Could natural flea treatments cause pet itching and hair loss?

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It can take anything between 2 weeks and a month time, depending on the severity of the hair loss and the amount of skin inflammation. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

When you have a heavy flea infestation, you also have to disinfect the environment as well. Wash theirs bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. Dogs who have heavy flea infestations can also develop flea allergies, which would lead them to continue to be itchy and may affect the fur growing back. I would take them both back into the vet, and the vet can discuss if they do have flea allergies and how to treat them. Tonight, give them baths in Epsom salts or oatmeal, as it may help temporarily with the itching. Tomorrow, I'd take them into the vet. Good luck, I hope this helps!

This is a common area for a dog to itch when they have flea allergies. Unfortunately, flea baths only remove fleas on the skin at the time of the bath. They do not prevent other fleas from jumping on later. Twitchy would need a good flea preventative and may need a prescription anti-inflammatory to help with the itching. Other causes of itching in this area include fungal infection, deep pyoderma (bacterial infection), and mites. A vet will do a thorough examination and may collect a sample to be examined under a microscope. Hair loss on the feet could be caused by excessive licking or may be related to the cause of the itching around the butt.

It is hard to say what is causing Bacardi's problems. The third picture you included looks like pus, which would indicate infection and would need antibiotics to treat. Some dogs can be allergic to fleas, and it may only take 1 bite to make them itchy all over. If you are seeing scabs from where you applied a flea medication or flea collar, it may be irritating the skin so I would recommend removing it and bathing with dog shampoo thoroughly. Causes of itching in dogs include fleas or flea allergies, mites, or skin infection. The hair in the second picture looks like normal shedding to me, but if you feel it is weird for Bacardi, it could be caused by inflammation or from the extra itching she is doing right now. You can try a shampoo like Dechra MalAcetic Ultra Shampoo, but if it doesn't respond in a day or two, Bacardi should be seen by a vet as she may need oral medications to control the itching.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Rose with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should try a different spot-on product. Local skin irritation and hair loss is the most common side effect of the spot-on medications but if you use a different one, it will hopefully not upset the skin. The other is a collar, for example Seresto.