my dog chews his back

Question
hi, over the past few months my yorkie has been chewing his back and legs vigorously. i can see this is beginning to effect him and my household. he has had fleas in the past and often gets them back so this mayb a slight cause but he has satrted to giv off a horrible stench which we dont know what it is.

often i have to remove hai from his teeth from where he has been biting himself and its wrapped around them.

His skin is red from scratching and looks very irritated.

please help!!! i really dont know what to do.

Thank You

Answer
Hi Kirstie,

It sounds as though your yorkie may be suffering from a skin infection or an allergy. I would first have him checked out by your vet to rule out any infection. If he checks out clear there try changing his food. You'll want something that doesn't contain similar ingredients to what you are feeding now. For example if the first ingredient in the food you were feeding was beef, change to a food that has chicken. It will take 6-8 weeks on a new food to see if its having an effect.

If you'd like me to take a closer look at what you're feeding you can post the ingredients list for me.

~Jess