Why is my pug constantly itching her backside and the backs of her legs?

Question

Roxy will be 2 on X-Mas eve and ever since she got pregnant earlier this year, she constantly bites at the backs of her hind legs, scratches her sides, and demands both my boyfriend and I to scratch her on her back (right under where her tail curls over her back. I had my vet check her out during our visit for her ultrasound and he said it wasn't fleas or mange. I once had a dog with mange years ago and I am sure this is not what's going on with Roxy. She has not lost any hair nor is her skin bleeding which makes me think it may be some sort of allergy. I bath her once a week with a flea/tick shampoo and I've never seen any fleas or ticks on her body or in the bath water. I have also bought 2 different sprays to help relieve itchy dry skin. One gives her no relief. It has aloe and lanonin. The other seems to give her some temporary relief and it contains tea tree oil. I spray her after her bath and also several times a day. I am thinking of trying benadryl. HELP PLEASE!

No, she is not pregnant anymore. And I usually alternate the flea shampoo with a medicated shampoo for itchy skin. I think the best thing to do here would be to give her benadryl only when she needs it until her vet can see her for a shot. I'm LOL to the response about how annoying her itching is to the rest of us! =) We can't even watch tv without hearing the sound of her grunts and pig-like snorts as she itches and bites over the sound of the tv! =) Thanks so much for all your suggestions! It is much appreciated! ~Lindsay~and Roxy too!

No, she is not pregnant anymore. And I usually alternate the flea shampoo with a medicated shampoo for itchy skin. I think the best thing to do here would be to give her benadryl only when she needs it until her vet can see her for a shot. I'm LOL to the response about how annoying her itching is to the rest of us! =) We can't even watch tv without hearing the sound of her grunts and pig-like snorts as she itches and bites over the sound of the tv! =) Thanks so much for all your suggestions! It is much appreciated! ~Lindsay~and Roxy too!

Answer 1

It's prob. some skin allergy. Go see your vet.

Answer 2

A) you are bathing her too often. Most dogs should not be washed more than monthly, as the repeated shampooing dries out their skin.
B) Itching around the back end of the dog is often a sign of food allergies, I would try switching her food to something with no corn, wheat, etc and see if she improves. you can have allergy testing done if the vet rules out food allergies and feels it is an environmental allergy. If the tee tree oil seems to be relieving it, you can continue using it. Benedryl will help if it is an allergic condition, but it would obviously be better to determine what she is allergic to instead.

Answer 3

If she is still pregnant,, BE VERY CAREFULL in ANY MEDICATIONS,TOPICALS or HOLISTIC TREAMENTS.. Could cause problems in the pups..
If she is not pregnant now,, because mange (sarcoptic) can be hard to diagnose.. treament with one dose of revolution(ask your vet for it) could provide a cure..if she is pregnant,, then again any drugs should be avoided,, natural or chemical

Could be allergies,, also have her anal glands checked,, and expressed,, may be as simple as overfull glands... they make the rear end very itchy.. for some reason.. easy enough to check.. if she has a flea allergy unfortunaly only one bite from one flea could set her off.. generall it is the rear quarters that get itchy.. so keep a look out for the fleas!!! could still be the cause..or even the products you are using.. really

then further diagnostics.. food trials,,medications may be needed,,could even be a behavoral problem.. if she learned she gets extra attention.. for the behavior.. she will do it :)

Good luck..
Amanda

Answer 4

My guess would be some sort of allergy either to her shampoo or food. I'm thankful it isn't mange or fleas. I wonder if maybe the puppies are laying on nerves and causing her legs to itch or tingle. When I was preg with my son, he laid on the nerves in my right leg and it would go numb and I'd fall. Might be something like that. Hope you figure it out soon

Answer 5

Our pug does it ALL the time it is natural...my dog just went to the vet yesterday and we found out that when he rubs his butt and his legs....all dogs give off a scent when they poop...when your dog is heavy or the heavier they are they are unable to get rid of the scent and it builds up in these glands and they are tryin to relaese it and make themselves feel better...take the dog to the vet and ask them to do a procedure where they go in their butt and squeeze the glands and get rid of the buildup...my dog is so much better after getting it done...i hope this helps! by the way the procedure is an anal secretion something or other cant remember the name...and no it is NOT allergies

Answer 6

I would probably not bath her as often with the flea and tick shampoo...that can only lead to skin problems..if you want to give her a bath that often get something that will condition the skin and coat. For fleas use frontline or a similar product.
pugs have alot of issues with their skin and coat... have you vet check to see if she has a bacterial infection in her skin.... or yeast.... benadryl can also work but not something you want to give often..only on the onset of allergies

Answer 7

Definately take a look at the anal glands, they may need to be expressed. Also, bathing her that often dries out her skin, and that could be causing some of the problem.

Also, if the tea tree oil helps, it could be as simple as psoriasis...tea tree oil is a common treatment for psoriasis. I'd have a professional groomer check her out.

Answer 8

first of all I would stop bathing her so often, once a week is way to much - you are drying out her skin, and on top of that bathing her with medicated shampoo is a big NO-NO especially since her skin is already dry & irritated by constant bathing. The spray with the oil is helping because it's putting back the natural oils in her skin that you are washing out and give her no time to build up with all the baths.

Answer 9

This happened to one of my female pugs as well. We would be trying to relax and watch tv and she would bug us to scratch her "butt" just above the tail. If we didn't she would actually take our feet and lift them over her head and place them on that area. I changed her food from a chicken recipe to a lamb recipe. It seemed to work, no we can watch tv in peace.

Answer 10

She could have allergies. You can use benadryl on dogs or another Antihistamine, I think like chlortrimeton. Check with your vet on the dosage.