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PokerMoney · Feb 19, 2008, 02:05 PM

I have a 1 year old St. Bernard and he is constantly biting himself, scratching himself, and digging at his skin. I know he does not have fleas. I can not get him to stop this. He bites scratches digs until he wears the to layer of skin off and it is bloody. Not like gushing blood but like a rug burn then it scabs over. I have no idea what it could be? Hot spots? Allergies? I really need help. I'm getting so frustrated because he has these scabs all over his rump? Does anyone have any suggestions on what they think. Or a situation like this. Any suggestions how to treat it too? I'm desperate!

peggyhill · Feb 19, 2008, 02:21 PM

I would take him to the vet just to make sure he is OK. Could he be allergic to a shampoo or something that you are using on him? Something in the house?

Has he been around any other dogs or other animals recently? I had a dog who was severely allergic to fleas. She didn't have them; I always used flea meds on her. But we always had stray cats coming around and if a flea jumped off one of them and bit her, she would break out in a horrible itchy rash, even though it may have only bit her once. I forget exactly how the vet explained it. But it would make her break out all over her body. So, that is why I was wondering if he has been around other dogs recently.

I used to use a shampoo with oatmeal in it when my dog had the breakouts. The oatmeal helps soothe the skin and stop the itching. Sorry I couldn't help more, hopefully someone who knows a lot about dogs will come along and give you some better advice! I hope your dog is better soon!

Lowtax4eva · Feb 19, 2008, 02:23 PM

Take him to the vet... we can't (or rather shoudnt) really say anything more than that.

Emland · Feb 19, 2008, 02:28 PM

My dogs have itchy skin problems, too. I would see the vet first to make sure there isn't anything that you need a prescription for first. If it is dry skin leading to scratching that leads to more scratching you might want to try canine hydrocortisone spray (I found it at my local pet superstore). My dog got to scratching his neck really bad so I put regular hydrocortisone cream that I use for myself on it and it cleared up in 2 days. Good luck!

PokerMoney · Feb 19, 2008, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by peggyhill

I would take him to the vet just to make sure he is ok. Could he be allergic to a shampoo or something that you are using on him? Something in the house?

Has he been around any other dogs or other animals recently? I had a dog who was severely allergic to fleas. She didn't have them; I always used flea meds on her. But we always had stray cats coming around and if a flea jumped off one of them and bit her, she would break out in a horrible itchy rash, even though it may have only bit her once. I forget exactly how the vet explained it. But it would make her break out all over her body. So, that is why I was wondering if he has been around other dogs recently.

I used to use a shampoo with oatmeal in it when my dog had the breakouts. The oatmeal helps soothe the skin and stop the itching. Sorry I couldn't help more, hopefully someone who knows a lot about dogs will come along and give you some better advice! I hope your dog is better soon!

Thank you for answering.. When we have him at my and my boyfriends house he is around a chocolate lab and he seems to constantly be itching there, but when we stay the weekend at my parents and we have him with us. You rarely ever see him digging or biting just once in a while. Do you think it could be something in our carpets or the stuff you sprinkle on the carpets that's making him do this?

PokerMoney · Feb 19, 2008, 03:16 PM

Oh and I forgot to say. My mom has 2 dogs a boxer and a min pin. And rarely do you see him bite or scratch maybe just once in a while.

peggyhill · Feb 19, 2008, 04:08 PM

I do know some carpet freshners can be bad for dogs. Since my dog was so sensitive, I switched to using baking soda to freshen the carpets. I don't know if it was that, or the extra precautions we took with her being around other dogs, but she got better. So, yeah, I would say it could be the other dogs or the carpet stuff. I would check with a vet because they can probably give you something to stop the itching right away.

rockerchick26 · Feb 19, 2008, 04:42 PM

My parents have a dog who suffers from allergies. Certain times of the year he scratches enough to lose patches of hair and bleed. It's always on his rear end and his skin looks so irritated with sores. I believe that they give him a small dose of benadryl and it relieves the symptoms. I wouldn't recommend trying that unless your vet reccomends it, but its something to keep in mind...

sherwhite · Mar 24, 2008, 07:25 PM

Sounds like allergies, I have a st. bernard, he has this problem with his feet, especially when they get wet. We have to make sure to dry them and apply foot powder. Ask your vet, they should be able to tell you. It could be an allergic reaction to his food.

heather83 · Mar 24, 2008, 08:55 PM

Just as another little side note-dogs can also have a kind of OCD, where some will scratch, lick, or bite themselves until they bleed for no physical reason, among other bizarre behaviors. I had a husky with that was diagnosed with OCD a couple of years ago after testing for every kind of skin allergy and even tumors. I don't remember what it was that the vet perscribed, but it really helped. Either way, allergies or OCD talk to your vet about it.

ScottDaisy · Mar 24, 2008, 09:04 PM

This might sound weird but I knew a lady who had a dog and he just kept scratching and chewing. She did some cleaning and dusting around the house and he stopped. She did not know what caused it but there is no harm in you trying it.

GOOD LUCK
Give your pet lots of love and treat it like a human

tacodawg · Mar 26, 2008, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by peggyhill

I do know some carpet freshners can be bad for dogs. Since my dog was so sensitive, I switched to using baking soda to freshen the carpets. I don't know if it was that, or the extra precautions we took with her being around other dogs, but she got better. So, yeah, I would say it could be the other dogs or the carpet stuff. I would check with a vet because they can probably give you something to stop the itching right away.

I agree with peggyhill, I have a chiuahua that would break out terribly,you could see the breakout impressions on his skin without even looking for them,took him to the vet, of course they said he was allergic to something, yeah, I found out it was the carpet fresh I was using,I quit using carpet fresh and started to steam clean the carpet every 3 weeks, has not bothered him since.:) :)

tacodawg · Mar 26, 2008, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by rockerchick26

My parents have a dog who suffers from allergies. Certain times of the year he scratches enough to lose patches of hair and bleed. It's always on his rear end and his skin looks so irritated with sores. I believe that they give him a small dose of benadryl and it relieves the symptoms. I wouldn't reccomend trying that unless your vet reccomends it, but its something to keep in mind...

I also agree with rockerchick,2 of my 6 chiuahuas have the same problem, they itch and scratch and chew at their back right where their tail goes along the spine, the vet said they had dry, iratated skin, and recommened a shampoo with oatmeal in it, that did not work, then she told us to feed them an eyedropper full of children's benadryl because of their size, it seems to work pretty well, it does not stop them from itchin all the time, but it sure helped a lot:) :) and it makes them sleepy also, good luck,call the vet first.

brteeyez · Jun 14, 2008, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by PokerMoney

I have a 1 year old St. Bernard and he is constantly biting himself, scratching himself, and digging at his skin. I know he does not have fleas. I can not get him to stop this. He bites scratches digs untill he wears the to layer of skin off and it is bloody. Not like gushing blood but like a rug burn then it scabs over. I have no idea what it could be? Hot spots? Allergies? I really need help. I'm getting so frustrated because he has these scabs all over his rump? Does anyone have any suggestions on what they think. Or a situation like this. Any suggestions how to treat it too? I'm desperate!

My dog has the same problem. Sounds like he has allergies. More then likely it is a skin allergy to fleas. Even though you cannot see the flea even one flea can cause a major problem. I got my dog on advantage and shaved her down and it appears to be working. Also bath them in a flea and tick oatmeal bath.