bald itchy spot on my poodles back

Question
Today I noticed my dog biting at his back close to his tail.  Upon closer inspection he has (pulled out I guess)a patch of hair about the size of a silver dollar missing.  I have bathed him and the water/shampoo did not seem to bother him.  He keeps messing with it like it itches.  There are no scabs and he is not breaking the skin open although it is very red.  No evidence of fleas either.  Do you have any idea what this could be?
Thanks!!

Answer
Hello Lisa,
Most likely his scabby place is called a Hot Spot.  Hot Spots can be caused by a number of things from Flea Bites to Allergy irritation.  If he is allergic to anything, it can show up there at the base of the tail, causing itching and biting.  The spot turns red from the biting, then the biting causes more itching which causes more biting.  It can turn into a vicious cycle of itching and biting.  
You can apply Benedryl cream on it to help with the itching, just watch that your dog doesn't lick it off.  

You can also give your dog a Benedryl tablet in the evening to help if he does have allergies.  Try it for a week and see if the spot clears up.  If so, something in your dogs enviroment was causing an allergic reaction.  

Give it a try and if you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim