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My dog keeps pawing his mouth and rubbing his red face. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pembroke Welsh Corgi | Male | neutered | 1 year and 9 months old | 30 lbs

My dog has been pawing his mouth and rubbing it against the carpet on one side of his face. Now that I have noticed it is getting red where he has been rubbing I am trying to stop him from being able to paw it. But i am wondering if there is something wrong causing him to do this. I've looked at his teeth and they look fine - though i'm not a vet.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on March 17th, 2022

There are several things that could cause this to happen: bacterial or fungal infection of the skin, splinter out other foreign body under the skin, itchy nose (allergies), tooth root issues, among a few others. You can try rubbing some hydrocortisone cream into it or rubbing an ice cube on it. He may need to wear an e-collar/cone to stop the behavior. But if it continues for another day or two, I would have Perrin checked out by a vet.

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 13th, 2020

    Rocky should be examined by the veterinarian. It sounds like the condition is spreading. Possible causes include allergies, a yeast infection or ringworm (which humans can get). He likely needs medication to calm the inflammation and something to address the issue itself. He is uncomfortable right now (hence the rubbing) and the medications will help to relieve this. You also need to have him wear an elizabethan collar at all times to stop the itching and rubbing because this can make things worse. I hope he feels better quickly.

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