Pets

Why does my dog lick his privates excessively? 

Key takeaway: Various reasons why a dog excessively licks privates.

Why does my dog lick his privates excessively? There's a few different reasons that this can happen. We certainly can see licking towards the groin associated with allergies and actually flea allergy. Despite not seeing them, we almost never see them. These are just dogs that are really hypersensitive to any exposure, which you almost never see unless you have an infestation. They actually like to go for the back half of the body. So groin, inner thighs, and I have seen dogs just go for their prepucial area, their perivulver area, when they do have a flea allergy. Other forms of allergies like environmental allergies can cause that too. There's also internal things that can cause that. So if they have a urinary tract infection, abdominal pain, then they can also lick and chew towards the belly just from that sensation. And then there are finally some behavioral issues that can cause that too. So you definitely want to work with your veterinarian because there's a plethora of things that can cause a dog to lick their privates excessively, whether it's a girl or a boy dog. So you want to make sure we're ruling out medical reasons that that can happen so we can get it treated appropriately.

Dogs can lick their private areas successively due to allergies, environmental factors and urinary tract infections. They may also do this due to behavioral issues. It is important to consult a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of the behavior in order to treat it appropriately.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/yr3apinx1o3d22efdkgt.vtt

There are several reasons why a dog may excessively lick their privates. One possibility is allergies, including flea allergies, which can cause dogs to be hypersensitive to any exposure. Environmental allergies can also contribute to excessive licking. Internal issues like urinary tract infections or abdominal pain may also lead to licking and chewing in the belly area. Additionally, behavioral issues can play a role. It's important to consult with a veterinarian to rule out any underlying medical conditions and determine the appropriate treatment for your dog, regardless of their gender.

Why do some pets get recurrent skin infections?

The Hidden Causes of Recurrent Pet Skin Infections

Why do some pets get recurrent skin infections? Well, there's some sort of primary disease process going on. Most commonly, what we see in veterinary dermatology is some form of an allergy. So food allergy, flea allergy, or environmental allergy. But we can have pets, for example, with hormonal disorders like low thyroid or increased cortisol, which is Cushing's disease. We can see autoimmune disease disorders. We can see cancerous skin disease that can lead to recurrent skin infections as well. So there's some sort of primary disease that is going on. Skin infections are a secondary problem, meaning that they're not the problem itself. It's a manifestation of something else that's going on. So whether it's an allergy, underlying endocrinopathy, which would be a hormonal disorder like hypothyroidism, an autoimmune disease, a cancerous disease, something that's causing that microflora of the skin to be abnormal, that skin barrier to be abnormal, or that immune system to be abnormal. So we don't just wanna treat the skin infection and that's it. It's gonna probably come back because we have to control whatever that primary disease process is in order to lessen the frequency of recurrent skin infections in the future.

Pets can get recurrent skin infections due to allergies, hormonal disorders, autoimmune diseases, and cancerous skin diseases. Treating the skin infection is not enough; the underlying primary disease must be controlled in order to reduce the frequency of the recurrent skin infections.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/oafc5alqjgg0tj2qiiqi.vtt

Some pets experience recurrent skin infections due to an underlying primary disease process. The most common cause in veterinary dermatology is allergies, including food allergies, flea allergies, or environmental allergies. However, there are other factors to consider as well.

Pets with hormonal disorders like low thyroid or increased cortisol (Cushing's disease) can also develop recurrent skin infections. Autoimmune diseases and cancerous skin diseases are additional possibilities. These primary diseases disrupt the normal microflora of the skin, compromise the skin barrier, or affect the immune system.

It's important to understand that skin infections are a secondary problem, indicating an underlying issue. Simply treating the skin infection without addressing the primary disease will likely lead to recurrence. To reduce the frequency of recurrent skin infections, it is necessary to identify and control the primary disease process.

Paw Licking in Dogs: The Key Reasons Revealed

Why do dogs lick their paws? The most common reasons that dogs lick their paws include some form of allergies. And primarily we're gonna see either a food allergy or an environmental allergy. Now, secondary infections like bacteria and yeast are very common to occur with allergies and other skin disorders as well, such as mites or hormonal disorders. So you still can get paw licking from other things, but by far and away, when we have a dog who's allergic to the environment or the food that they're eating, licking paws is primarily what they'll show us. So you wanna work with your veterinarian to do the appropriate things to get the dog feeling more comfortable, such as treating infection and using certain medications if necessary. You also wanna get to the why. Why is your dog licking their paws? What type of allergy do they have? So you'll work with your veterinarian to do things like appropriate diet trials, potentially things like allergy testing so that we can assure we know the underlying cause of your dogs licking their paws. So though many things can cause paw licking in dogs, allergies, environmental, food are gonna be the primary reasons that this is occurring.

Dogs usually lick their paws due to allergies or secondary infections. It is important to work with a veterinarian to identify the root cause of the licking in order to properly treat it.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/dv7j2ztpybm83lepi69n.vtt

Dogs lick their paws for various reasons, but the most common cause is allergies. These allergies can be related to either food or the environment. It's important to note that secondary infections like bacteria and yeast often accompany allergies and other skin disorders such as mites or hormonal imbalances.

When a dog is allergic to their environment or the food they consume, paw licking is a common symptom. To help your dog feel more comfortable, it's essential to work with a veterinarian. They can treat any existing infections and prescribe appropriate medications if needed.

Determining the underlying cause of the paw licking is crucial. Your veterinarian can assist in conducting diet trials and potentially allergy testing to identify the specific allergy triggering the behavior.

While there can be other factors contributing to paw licking in dogs, allergies, whether related to the environment or food, are typically the primary reasons behind this behavior.

What's the difference between food & contact allergies in pets?

Food vs. Contact Allergies in Pets: Key Differences & Symptoms

What's the difference between food and contact allergies in pets? So a food allergy will be a pet taking in something. Most of the time it's a protein source like chicken, beef, dairy, some sort of protein source, but it also can be things like carbohydrates or fats. And their pets eating it and then their bodies reacting to it. Most commonly what we see for clinical signs are ear infections, skin infections, an itchy pet, so licking, chewing, paws, scratching. A contact allergy is going to be something like, think about what you would get if you touch poison ivy. So they literally contact something and so we'll often see these reactions really focus on areas of non-hairy skin. So bellies, armpits can be an example, though we can also see food allergies cause issues there too. But it's truly touching something and having a contact reaction to it. So they can look very similar but the distribution can be quite different and history will play an important role in that. So we can do things like elimination diet trials to rule out something like a food allergy, but history and knowing what your pets been in contact with, the distribution of the lesions themselves can really help us differentiate between these two.

Food and contact allergies in pets are different from each other. Food allergies are caused by a pet's body reacting to something they have ingested, usually a protein source like beef or dairy. Contact allergies occur when the pet comes into contact with something that triggers an allergic reaction, usually manifesting as skin or ear infections. History and understanding what your pet has been in contact with is key in distinguishing between food and contact allergies.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/bza04fjwpskzixeextfy.vtt

The difference between food and contact allergies in pets is as follows: 

A food allergy occurs when a pet ingests something that triggers an allergic reaction. This is often a protein source like chicken, beef, or dairy, but it can also involve carbohydrates or fats. Common clinical signs of food allergies in pets include ear infections, skin infections, and itchiness, leading to behaviors like licking, chewing, and scratching.

On the other hand, a contact allergy happens when a pet comes into direct contact with an allergen, similar to how humans react to poison ivy. Contact allergies typically affect areas of non-hairy skin, such as the belly and armpits. However, it's important to note that food allergies can also cause issues in these areas. The key distinction is that contact allergies result from physically touching an allergen and experiencing a reaction.

While the symptoms of food and contact allergies can appear similar, the distribution of the lesions and the pet's history of exposure play a crucial role in differentiating between the two. Elimination diet trials can be conducted to help rule out food allergies, but understanding the pet's contact history and observing the location of the lesions can aid in distinguishing between these types of allergies.

Dog Bathing: Factors to Consider for Optimal Frequency

How often should I bathe my dog? It depends. There's so many different factors that feed into how often a dog should be bathed. Is your dog indoor or is your dog outdoor, getting mud and dirt caked on them as they're enjoying maybe acres that you have? Does your dog have an underlying skin disorder? So management of allergies, that's something that I deal with every single day. If you use appropriate products, which it's also important to recognize that different shampoos are used for different things. If you use an appropriate product that's moisturizing and beneficial for the skin, for an allergy dog, you can't really overbathe them. You could bathe them every single day, it's just a lot of a time commitment, but it can actually restore their skin if you're using certain veterinary products that have appropriate ingredients within them. And you're also helping to remove pollen from their skin, which lessens their absorption and their clinical signs. But for a typical dog, it really depends on all those factors. So I'd say, you know, on average, a dog might be able to be bathed once a month, up to weekly for some of our more chronic allergic patients. It also depends on the breed of dog, because certain breeds of dogs or certain oils in their skin that they really need to retain, and also depending on the fur they have. So really depending on the breed of dog, their environment, the products you're using, and whether or not they have underlying skin disorders.

It depends on the breed of dog, environment, products used and underlying skin issues. On average, dogs can be bathed once a month up to weekly for more chronic allergic patients.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/cagtbojezujfx8f488hj.vtt

The frequency of bathing your dog depends on various factors. Consider whether your dog is primarily indoors or outdoors, as outdoor dogs may get dirtier more frequently. Additionally, if your dog has an underlying skin disorder or allergies, bathing may be more frequent.

For dogs with allergies, using appropriate moisturizing and skin-beneficial products can help restore their skin. In these cases, you can bathe them every day if needed, but it can be time-consuming. Regular bathing can also help remove pollen from their skin, reducing their absorption and clinical signs.

On average, a typical dog may be bathed once a month. However, for dogs with chronic allergies, weekly bathing may be necessary. The breed of the dog and the type of fur they have also play a role, as certain breeds have specific oils in their skin that need to be retained.

Ultimately, the frequency of bathing depends on the breed, environment, products used, and any underlying skin conditions your dog may have.

What causes soft stool in cats? My 13-year-old cat was tested for parasites (n) and is now on GI food. We transitioned food slowly.

Understanding Soft Stool in Cats: Causes and Solutions

What causes soft stool in cats? My 13-year-old cat was tested for parasites, negative, and is now on GI food, and we transitioned the food slowly. Certainly, I can only speak from a dermatology standpoint, and internal medicine specialists would have to give more insight on other things that can cause GI symptoms in cat like IBD, GI lymphoma. We can see abnormal stools from things like food allergy, which is primarily what we would see a cat with some soft stool sign in at the dermatology clinic. A lot of these cats will, if they have a food allergy, also be very itchy. They'll scratch or is their head in their neck, they can be itchy all over, they'll get recurrent ear infections, they can get anal sac issues, things of that nature. For us, we will do an elimination diet trial with a prescription diet, either hydrolyzed or novel protein, and that really is dependent on the veterinarian, the cat's history, as far as what we'd expect. GI signs usually do improve a bit faster if there's truly a food allergy and they go on the right food, so within a few weeks. But usually a complete diet trial, especially if there's dermatologic signs involved, is eight weeks, because itchiness, ear infections can take a while to fully respond to a dietary switch. But definitely, like I said, an internal medicine specialist may have more insight into other specifics, but from a dermatology standpoint, that's what we would usually expect to proceed with.

Soft stool in cats can be caused by a food allergy which is usually diagnosed through an elimination diet trial. Other causes may include IBD, GI lymphoma, and other issues, so it’s best to consult with an internal medicine specialist for further advice.

https://assets.anyquestion.com/raw/upload/wm1m7hd1ws5nvgbhytuq.vtt

What causes soft stool in cats? My 13-year-old cat was tested for parasites, received negative results, and is now on GI food. We made a slow transition to the new food. It's important to note that I can speak primarily from a dermatology standpoint, and internal medicine specialists would have more insight into other potential causes of gastrointestinal symptoms in cats, such as IBD or GI lymphoma. In dermatology clinics, we often see soft stools in cats with food allergies. These cats may also exhibit signs of itchiness, scratching their head and neck, experiencing general itchiness all over their body, recurrent ear infections, or anal sac issues. To address this, we typically conduct an elimination diet trial using a prescription diet that is either hydrolyzed or consists of novel proteins. The choice of diet depends on the veterinarian's assessment and the cat's medical history. If there truly is a food allergy and the cat is on the appropriate diet, GI signs usually improve within a few weeks. However, a complete diet trial generally lasts eight weeks, particularly if there are dermatologic signs involved since itchiness and ear infections may take longer to fully resolve with dietary changes. It's worth noting that an internal medicine specialist may have additional insights into other specific causes.

Swimming

Strength

Triathlon

Photography

Track & Field

Nutrition

Physical Therapy

Running

Cycling

Podcasting

HealthCare

Musculoskeletal

Hockey

First Responders

Integrative Medicine

Chiropractic

Cross Country Skiing

Adaptive Sports

Climbing

Mental Health

Surfing

Tennis

Military

Mind Body

Scholars

Criminal Justice

Liquor

CrossFit

Golf

Soccer

Pickleball

Hunting

Public Speaking

Venture Capital

Veterinary Care

Allergies

Skin

Wellness

Health

Dr. Ashley Bourgeois is a board-certified veterinary dermatologist passionate about providing practical knowledge to general practitioners to help itchy pets. She graduated from the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2010 and completed a one-year small animal internship at Purdue University. She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology in 2014 and moved to Portland, Oregon in 2016. Her interests include autoimmune skin diseases, allergies, cytology, and otology. In her leisure, she enjoys outdoor activities, traveling, and watching sports. She and her husband have a daughter, son, and rescue Lab/Boxer/Pit mix. She runs The Derm Vet podcast, lectures, and has a social media presence to educate veterinarians in dermatology and work/life integration.

Neither AnyQuestion nor its Experts provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment or otherwise provide professional healthcare services.