Since the weather has become warm, my Lhasa Apso is constantly scratching and licking herself!?

Don't assume there's just one problem here. My neighbors' terrier developed an odor which turned out to be a type of skin fungus. No amount of bathing could get rid of the odor. The dog had to be treated for the fungus. My dog suffered from hot spots and ear infections for years and I spent a fortune on various meds. About a year ago, my new vet. suggested Eukanuba Response FP. This is a fish and potato kibble. My dog loves it and the skin and ear problems vanished within about a month.

Also, the vet advised against bathing the dog more that just a few times a year. It seems people are over bathing dogs which drys their skin. When the dog gets a bit stinky, I rub her down with a really wet towel, and dry her off with a dry towel--no shampoo. She looks fabulous and is a much happier dog.

I agree with the statement about better food. If you are not one to feed a raw diet you can also look into several of the natural dry kibbles they have out there such as Flint River Ranch, Natural Balance, Organix, Eagle Pack, Merrick, etc ... Also, you can add a teaspoon of plain yogurt to their food, this will help keep yeast under control which is probably where the odor is coming from. We have 2 dogs with skin problems, they will get hot spots if I'm not careful with food and treats (neither can have anything with corn in it), and the change to good food and yogurt every day made a huge difference.

It's such a shame when a dog itches...you could clip her coat back.. and try some Aloe vera.. that is very soothing,Apply several times a day if possible and try to leave it on for at least 10 mins before she licks it off.

It could be skin mites. Have the vet do a skin scrape to see if it is. Antibiotics are the only thing that will get rid of them. You can use a hydracortizone spray for temp. relief. My dog just had this too, she actually chewed some of her hair off too. Poor thing.

It more than likely has nothing to do with the skin. Your dog needs to have the right food. I experienced the same (actually worse) thing with my Golden. After spending hundreds of dollars of worthless pills, I tried a raw meat diet for dogs and within 30 days my dog was healthier than she had ever been. Go to www.animalfood.com - click on the "testimonials" tab and read them all. Then order the food and you'll be writing a testimonial yourself!

well first of all shave her, and secondly I was at PetSmart today and I saw a spray that said "hot spot ender" I had no idea what that meant but since I've read your question I have a better idea. Try that first before you spend hundreds at the vet

Hot spots are common in warm weather, usually in dogs that have dead undercoat that needs to be shed out. She needs to have all the dead hair combed out of her first, then she should be bathed to help remove dirt, allergens, other irritants, etc.

Clip the area of the hotspot and around it so the hot spot is exposed to the air. Apply rubbing alcohol a couple of times a day to the hot spot too, which will help dry it out and clear it up.

Hot spots are actually a moist form of eczema, irritation starts it and the dog then chews at the irritation and a dog can create a large hot spot in a single night.

Making sure to comb out dead undercoat when your dog is shedding, and bathing AFTER grooming (if you bathe before combing out the dog, the dead hair, etc, will knot and tangle even more, which is why you comb the dog out before the bath.) After the bath you probably will have to comb the dog out again, since baths stimulate shedding of more dead hair.

I have found out in my own experiences, that some individual dogs tended to get hot spots and other individuals didn't get them, and those who did get them, tended to get them every time they went through a shedding season...and regular grooming out of dead hair and bathing to remove excess oils, dirt, etc, was the best way to prevent hot spots in dogs with tendency to develop them.