaley and losing hair. Her tail is also losing hair. When I touch her tail, she moves
Hello and welcome to Boop by Petco. There are a few things that could be going on with Sasha, but I would start by making sure she doesn't have fleas. This is a common area for fleas to collect and bite, which can make her itchy. Try treating for fleas, and if that doesn't work they start looking for other causes including hypothyroidism, Cushing's disease, infected anal glands, etc. Also, they can sometimes get a 'hot spot' or a patch of skin infection, where they have been chewing because of the moisture and bacteria in their saliva, so you may need to treat a secondary skin infection as well. Best of luck with Sasha.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I don't see fleas or ticks on my German Shepherd. But tends to whine and itch her skin constantly, on the foot and side of belly. Her food has no corn wheat or soy. What could be the problem with Her? Thanks.. Is this allergy and what can I give h
I hate to hear that Ginger is so itchy. Even if you don't see any fleas, they could still be present (just not in large numbers). And even though you are feeding her the grain free diet, it doesn't mean its not food allergy. The 4 main things that will create skin conditions are food allergy, flea allergy, environmental allergy or thyroid problems. Each one will need to be hunted down to determine if it is the cause or not. You can try giving Ginger an over the counter antihistamine and see if it helps. I would also recommend to contact your veterinarian and start figuring out why she is so itchy. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
We have a gsd and he's 1 yr old lately he started kissing hair a lot I mean much lot suddenly he got dandruff we tried all the medication but nothing works and now he doesn't eat much sleeps all the time and he recently started getting red patches I'
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
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
my dog (German Shepherd,4 years old,India) has been experiencing dandruff since quite some time now(4,5 months).Until some days ago, he also was inflicted by ticks(for 2,3 months).He scratches a lot .Anti-tick injection,anti dandruff shampoo ,cream.A
This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then get him to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to stop the chewing/scratching and repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). There is also a nice topical spray available, it's called Cortavance and you can get it at the vets. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider starting on a long term allergy treatment.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My 3 year old Male German shepherd has been very itchy and scratching, licking/biting at paws, legs, ears, rectum and private area. He also has been smelling his private area a lot and licking it. He was a steroid for 6 weeks due to flea allergy whic
It could be a yeast infection but if the steroid wore it, Cole's allergies could have returned. Some dogs with allergies need allergy medication regularly. Have him seen by his vet to discuss putting him on something like Apoquel or Cytopoint.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
Can you tell me what’s wrong with my dogs skin please? She’s 7y 10m, Gsd X malmute. Completely normal in herself, apart from constant scratching and biting! Thank you
Poor Chocolate! Due to the area of hair loss and chewing, she most likely has a flea allergy. Even if you aren't seeing fleas, it only take one to two bites to cause an allergic reaction like this. You could try Benadryl and a cone collar and starting her on flea medicine but I am afraid this won't be strong enough. I think it would be best to take her to your vet for an exam. Your vet will be able to help you determine the cause and get her started on some stronger allergy meds and even antibiotics if needed. I would also consider getting your yard and house treated for fleas since fleas don't live on the dog but in the environment. See link below for Benadryl dosing. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello. My dog is suffering from a skin disease. He is an old German Shepherd which I rescued from the streets and he has this skin condition since then. His skin is getting greasy but at the same time dry, it's smelly and itchy. In my country the vet
Even though pictures of it would help determining what is the underlying cause, this is probably 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 (advocate or advantage), 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). 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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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