Licking and Scratching

[keithj]

Recently my chiuahua, who is about 1.5 years old, has recently been scratching his neck until the skin is irritated... he also is in a constant licking mode, just about anywhere on his body... he also is real fidgety, sorta like something on his skin that is bothering him, however there are no fleas... We bath him all the time (oatmeal shampoo), and that seems to help, but he always goes back to the same behaviors. Any ideas?

[bigdog]

[QUOTE]Licking and Scratching
Recently my chiuahua, who is about 1.5 years old, has recently been scratching his neck until the skin is irritated... he also is in a constant licking mode, just about anywhere on his body... he also is real fidgety, sorta like something on his skin that is bothering him, however there are no fleas... We bath him all the time (oatmeal shampoo), and that seems to help, but he always goes back to the same behaviors. Any ideas?/QUOTE]

Hi Keithj...
well, how often do you bath him? I don't recommend bathing him more than about every 10-14 days (and preferably less than that) as otherwise actually excess bathing could dry his coat out and make him itchy.

Do use use a spot on flea control eg Frontline/ Advantage/ ect, some spot-on from the vet? I recommend these vs fleas and lice, BUT you can't bath them 2d before or 2d after, or they are not so effective.

He seems a little young for allergies, but its still possible...

Maybe just make sure you flea control + bathing schedule is ok and put a bucket collar on his head for 1-2 d to stop the habit... if he doesnt improve or if he actually has any real red sore lesions, go and see the vet for advice:
could be fungus, mites, etc etc... they can tell with a couple of simple tests usually!
:) good luck

[lauryn tom]

maybe he's allergic to the shampoo or bath soap that you're using. you can also have him checked up by the vet coz there may be unseen pests somewhere his body