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	Cross Springer who bites and scratches himself Q: Hello, I have a cross springer spaniel. Just after christmas my dog started bleeding from inside the penis, I took him to the vet, they kept him for a couple of hours, put him under anaesthetic and they found a slight cut on the penis. I was given tablets to stop any infection. But since the visit to the vet my dog has not been the same. He is constantly scratching and biting. I took him back to the vet, I asked them if he might have picked up an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic, they said no as it was only mild. I was given some tablets which did not work at all. I have had tablets before for another skin problem on his front paw, again the tablets did not work. I have bathed him for fleas, as I thought he might have picked something up from another dog at the vets, this has not worked. I have bought numerous skin treating tablets and sprays, my dog is still scratching and biting. I thought maybe he has picked up mange, maybe from a fox, but how do you know if your dog has this? Or is it possible to pick something up from wild rabbits which are in a friends garden? My dogs skin is very flaky, despite him being given oil in his food. He also scratches more when he gets excited to go for a walk. His belly is red with sores through his scratching and also he has sores in various other places due to biting. Also when you touch or brush him he is sensitive and his skin crawls. I have tried numerous treatments, can you advise? Thank you.

A: You certainly have a difficult problem here. Many dogs have skin problem which are very itchy so you are not alone. You need to take a systematic approach to the problem, either with the help of your vet, or with the help of a second opinion from a veterinary dermatologist. Step one is always to eliminate all possibility of exposure to fleas. Most dogs and cats have fleas, or some contact with fleas, all the time. Animals who are allergic to flea bites itch, all the others don't. If an animal is allergic to flea bites then exposure to a single flea can lead to a widespread and very itchy reaction. For this reason, flea control is an ongoing process in all animal owning households, and especially in ones where there is an animal with itchy skin. Flea control is a complex and rather costly procedure, and I would recommend that you use preparations from your vet rather than any others on grounds of efficacy. You should be using a household spray regularly in your home as adult fleas will come into the house on your dog, and any other animals you own, suck blood, drop off and lay eggs in the soft furnishings. Eggs and larvae are killed using household sprays which need to be applied at various intervals depending upon the product (four to seven monthly). Adult flea on all the animals in your home need to be addressed using another type of preparation and there are a number on the market which you can try (with you vet's advice). There are sprays, drop on preparations, or an oral tablet given to the dog or cat once a month which sterilises the fleas so they cannot reproduce. Once fleas are eliminated from the picture, and if your dog remains itchy you have to consider other options. Has you dog contracted another parasite, such as sarcoptic mange from a fox as you suggest. Diagnosis requires a skin scraping to be taken and examined under the microscope for mites (again a job for the vet). If they are seem then appropriate medication can be prescribed. If all parasitic problems draw a blank, then you are in the realm of allergic problems. Allergies may develop to almost anything-any component of the diet, anything at home or outside which the animal contacts. Investigation of these is more complicated and required overseeing by a vet or veterinary dermatologist.Problems may be treated with tablets or shampoos (of which there are many available) depending upon the final diagnosis. The final point to address is why the problem arose when it did. I do not know. It was most probably coincidence and unrelated to the trip to the vet, but maybe the answer will be clearer when the problem is better understood. Angela Bodey MRCVS (Vet for PetPlanet)

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