Ever caught a glimpse of your dog chewing on itself?

The best way to think of it is like humans scratching an itch. But just like humans the itch could be caused by a deeper problem.

If the area they are chewing looks red, raw, or inflamed it could be time to investigate.

Your first port of call should be to check out with your veterinarian what the cause might be. The common reasons can come back with are:

Allergies

Pollen, bacteria, and mold all irritate the skin. Additionally certain types of dog shampoo or washing equipment can set off an allergic reaction. If your dog has just started chewing themselves, have a think back to recent locations or change a product that could be affecting their skin.

Skin Infections

This leads to the second point. If the irritation is being caused by bacteria, it can usually be identified by small red bumps. Additionally yeasty and fungal infections can result in oily and greasy skin around the effected areas or ears.

Dried Out Skin

Dry skin comes commonly for dogs in the winter because of the colder weather. However another major factor is also the lack of fatty acids in a diet. Dried out skin is usually visible through cracked and tough skin.

Parasites and fleas

Parasites and fleas are very irritating for dogs. You will usually find out if this is the cause of a dog chew themselves by brushing your dog down to reveal them.

Psychological

If you and your vet can’t find any specific external cause for your dog chewing itself the cause could be an internal one. Dogs require attention, activity and challenges to keep their mind occupied. If your boredom is causing the chewing, it’s a good time to add in new routines to keep them busy.

Many of the causes listed above can be treated at home. But if the cause is diagnosed as one of the more serious by your veterinarian then dietary or daily routine changes can be recommended.

One way to help them out with a dietary change is to supplement with nutrition.

In the case of chewing, getting high quality omegas into the diet can help.

One of our products Canine Prime was designed to fill in the forgotten foods a lot of modern dog diets are missing.

Including one of the world’s most powerful sources of omegas… Green Lipped Mussel.

To check out Canine Prime and the 39 other supercharged ingredients it contains that can help your dog click here.