The Itchy Dog Episode: Signs Your Dog May Have Skin Problems

Your dog’s skin is talking and the clues are louder than you think. If you’re seeing nonstop scratching, constant paw licking, head shaking, hair loss, or that weird musty “Frito” smell, it’s time to stop guessing and start reading the signals.

We sit down with professional groomers Shannon and Tanya from Hound Therapy to map out the most common dog skin problem signs they see every day in the grooming shop. We talk about what “normal” itching looks like versus repetitive behaviors that point to something bigger, plus what ear funk, dandruff, oily coat, brown saliva staining on paws, and sudden hot spots can really mean. You’ll hear why odor is such a strong early warning sign, how seasonal allergies can show up in dogs the same time they hit humans, and why many skin flare-ups trace back to underlying issues like allergies, fleas, yeast, bacteria, coat maintenance, or diet changes.

We also explain how the best outcomes come from teamwork between pet owner, groomer, and veterinarian. Groomers can spot changes early because they see your dog up close on a regular schedule, then help you document what’s different and support your vet’s treatment plan, including medicated shampoos and targeted care. If your dog “suffers in silence,” this conversation gives you practical ways to notice problems sooner and act faster.

Subscribe for more trusted pet grooming tips, share this with a fellow dog owner, and leave a review if it helps. What’s the #1 skin or ear symptom you’ve been brushing off as “normal”?

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:03

Welcome to Tale Talk Grooming Chronicles with House Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare, academy, and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of House Therapy, serving pet owners across North Texas. We're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories, and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto, humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't fight. Let's get started.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

If your dog is scratching nonstop, licking their paws, or losing hair, this episode will help you understand what those signs really mean. Welcome back, everyone. I'm Sophia Yvette, co-host, here again with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Hi, ladies. It is wonderful to be back on with you both today. Now let's dive into the topic. What are the signs your dog may be dealing with skin problems? Take it away.

Odor Yeast Allergies And Other Causes

Dogs Suffer Quietly So Watch Closely

Groomer Owner Vet Teamwork

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Ah, that's a great question. So I'm gonna start with constant scratching and itching and licking is not normal. Some scratching, I mean, if your dog, if it's itchy, it's just like a yeah, I mean normal. But if it's constant, uh it it that's not normal. The key line, if it's repetitive, I guess would be a good thing to say. If it's repetitive, it's a problem. Um let's say with ears, a lot of times dogs are gonna be scratching at their ears. They're gonna be licking and chewing their paws. Uh you'll see some red and plain skin. Um, odor that smells kind of like a Frito-y smell or um a musty, just it's I I can sometimes and I can tell when my dog is having some allergy or yeasty issues, my house will smell like dog. And I know that's because you know, she's got something going on with her skin. And it's just something that I can smell. I do this all the time. Um, not everybody can smell it. I have a very sensitive nose that said there is a distinct odor. If something smells a little different, um, it's usually a warning sign. Um, flakes, dandruff, extra oily skin, um, hair loss. If you see spots that are just kind of, you know, normally thick, uh, sudden hot spots. If you don't know what a hot spot is, it's an angry, wet, sore. And they can pop up like that. Yeah. Overnight. Um, and then ear issues, shaking the head. These are all things that are going to be some signs or some key phrases that you can, or I shouldn't say phrases, key, key things that you can look at and and physically notice that your dog is doing that they might have a skin issue. Um, the smell is a big telltale. Uh, you know, keep it simple. There's a lot of things that can start this. It could be allergies, it could be fleas, um, it could be yeast, it could be poor coat maintenance, um, it could be that your dog's got, you know, the diet has changed. Um, you might need to add or subtract something from their diet. Uh, skin problems are usually a symptom. They are not the problem. So if you're noticing that your dog has got some skin problems, if you're noticing any of these things, um, you're gonna want to find what the problem is. Uh, white dogs, I you'll see white dogs are the easiest. Light colored dogs. It'll show up on blonde dogs, too. Yeah, blonde, light colored. Um, the saliva in their mouth, if they're doing a constant looking and chewing and they're doing it while you're at work, or you can't see that, they'll that will turn brown. Um, and it's it's it's just a chemical reaction between the saliva um and the dog's chemical makeup. Uh that the tear stains, you'll see that their eyes will have a big brown tear stain, usually in the lighter colored dogs. Darker colored dogs do get this, you just can't see it. It's just not like a different color. Yeah, it's hard to tell. So if you have a lighter colored dog, it's easier to see. Um, that odor that I mentioned, um, another really big, big key for that is um usually it's it's a yeast problem or some kind of um bacterial, some sort of like yeah, it has an odor. Usually if it has an odor, just go to the bed. If you hear constant licking or you can see that your dog at night is keeping you awake, if they're scratching, there's a reason. Let's identify the problem. Um, because it's not it's not a big thing. My dog used to itch on my bed at night. She wouldn't sleep, she would just itch on my bed all night. It was annoying. And and my dog has seasonal allergies. So I know when that's happening. Um, you know, we're fortunate that we have a lot of dogs, you know, can gauge that by. If you're having a problem, your dog has got seasonal allergies, you, you know, you you may have the same as your dog. Dogs are very similar to our uh, you know, uh to our immune system. So if it's bothering our ears and nose and and itchy, uh it chances are it's it's gonna be, you know. So it could be them as well. Yeah, it it could also bother them at the same time as it's bothering you. Um so if you don't really just notice those signs in your dog, but you're noticing them in you, um, pay special attention to your dog's behaviors. Um, not eating, you know, same thing, drainage, um, ears draining, um, a smell. I keep going back to smell. Um, look inside those ears, be visual. Dogs suffer in silence. And I I don't like to say that, like, you know, you're you're making your dog suffer. Um, but they're not going to tell you that they're in pain or that they're itching constantly. They are still gonna greet you at the door with a the happy and loving, and they're gonna still put their best foot forward, but they're gonna show you. They're gonna show you by scooting on their butt that's not normal. They're gonna show you by rubbing their little face on the carpet because it itches. They're gonna show you by, hey, look, I've got brown spots or you know, I'm losing hair. It's going to be a physical or something that you can visually see or smell. Um, that's kind of nature's way of helping you help them. So let's do our all-over due diligence. Here at our grooming shop, if you're coming in on a regular grooming here at Howm Therapy, we look at the skin. That's the number one thing that we do with our bath is we're we're using our blow dryers, our combs, our brushes. We're separating that hair and we're really trying to say, hey, is this a flea? Is this a mole? Are they oily than normal? Uh we are we've got 16 cotton bowls that's cleaning out this ear. We've noticed a funk. We see that the paw pads are red and inflamed, and we do point those out to everybody that comes in here. So that's part of our job. Um, we feel that, you know, we're not vets by any means. Um, but we see that. But I can tell you when the problem is starting. Yeah, we see it on the set of professionals that put in. We see it on a regular, constant basis. So we usually can tell what's normal for our normal dogs, but we can also tell what's abnormal for dogs that don't come in very often. Um, and that may not, that maybe that's normal for your dog, or you may already know about it or have a vet plan. Um, but we do like to point it out still, um, just so that you're aware.

SPEAKER_00 7:28

Now, how can groomers and owners work together to monitor ongoing skin concerns?

SPEAKER_02 7:37

So, first of all, we like as a grimmer, we we like to monitor by saying, hey, look, watch for these signs. You know, I'll show you the cotton ball. I will flip up that dog's big old flappy, smelly ear and say, take a big whiff, because it's very distinctive. Um, we're gonna physically show you where it's oily. Um, we're gonna ask you some specific questions. We're gonna tell you what we think that we can do here, but we're first gonna try to get you to get a vet plan um and what your vet recommends. We're gonna try if if he gives you a shampoo, we'll use it. And we're gonna read it. It's really a trio of people. It's groomer, vet, and uh. Yeah. Again, we're we're not veterinarians. So um, what we're doing is we're trying to help you to say, hey, look, we've noticed this. We see that your dog is trying to tell us this because we speak dog on a daily basis all over. You may not. You may be like, oh, she always does that. She's always scooting on her butt. I just thought that was normal. Oh, she always licks her feet, you know, at this time of year. Well, you know, we're here to say, well, yeah, that that's just normal. It might be normal for you, but there's a reason that she's doing that. So let's try to find the reason. So we're gonna point it out, uh, and then it's on you, right? Uh, the vet the vet and and the pet owner to actually take action. We can do what we can do here by you know removing the excess hair, giving it a good bath, exposing the areas that we see. If we see that there's a hot spot that's been caused, a big, angry, wet, sore, you can see them. Um, that can be done from improper bathing. It could be from allergies, it could be from licking, it could be from an ant bite. Many, many things can cause one certain problem. So we like to figure out what what it is that's caused it for your dog. Um, so communication, uh, you know, we we talk about that a lot, communicating things that are different, really being visually aware and really being aware on uh, you know, when you walk in, if your house is smelly and it's not normally smelly, it's not just because you haven't washed your pet bed on a regular basis. Um, it could be that. And that might be something I ask. A lot of people don't realize you can wash your pet bed, so you can. Please do. Please wash that pet. Um if you've got leas or there's catching, if you've been somewhere that they haven't, you know, been on a on a regular basis, if you've got um, you know, certain foods that you're introducing, if you've changed their diet, uh there's a lot of, if we notice your dogs lost weight or gained weight, um, these are all things that are um they're due to something. So it's it's it's kind of um, we're not the vet, but we do see your animal on the most regular basis, other than yourselves. Um, most people go to the vet, you know, once a year. Uh, we see them every two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, six weeks. We see them very regularly. We make very detailed notes here. Um, so we we know what is normal looking for your animal after its third or fourth visit. Um and and we know even if you've only come once a year, oh, it's you know, we see it's you know, allergy season time again. We know that you're shaving your dog down, you know, it's due for this, it's due for that. So, you know, we we try to keep good note-taking and and refer back uh and good communication. Have you been doing this at home? Um, you know, has anything changed? Uh is, you know, the ear have you tried cleaning it out? What solutions do you use? You know, what steps have you taken that could have made it worse or better? So we try to have a good communication uh with you as well. But we we will try to do everything that we can um while your dog is here to maintain an open line of communication with them and with us uh and what we see and smell for you to be able to continue that help because it's a one-time groom here isn't going to fix your problems. And a lot of times a one-time vet visit isn't going to fix your problems. Uh, so knowing what to look for and what seasons to look for then can be very helpful.

Home Habits Notes And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 11:49

Well, Shannon and Tanya, thank you so much for sharing your expertise on this important topic. We will see everyone next time.

SPEAKER_01 12:01

That's a wrap for this episode of Tale Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009. To schedule an appointment or visit us online at www.houndtherapy.com, serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails wagged.