Dog Pruritis

Hi Lisa,
If your dog is licking and chewing the BOTTOM of his feet, and his groin area, creating the rash as you noted in your picture, I would suspect he has a ‘contact’ allergy.

This means that he is walking and/or laying on something that he is allergic to. Sometimes it can even be an allergy to the laundry detergent that you use to wash his bedding. Now that it is spring, it may be the new grass, ivy, or plants that are outside. Have you put in new carpet in the house?

If your dog is licking/chewing the TOP of his feet, especially his front feet, and also his face, he may have inhaled allergies. This would be like hay fever in humans, except in humans our histamine is located in our respiratory system, therefore if we inhale something we have allergies to, then we have sneezing, red eyes, and a runny nose. In dogs, their histamine is in their skin. So, they will chew and itch the top of their feet, face, ears, and around the eyes.

Your dog may have a combination of inhaled and contact allergies.

I would also check the top of his rump area at the base of his tail, rubbing the hair backwards to look closely at his skin to check for any fleas. A flea allergy can cause an intense pruritis. Dogs will chew and swallow the flea, but the residual flea saliva where the flea bit him will cause him to chew and itch incessantly for several days, even though you do not see any fleas.

See Dog Skin Conditions for more information on the above conditions, including some of the causes and some treatments, such as improvement of your dog’s diet (dry food may not cause allergies, but it is not that good for maintaining a healthy skin and hair coat. If your dog has been on only dry food for 8 years, and he is now developing skin issues, then it is time to improve his diet.)

There will be alternatives to antibiotics, cortisone, antihistamines to help your dog and improve his health at this time.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
– Dog Skin Conditions,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Skin Rashes, Marks, Spots, Lesions & Patches (including itchy skin and mange) Section