Why is my dog so itchy, and chewing on their skin?

Chewing and itching are the number one cause of us seeing pets for skin issues. So that's kind of where we look at skin issues from the itchy side and the non-itchy side. It helps us to rule some things out and rule some things in. Unfortunately, the itchy side is the much larger side, and there are many causes, from parasites and infections and allergies to mites. Many things cause the pet to itch, and where they itch helps give us some hints. Whether we find bugs running around, if we find fleas, that's probably the cause of your pet's itch. If we have a big mat that's infected, that's probably the cause of your pet's hitch. So, many things go into trying to determine exactly why he's itching.

There could be lots of reasons. I'm going to think in terms of what we do and the pets that we see coming in. There could be lots of reasons for itching, but I will break down the four primary causes. Seasonal allergies are the most common cause, and they will occur during certain times of the year because pollens from certain plants trigger an allergic reaction. These are the same types of plants that cause people to have allergies, but in people, we think of upper respiratory conditions, like runny eyes or runny nose, and sinus headaches. With dogs, we can get biting, scratching, licking, itching, chewing, and ear problems. The second most common cause we see are indoor or environmental allergens. That is primarily from house dust, dust mites, molds, and mildew.

Next is food allergies. Food allergies are primarily caused by chicken or beef. There are other potential causes, but chicken and beef are the two primary triggers for food allergies, which can also make your dog really itchy. The last one is flea allergies. Flea allergies, of all these I just mentioned, are typically the most intensely itchy for your pet. The good news is it's also the easiest to get rid of because it just takes appropriate and effective flea control. Pets with flea allergies, dogs and cats, are totally miserable.