Nibbling and chewing on skin

[Lori Nye]

Cooper keeps nibbling and chewing on his skin, and scratching alot.  Now he has a couple of bald patches.  Has anyone ever experienced this before?  What did you do and what was the problem?  I haven't noticed any signs of fleas.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Classic signs of allergies, although it's an odd time of year for this to be starting. It could also be mites. He needs to see a vet, the next step after the chewing & scratching & the subsequent hair loss is an infection.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

yeah Id say allergy - maybe to food? how old is Cooper? What is he eating? Stay away from corn, wheat, soy, beef and chicken, they are the most common allergens

you can spray on a bittering agent, look up brands called "bitter apple" and "bitter yuk" there are several slightly different types. find one he doesnt like the taste of and spray it on him where he chews (if possible). He may start chewing a different area though.

find a soothing all natural leave on conditioner spay (dont use shampoo as you have to bathe too often and this will dry his skin and fur out)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thanks, Caitlin! I get so tired of saying that, lol!
If he is itching so intensely that he is biting and licking himself to the point of hair loss, I would not use any kind of spray or other products on him. That kind of itching is coming from a histamine reaction on a cellular level, not on the surface of the skin, and can't be stopped with topicals. he needs some real relief from the itching before he does more damage to himself. Once an infection sets in, it becomes much harder to control the discomfort.
Evene if it were from food, which is unlikely, elimination diets can take a minimum of three months to have an affect. You need to help them with the itching in the meantime.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Basic Facts About Allergies in Dogs

[Michael Gurley]

My friend has a dog with a flea allergy, and even one or two fleas can cause him to scratch and bite a bald spot on his skin. However, you said you've seen no sign of fleas and usually they do leave a little calling card.

Also, my other friend has a dog with "hot spots" although I'm not sure what those are. He is about 15 years old though, so I think that it's a normal older-dog disorder. The vet gave them an anti-itch cream that really works for him, but if he licks the cream he has awful diarrhea.

[Michael Gurley]

It really wasn't. I went over to that friend's house and she was scrubbing blood off the wall where her poor old dog had scratched his hot spot so hard that it bled all over the wall. I had to literally CONVINCE her father to take the poor thing to the vet that was about a 2 minute walk from their house. He's 15 years old, deaf, almost hairless, incontinent... So many problems, but he still walks around and eats and plays!

[Mustard Seed Ranch]

Definately get him checked out! As Karen said it could also be mites (mange) and it will not go away on its own. You cant see them also and must be treated with medication. They are very hard to diagnose since even in a skin scraping they often dont show up but cause intense itching and cause patchy bald spots. Whatever the cause, as Karen stated, he is at risk of infection so a vet visit is a must!