Expert: Kim Wingate - 6/29/2009

Question
I have a poodle cross rescue dog.He is five and very active. He is a very fussy eater and only really likes chicken - would rather starve than eat anything else. He has developed itchy skin on his tummy, red and raw in parts which he licks endlessly. I now notice he has nibbled his lower back above the tail and has patches of scabs. His fur is pinkish where he licks. I de-flea him regularly, he is very active but nothing I do seems to help this nibbling which is worse in summer. I keep his fur short as he gets extrememly hot. Many thanks for any advice you can give.

Answer
Hello Andrea,
If your dog will only eat chicken, you might try this recipe to see if you can get him to eat a bit more variety.  
Try this recipe (along with dry food if he will eat it) as it will provide Vitamins and Minerals that are good for your dogs skin, coat and body.  

1 lb Hamburger, Lamb, Chicken or Turkey Burger
1 can Sardines in Olive Oil
1 cup Spinach, blended with the Oil of the Sardines
1 egg scrambled
1 1/2 cup Special K or Total Cereal
1 Apple Blended (or you can use 1/2 cup of Applesauce)
1/8 tsp Garlic powder
1 grated carrot
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked using broth (either a meat or Veggie variety) for better flavor
1/2 cup Cottage Cheese (optional)

This recipe is for a large dog, so you can either 1/2 it or mix it up and freeze a portion of it for later.  I would use this and add a handful of dry kibble (at first, soak the kibble for about 15 min so it isn't hard) and see if he will eat it.  You can pick and choose as to what ingredients you think your dog would eat.
This recipe might also help your dogs skin condition as the fish meat contains fatty oils that are good for skin and coat.  

Your dog may have allergies that are causing his itching and biting at his tail base.  You can try giving him a benedryl tablet (if he is under 35 lbs give him a 1/2 tablet) in the evening for 2 weeks to see if this will help with the sores.  Dogs can have allergic reactions to the same stuff that we can be allergic to, only they will react differently than we do.  They might sneeze some, but they mainly get the skin rashes that you are talking about.       

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

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim