Pomeranian Skin Issue

Question
I have a nearly 2-year-old male Pomeranian named Shadow. For as long as I've had him, he's had a skin issue. During the winter, I thought his skin was flaking a lot because of the cold weather. The lady from whom I got him from said that it's normal. He was biting himself on his hind legs and around the base of his tail. I thought that maybe fleas was the problem, so I treated him to Frontline. It stopped the scratching, but not the biting. The lady from whom I got him from said that I needed to bring him in weekly for a bath. However, I don't know what kind of shampoo she's using. As of Jan. 15th, 2012, his skin issue has gotten WORSE. His fur became matted, and I had to cut away from of it just see the skin. It is a big redden spot on his skin, and he's constantly biting at it, but also yelping in pain. His muzzle has swell up a bit. I was told it was because of the dog food. He grew up on Diamond, but I sometimes used Pedigree, of which the lady told me I should stick to Diamond. He's still biting. I have placed some Neosporin on it, only because I didn't have no other means of contacting a vet. The clinics are closed on Sundays. What could it possibly be??? I do plan to take him to the vet, but it pains me that my dog is in pain and there's nothing I can do to treat it.

Answer
If he is having an allergic skin reaction, he will need powerful systemic drugs to treat him. Take him to your veterinarian to get him some relief. We often will use a cortisone drug as well as an antibiotic regimen to treat any infection that ma also be present.