Boxer with excessive scratching and 2 spots of hair loss above her mouth.?

this is some type of dermatitis

make sure she has no fleas

if so it

is an allergic reaction to the bites

if not you can by Scratchex or medicated stuff for this at a local pet store but if they don't work she will have to go to vet

Well, these are some possible culprits, in order of severity...

(1) Hot spots

(2) Fleas

(3) Allergies

(4) Mange

Most people will immediately suggest that you go to the vet. However, mange for the most part can't be revealed with a skin scrape; they often have false negatives, because the parasites are difficult to find (my vet told me this). So a process of elimination IMO is necessary first.

In case it's 1-3, I would immediately change her dog food (buy one of the really good brands, too, in case she's allergic to wheat gluten or something), change her dog bowl (dogs can be allergic to plastic), get some itch relief shampoo and bathe her, and get a new flea preventative AND first give her a Capstar, which you can buy at the vet's office. Some dogs (or rather, some groups of fleas) are resistant to one flea preventative or the other. If you're using Advantage, get Frontline. If you're using Frontline, get Advantage.

So you should first:

(1) Give your dog a Capstar pill

(2) Bathe her with itch relief shampoo

(3) Change her dog food and bowl if her current one is plastic

(4) Give her new flea preventative whenever it's appropriate

If the itching doesn't cease within a week or two of doing these things, it's time to go to the vet. Mange sucks and is difficult to get rid of, but it's not very expensive - just oral and topical medications must be administered.

Good luck.

Many of the answers provided are good suggestions. However, I doubt it is fleas because I don't know of any rescue organization that would allow a dog untreated for fleas to get adopted. I volunteer for MN Boxer Rescue and we are very good about seeing that our dogs are in proper health before they are adopted.

The dog could be having anxiety, as well as the other issues listed here. Please check with the vet. A sign of excessive scratching means something isn't right -- whether it is just an annoying skin irritation, or mange, or an emotional issue.

Good luck!

Has the dog been seen by a vet? Could be allergies, could be fleas.

What do you feed the dog? Avoid foods that contain alot of grains, especially corn - dogs do not need grains. Avoid foods found in grocery stores - Pedigree, Purina, Iams, and especially store brands of food. Anything containing 'meat meal', 'middlings' from grain, 'animal digest' (which can be left over parts such as beaks, feet and dead diseased and dying animal parts) should obviously be avoided - there is alot more to dog food than the first 10 ingredients on the listing.

Research your food!

I use Dinovite that can be purchased online at www.dinovite.com You just put a scoop on their food. I was spending 75.00 a month for a prescription for scratching and it just helped somewhat. I heard about dinovite on the radio and tried it. Within a couple of days the scratching and bleeding stopped. Her hair is great now.