Dog with Serious SKin condition!

Help..........

I have an Australian Cattle Dog that has had a serious skin condition forever. Here was the problem, she would bite and chew on her backside until there was no hair left and till she began to bleed. We took her to the vet the vet told us that she was allerigic to fleas and her food we have since changed her food and gotten her on flea control meds. That was diagnosised about 3 years ago. Well all of the sudden she is doing it again. We have checked her for fleas but she has none and we have not changed her diet. I am not sure if she is just acting out because we recently had a new baby? But that was also almost a year ago. Can someone please help with some advice. My husband wants to go buy her a cone for her neck so that she will no longer bite and chew on herself. Any advice would be great!

I don't have one of these dogs but a few people here do. I beleive from reading other posts here (do a search with the link above for skin allergies or austrailian cattle dog) that these dogs are extrememly prone to skin irritation and allergies.

What is the food he is on (brand)?

Some people suggest adding fish oil (the stuff you buy in health stores) and adding it to the food each day.

Also, with the dry air in the winter, itchyness gets worse. (I never used to get dry skin in the winter, but in the last few years, my skin gets so dry that no lotion helps, and i actually sometimes get bruises from the constant scratching).

All it takes is for one flea to jump on, bite, and jump off 20 seconds later. If your dog is extremely allergic, that's all it takes, and this can actually happen while on flea control meds.
If it's really bad, I'd take her to the vet; a cortisone shot, or at least rx stregnth cortisone cream, will help. That's if she is really biting herself crazy, poor dog!
You can also give Benadryl safely to itchy dogs...if you get her a cone, please do this for her at the same time! That way she won't be so miserable, not being able to do anything to ease the itching.

I agree with Carina on this and it can't hurt to add fish oil to the food it is good for skin and coat I also use omega 3 & 6's

My mother in law has a mixed breed dog with the same problem. Peaches scratches and bites so bad that she too has no hair on her back side and some times bleeds. They have taken her to the vet many times, and were also told she is alergic to fleas. They give her the cortizone shots and also some type of medication that has seemed to help her and the hair is actually trying to grow back after doing this for nearly 7 years. I will call her and find out the name of the medicine. Peaches seems to like it, and she's NOT one for liking medicines. I'll let you know as soon as I talk to her.

I talked to my mother in law, she said the first time they had that problem when they took Peaches to the vet and were told she was alergic to fleas, the vet gave her the cortizone shot and also cortizone pills for them to give her at home. She said they started out giving them to her pills a day, then after a little while 1 1/2, then 1, and finally 1/2 until she was better. Now they only give them to her on an as needed basis. Like I said though, her hair has grown back and she looks so much better now. She use to bite so bad she had these really nasty looking scabs on her and open wounds. Its really sad! She is a rot/collie mix, now a days you can't tell she ever had a problem!