What's causing my chihuahua's scaly skin and hair loss on her leg?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 

There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 

 Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). 

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

 Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!


It is possible she has an overgrowth of bacteria or yeast or both on her skin. She may need special medicated shampoo such as Ketochlor or Malaseb or in some cases oral medication. I would bring her in to the vet to look at the area and they can test to see if bacteria or yeast or present and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Poor Chiko! There are many different things that could cause itching, scabs, and hair loss like this. Some common possibilities would include allergies (food allergies, or an allergy to something in the environment), a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or skin mites (mange). Treatment will depend on what the underlying problem is, so it's important to get a diagnosis first. Because of this, I would recommend taking Chiko to the vet tomorrow for an exam. He/she can do some simple skin tests if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate medication to treat it. In the meantime, you can try bathing him in an aloe and oatmeal dog shampoo if you want to - this will not treat the underying problem causing his symptoms, but may help to soothe his skin and make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Piper. I recommend that she sees a veterinarian. Skin disease can be frustrating as many diseases can appear similar. Common cause of hair loss include mites, ringworm and allergies. An allergy can be to something in her diet, environment or even fleas. The veterinarian will examine her and ask questions about her lifestyle. Skin testing may be recommended. Based on these results, treatment can be started. I hope this information helps!

Hello, sorry to hear about Foxy. There's a couple of things this could be. Because she went through a stressful event, her immune system may have been a little low and she may have picked up something from the dog park, or day care, or may be having an over growth from a normal skin parasite known as demodex. Some of the things that she could have picked up include ringworm, other mites, or even lice. This could also be an allergic reaction to a certain shampoo, clothing detergent or even plants and trees. Finally, it could also be a reaction to whatever medications or anesthesia she may have been on. The first step would be to rule out any mite, bacteria or fungal infection Foxy may have acquired. If negative, considering the other things like allergies and medicine reactions would be fair. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Based on what you are describing, I would recommend starting with some preliminary diagnostics of the affected area just to rule out a couple of things. A skin scraping will be able to mostly eliminate some fairly common dermatologic parasites like mites, though these typically do cause a fair amount of itchiness. The locations you are describing are not typical for a flea infestation so it is not very high on my list of possibilities. Based on the second and third picures, it looks like the hair is coming out very easily and that the skin beneath in the third picture is quote dry / seborrheic. It is possible that Leizel could be experiencing some localized allergic reaction as well. Lastly, a cause of the issues you are seeing can be attributed to certain immune-mediated disease that affect the skin. These are usually only positively diagnosed through biopsies of the affected regions.

Hair loss can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have Pixie seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the hair loss as soon as you can. The vet may want to look at a sample from the areas of hair loss (taken by a procedure known as a skin scraping) and examined under the microscope to determine what kind(s) of infection may be present and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. Good luck!