dry skin

[animalgurl]

when its warm out my dog starts chewing on her back right it her tail, she started it last summer but we had a flea prob and i thought that was what it was but she doesn't have fleas and shes starting to do it again
i just got her food for dryskin and i got her vitamins they were helping but now, i'm worried if she doesn't quit she'll chew a bald spot i've also tried no chew spray she just licks it off like she never tasted something so good. :confused: :confused: :confused:

[ledoc]

Afraid to say it sounds like a flea problem again. The area you describe is classical flea allergy territory. The fact that it happened last year when it got warmer and is repeating again this year supports a flea allergy.

She is already allergy prone (last years episode) so it can in theory take only a few flea bites to set her off again. This means that you might actually not see fleas on her - so rather look for signs of fleas - little black and white granules are flea faeces and flea eggs and are often the only indication of a flea problem.

A possible DD is inflammed or impacted anal glands. It's worth checking them out but the timing and history indicate that you need first to eliminate fleas as a cause before you go looking elsewhere.

Hope that helps.

PS In areas where fleas occur, anti flea measures must continue through winter otherwise they will raise their ugly heads again the next spring.

[animalgurl]

we use flea drops and i give her flea baths but the prob is we have 3 cats that go in and out all day there the one that r hard to get the flea off but i bath all the cats but 1 and shes mean enough to use her nails. at one point
hydcortzone (sp?) cream was working ,hink i should try the shampoo?
my dogs black so i cant see any black specks. my cat was starting to have prob with it but his went away as fast as it came.

[ledoc]

Cortisone of any variety simply addresses the symptoms, not the cause. It will relieve the itching but as soon as you stop the problem will return. But it is useful to use to curtail the symptoms until you get on top of the cause. Long term cortisone therapy has side effects but animals tend to be far less susceptible to this than humans are (on a mg/kg vs mg/kg basis)

Understand that fleas are not an animal problem - they are an environmental problem -approx 1-2% only are to be found on animals(the adults) - the rest of the lifecycle stages are found in the environment - so you cannot treat a flea problem by only treating the animals - you are aiming at the wrong target.You need to treat the environment as well.

Also, if you are not treating ALL your animals for fleas then you might as well not treat any - fleas are not fussy, they just need a blood meal to breed.

Thirdly, fleas are light sensitive and need to be in close proximity to a potential bloodmeal - you are not going to find them outside at the bottom of your yard - you will find them close to where the animals spend lots of time in a shady environment.

Lastly, fleas have been around for more than a million years - they know a thing or two about species survival so getting rid of them is never easy.

[Jynx]

I agree with all the flea suggestions, if you can't "find" any fleas, maybe she's getting a hotspot???? I use KV Vet's, Vet's Best Hot Spot Spray, for all wounds, sores , itchies, it has tea tree oil in it that is very soothing, and also fast healing.

I have an "itchy" boy, who does not have fleas. He has weird skin probs off and on, and is allergic to vaccines..Anyhow, I've tried different foods, and have now been feeding him Proplan SS (sensitive skin/sensitive stomache), It's salmon based, and tho I am not a fan of Proplan, I have to say, his itchies are gone, his coat is absolutely gorgeous and soft.

Just thought I'd throw that in
diane