My Dog Keeps Scratching His Back And Hip Areas. He Also Licks His Front Paws All The Time. He Is Flea Free. What Do I Do To Stop The Itching?

Whitecat,

 

It sounds like your dog has allergies--the three types in
dogs are environmental (atopy), food allergy, and flea allergy.   For environmental allergies initial
treatment include anti-histamines, omega-3 acids found in fish oil, frequent
bathing, and treating underlying infections. 
Frequent bathing in a non-allergic dog-more than once a week-does remove
oil from dog's skin.  However in an
allergic dog frequent bathing actually helps because it removes the allergens
(pollen, weeds, etc) from the coat stopping or preventing the allergic reaction
(immune system's overreaction to stimulus).  Bathing twice weekly or daily in very severe
cases is sometimes needed.

Your veterinarian 
has  several types of diets (novel
protein diets--protein and carbs come from sources not typically found in dog
food like rabbit--or hydrolyzed protein diets--where the proteins have already
been broken down partially to a size that should not cause allergic reaction.

If your pet has very severe allergies or a big flare-up
steroids, immune-modulating therapy (Atopica), or allergy shots may be
required.  Allergies are frustrating and
are about control not cure--your veterinarian needs to be part of the effort the
control allergies. 

Over-grooming behavior is also a possibility but not
associated with itching.  It is usually
an obsessive behavior—treated with behavior modifications and/or behavior
medications.

Please bring your dog in for a visit to your veterinarian
who can help diagnose, treat, and continually manage your dog.

 

Ann Falk, DVM

Have you tried taking him to the vet to have his anal gland squeezed, sometimes they get a build up in there and a couple of dogs I have owned in the past have alerted me to this by continually licking and scratching their back area, as it is as close as they can get to the irritation. Worth a try .

My chihuahua had the same problem. At walmart, in the dog section they sell a product thats called suldophene , that helped .also I switched to oatmeal shampoo. This is what I did and it worked. It only cost like 3-4 dollars. Hope it works for you

Bostons regularly need their ears cleaned because they have ears that stand strait up dirt and water collect in there making it easy for them to get infections also if a Boston is scratching their ears and holding them down you may want to have them checked for ear mites. A Boston may have bald tips on their ears from the mites and scratching they may also have swollen ear lobes. If your Boston whimpers or whines when he/she scratches their ears thats a good sign they have irritant and you need to have vet do a mite swab test. Always keep their ears clean. Ear mite medicine is easy to purchase over the counter and inexpensive. Hope this helps and good luck

The vet & the doggy dermatologist both told me a dog that licks at it's paws have allergies. We did not have luck with meds. the doggy derm. Was very expensive, & I was not impressed. South Florida grass is a big problem for allergies in dogs. We have lived with this problem for 10 years with this dog. It can get on one's nerves.

My dog has the same issue; it could be a number of things such as allergies (yes believe it or not dog's get them too), anxiety, he could be scratching due to shedding, or who knows he could just be itchy.
Dog Shampoo with Tea Tree Oil could help, remember don't baith him too often. That will leave his skin dry and itchy.

You will need to get your Boston's ears checked by a professional veterinary practitioner. He could have mites, an infection, or a foreign object lodged in his ear. Please get this checked asap to relieve the irritation and prevent any possible complications. Hope all goes well.

My dogs do the same and it turns out that they  have biting mites.  Frontline advantage works.  Costs about 50.00 for three doses, which is good for 3 months

My dog who is 12 years old keeps scratching underneath his body is itchey. I have just used frontline on him their is no fleas what could be the cause HELP

You need to have your dog examined by a veterinarian.  There are several dermal diseases that need to be screened for and treated if present.  Allergies may be an underlying causes--this causes itching and opens the skin up for secondary infection.  The most common infections are bacterial (Staph aureus) and yeast.  Yeast in particular is very smelly.  A superficial skin cytology and acetate tape cytology will screen for infection.
Mites--like scabies or demodex--also open up the skin to become susceptible to infection.  Often mites cause itching and usually hair loss.  A skin scraping is the test of choice for mites.  Scabies can be hard to diagnose and if suspected your veterinarian may opt to do a treatment trial.
Endocrine diseases like hypothyroidism and Cushing's can lead to poor, oily, odorous haircoat.  Blood testing will start the screening process for these diseases.
Your veterinarian will help diagnose an underlying cause and start treating the symptoms.

I think you need to take the pup to the vet to find out what it is, could be something simple like using a better soap, or over washing the dog too, or it could be ringworm, or even mange, so there are several reasons to take him in. Hope this helps, good luck to you.

Skin issues involving smell usually have the same causes of those who have dry flaky skin and hair loss. The smell could be caused by a number of things, malnutrition, allergies, and other health problems. The dog needs to see a vet. Until then give the dog a vinegar water bath to soothe the skin and seek vet help soon.

It may have an allergy or skin condition. Check with your vet. My dog has the same problems, he licks the carpet all the time and scratches himself all the time, but there are no fleas on him at all. Don't just assume its fleas, cause if you don't see them, they're probably not the cause.

I agree-see a vet, but I've had a dog that has had the same problem and it was mange. I think that mange is a form of eczema...I hope this helps. Good luck!

Because it has fleas. Go to the pet store and buy some flea spray for the dog and also flea spray for its bedding, carpets in the house, anywhere the dog has been will be infested with flea eggs and larvae.