What should I do if my dog keeps scratching sores open? | arlo.® Atlas

Read time: 3 minutes

Overview

If your dog keeps scratching sores open, the first job is to stop the skin from getting more irritated and check what might be driving the scratching. There can be several possible causes, including itchiness from allergies, parasites, infection, dry skin or friction from collars, harnesses or grooming.

Small sores can become a cycle: the skin gets sore, your dog scratches, and the skin stays open long enough to get more inflamed. You may be able to spot the trigger, but you usually can’t rule out all causes just by looking.

Things To Check

1. Check when the scratching started and whether it happens after walks, grooming, bathing, meals, or at certain times of day.

2. Look closely at the sores for redness, swelling, scabs, moist skin, discharge, smell, or any area that seems warm or painful.

3. Check for fleas, flea dirt, mites, or signs of other pests, especially around the tail base, belly, armpits and ears.

4. See whether the skin issue is limited to one spot or spread across several areas, as that can give a clue about irritation or an underlying skin problem.

5. Think about recent changes such as a new shampoo, bedding, food, cleaning product, collar, harness, coat, or grooming routine.

6. Check whether your dog is licking, rubbing, biting or chewing the area as well as scratching, since that can keep the skin open.

7. Look at your dog’s overall behaviour. If they seem unsettled, sore, restless or less themselves, the itch may be more than a simple minor irritation.

Common Causes

The most common reasons are skin irritation and itching from allergies, parasites, or a reaction to something in the environment or routine. Once the skin starts to itch, your dog may keep scratching the same place open.

Another common cause is a skin infection that has developed after the skin was already damaged. This can make the area more uncomfortable, which leads to more scratching and a longer healing time.

Less commonly, ongoing licking or scratching can be linked to deeper skin problems, trapped foreign material, pressure points, or a pattern of recurrent skin flare-ups that needs veterinary guidance to understand properly.

What To Do

Try to reduce further damage straight away. If you can, stop your dog from scratching or licking the area by using a collar or other vet-approved barrier method, and keep nails trimmed so they do less damage if they do scratch.

Keep the area as clean and dry as you safely can. Avoid using strong antiseptics, human creams or anything fragranced unless your vet has said it’s suitable, as these can sometimes make the skin more irritated.

Look at the likely trigger and remove obvious irritants where possible. That might mean washing bedding, changing grooming products, checking parasite control is up to date, or avoiding a collar or harness that seems to rub.

Keep a simple note of where the sores are, how often your dog scratches, and whether anything seems to make it worse. That can be very helpful if you do need to speak to a vet.

When To Contact A Vet

Contact your vet if the sores are getting worse, seem painful, are spreading, have discharge or a strong smell, or if your dog is scratching so much that the skin keeps reopening. You should also ask for advice if this keeps happening, because recurring skin problems often need a proper check to find the underlying cause.

Get urgent advice if your dog seems unwell, is very uncomfortable, or the skin becomes suddenly swollen or badly inflamed.

Products That May Help

For dogs with sensitive skin, coat care or hygiene concerns, the right routine products may help support gentle cleaning and day-to-day skin care as part of your overall management plan.

Pet Care

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