I recently adopted a dog from a friend and everything about him is great except he will suddenly start biting or licking at himself, his bottom or his privates or just his back or legs. I have used a flea comb and no trace of a flea. He is sweet natured and loving and excellent with my kids but this is driving me nuts. Any thoughts? Btw no sign of allergies, no hair missing or sore places.
anneh

I don't really know how to help with that problem. Dog's get itchy too. LOL When my dogs start biting or scratching for more than just a monute or so, I yell "NO" & then stop. But I've been doing that since they were a pup, so they know the routine. Maybe try directing his biting to a toy or something. See if that helps.

hi anneh,
is he seemingly itchy anywhere else? does he drag his bum on the floor?
Just by what you are saying i could give you 3 possibilities for it.
The first is impacted anal sacs, this usually causes the bum dragging thing as well as licking and chewing his backside. You should go to a vet to get this sorted, they will empty them for you and even show you how to do it at home too, never try it without a professional showing you though, as anal sacs are easily infected and easily ruptured and may cost you more money and your dog more pain in the long run!

The second may be down to allergies, your vet should test for this, the top allergy to cause the bottom licking and chewing is fleas, i am glad that you have checked. I would suggest treating for fleas anyway and see how things go, also has the feed been changed since you have adopted him? Food allergies could also be a cause.

The other cause could be tapeworm, you can check for this by looking in the stools and around the rectum for what looks like grains of rice.

That sounds either like some type of worm or it could be some type of a rash that is affecting him. You might want to check with the vet. He could also just be cleaning himself.