My female dog is licking her genital area constantly. This is a new behavior for her. She even stops when I am walking her lick this area. She has had problems with outdoor allergies and rashes before. There is no rash apparent here. I was wondering if she might have a urinary tract infection. Should I take her to the vet? I really have not had a lot of success in dealing with her skin allergies. I do wash her more often and use an antibacterial shampoo. Thank you for your assistance. Alice
How old is she? Is she spayed? For the allergies what have you tried other than topical stuff?
Reply to Nancy Holmes's Post: She is 3 years old. She is spayed Other than topical spray or cream; she was given a steriod shot when she had a very visiblw extensive rash. At this time she has no rash or other visible sign of a problem. I have been washing her genital area with just warm water and drying it when we come in from outside. Last spring she had a visible rash when the grass was long. I live in a condo complex and there are many cats and dogs. Some people pick up after their dogs but many do not. Thank you for your help.
It may be she has a urinary tract infection and it might be a yeast infection around the vulva area. Irritation from allergies can cause skin infections including bacteria such as staph, yeast etc. If you are not seeing any blood or pus in the urine or any bad odor it might be the skin fold issue. You can see if miconazole cream there will help (generic of monistat). For help with skin allergies that your vet has not been able to resolve I'd suggest seeing a veterinary dermatologist as they are the allergy specialists. This site might help you locate one http://www.acvd.org/site/view/55607_FindADermatologistAlphabetical.pml or your vet may be able to refer you to one. You might find some Benadryl will help with itching at a dose of 1mg per pound of dog so a 50 pound dog would get two 25mg tablets every 8-12 hours and a 12 pound dog would vet 1/2 of a 25mg tablet on the same schedule. Use only plain Benadryl not cold capsule type. I would have the vet check her for urinary tract issues. If she has allergies year round you might want to consider changing foods to a high quality one such as Blue Buffalo, California Natural, Chicken Soup, Innova Evo, Canidae etc. Hope this helps you!
Experience: 30+ yrs dog home vet care & nursing, rescue, behavior&training, responsible show breeding, genetics