My Pomeranian =[ She Is Scratching Herself Bald on Her Lower Back!!! Help!!!

Updated on April 17, 2008
J.Z. asks from Quincy, MA
8 answers

Has anyone had this happen to their pets??? I did some research and I believe its an "allergic reaction" to a "flea bite". But my question or concern is....what do I give her to make her comfortable and make her stop scratching?? I don't have a lot of money so I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and how did they fix the problem?? I will go to the vets if I have to, cause I do love my doggie!! But is there an over the counter ointment or cream that I can put on her back to help ease her discomfort???

She is scratching her lower back and just started to scratch her hind legs. She doesn't seem to be in pain....I am giving her oatmeal bathes to help her dry skin. I am also changing her diet to eukanuboo...(can't spell it correctly) she is still VERY active (lol) and eating fine....just scratching uncontrollable!!! But, I read that is what she is suppose to be doing when she is having a reaction to a flea bite. So, I felt a little better cause I was freaked out to see her hair falling out!!!!!!

I am keeping the fleas under control.....I have read a lot about how fleas seem to work!! they are pesky little buggers!!!!

Just so everyone knows....When fleas mate and drop eggs in our pets...the eggs are not sticky so thats why homes become flea infested....(my home is not infested...YET and won't be now that I know how it all happens!!)
So, when the animals scratch themselves or when we brush them the eggs fall on the floor and then they eventually hatch. Fleas can have up to 50 babies (I actually can't remember the number of babies but its A LOT!!!). So, vacuuming everyday is sooo important even on the bare floors. So, when you see little black things on your pets brush them outside!!! Fleas also live under leaves in your back yard!! I am always raking my backyard!!! And, I just do it for exersize and it makes the yard look so much better....thank goodness....I didn't realize that I was helping my animals!!

Well, I hope someone has some info for me.....thanx for reading this....big time!!!

Have a great day!!! J.

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L.H.

answers from Boston on

Yes, you are describing an allergic reaction. I went through this with a Himalayan cat. A cortizone shot from the vet will desenstize the area anough so that the dog will stop scratching and allow the area to heal but if the fleas are still in the area it will just start again. I removed my cat from the house till I knew the flease were completely gone to stop the cycle.

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S.M.

answers from Boston on

Hi J.,

A couple of years ago our dog (a daschund so it's pretty similar in size to yours) had an allergic reaction to one of his yearly shots. We were told to give him one Benadryl - yes the over the counter people kind. One Benadryl (regular strength without any decongestant)no more than every 4 hours. It helped tremendously. Check with your vet first but it helped in our case. Best of luck.

S.

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S.S.

answers from Portland on

My grammies dog had a very bad reaction to fleas as well...one little flea and that poor dog scratched himself silly, got hot spots and lost hair. She got stuff from the vet and it made it better, but she said what really helped was just plain old green tea bags. she would heat them up and when they were warm(not to hot) she applied it to the areas where her dog was really having problems and it worked. The green tea has tanic acid in it which is the ingredient that was helping her dog. Give it a try....it couldnt hurt and may save you some expenses at the vet. The great thing about it is its going to provide some relief to your pet even if its not flea related. keep in mind if you are sure there are no more fleas inside or out and your pup still has the problem then it could be a bigger problem.

good luck!

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T.C.

answers from Burlington on

I had this happen to a cat I had a few years ago (he died :-( of old age). He had a flea allergy and all the hair on his body practically fell out between just the allergy and the poor kitty scratching. What we did was bomb the house, vacuum constantly, and he had to have flea baths often for awhile. Your vet might be able to give you some flea bath that won't irritate your dogs already sensitive skin, and that is stronger than what you find in the store. After he starting looking a little better we used one of those monthly flea control things that you put on the back I think it's called Advantage (but there are other ones) and that kept the fleas under control and his hair grew back. I know that the flea meds can be expensive, but the cheap ones don't work, and if you go to the vet you can usually buy one months worth at a time. Also something to keep in mind is if the dog doesn't have fleas she might just have a nervous spot. My dog does that. He licks a spot on his leg until it is raw. They had meds for that too. Good luck with your dog!

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B.M.

answers from Boston on

You can buy Frontline or Advantage at Petco. Those are 2 very safe and effective flea treatments. I don't recommend Hartz or Sargeants. Treat any other pets in the house as well. Vacuum very thoroughly every day and throw the vac bag out of the house, not just in the trash because they can jump back out. Wash anything washable the dog goes on. If it's not a flea allergy it may be a food allergy in which case you might want to go to the vet.
Good luck! Fleas suck!!! And, contrary to popular belief, they don't die in the winter. They just live indoors.

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B.L.

answers from Burlington on

Hi J., you know what else it might be. Your dog may have a "hot spot". My old dog had one and would scratch and scratch on his lower back until all the hair was gone. Is it kinda oozy? It was so long ago, I can't remember how I healed it, but I'm sure if you google "hot spots", you find an answer. Hope this helped. B.

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T.F.

answers from Portland on

I had a dog with the same problem, and he didn't ever appear to have fleas, but just being in close contact with them could apparently give him this reaction. We did end up having to take him to the vet to get a prescription for it, and after just a day or so he stopped "biting", nad hte hair started to grow back. They also gave him some of the name brand drip on the neck flea treatment. All was well after that. So unfortunately we didn't find anything over the counter to treat him with, but were able to quickly get him treatment. Hope this helps!
-T.

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A.M.

answers from Providence on

Put olive oil in her dry food it will help. My cat used to do that at this time of year. it is probably just dry skin and this will help

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