Cocker Spaniel Itching Under Tail

[sbrivera]

My 3 year old cocker spaniel, Kaela, has a dark colored, dry patchy area of skin about the size of a dime right under her tail above her anal opening. It bothers her a lot, and she is always biting or licking it, but she does not have fleas. She will also drag her butt on carpet. Should I take her to the vet? Or is there an over the counter topical solution that could help? Any ideas on what this could be?

[gish family]

If I were you, I would take her to see a Vet to be on the safe side...My female Lab-mix had the same problem which turned out to be a small case of eczema which flared up mostly in dry months. Our Vet offered a topical cream during the worst case. Otherwise, a small amount of Petroleum Jelly did help soothe the area at times. It could also be directly related to the anal glands. I have heard that some dogs occasionally need their anal glands expressed which should of course, be determined by your Vet. Even though the problem might be something simple, I imagine that Kaela is pretty uncomfortable, as my dog was at times.

Hope this helps....and, GOOD LUCK!

[sbrivera]

Thanks for your advice! I took her to the vet, and it was her anal glands that needed to be relieved. Poor thing, she was biting at her behind but couldn't relieve her pain. Since she was biting at it so much she got a skin infection. The vet gave her some antibiotics, and she already seems more comfortable.

Thanks again!
Stacy & Kaela