Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 4/11/2011

Question
We just adopted a 1yr old yorkipoo female. We do not have much history on her background and what type of environment she had been in previously. We recently got her groomed because she had never been groomed before. She has been itching her neck a lot and biting on her leg and biting the skin then licking it. The groomer did not see any fleas or ticks. Could this be a nervous reaction or a skin problem?

Answer
There are any number of reasons for itching.  I would ask your vet to dip the dog in a solution of amitraz to make sure that there are no topical parasites, like sarcoptic mange mites causing the problem.  If that does not help, then the dog may need some short term steroids to help relieve the itching.