My dog has bald spots, oily skin, and flea dirt. Is it fleas?

This sounds like Bruce has a skin infection, or pyoderma. This usually needs antibiotics to resolve. However, in the meantime you can bathe him in an antimicrobial shampoo such as chlorhexidine or salicylic acid. These can be found in the human shampoo aisle in the dandruff area. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are describing could be due to allergies or a skin infection. I would recommend starting a shampoo such as Douxo PS chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly. I would also recommend welactin omega 3 fish oil, essential 6 spot on by dermoscent and malacetic conditioning spray. If this does not imprive the current problem or it worsens, i would have a veterinarian look at this for further trestment recommendations. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to see the skin in your pictures but it looks like a rash or comedones. If the reddish black things on her skin flakes off or are loose, wet them on a white tissue. If they melt away to a red streak that is flea poop. Flea dips and shampoos are NOT preventatives for fleas and the fleas that hatch on the carpet will jump right back on the pet. Fleas do not lay eggs on the pet but on the carpet. Bed bugs do not live on animals. I recommend a flea preventative like oral Nexgard, Simparica, Bravecto or topical Advantix ii or the Seresto collar. If there are no live fleas or flea dirt then she likely has a secondary skin infection or rash from an allergic reaction the the fleas. I would have her seen by your Vet so she can be provided relief. Also it looks like she has a paw infection which could be from environmental or food allergies. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Brutus could be suffering from a skin allergy or other primary skin condition such as seborrheic dermatitis. I would recommend the below following products, which can all be found online quite easily. I would use these for at least 4-6 weeks before considering something else. This could potentially be related to the diet as well. If there is no improvement with the products below, I would recommend a diet trial with one of the foods listed below as well. These foods will require a prescription so you will need to discuss them with your veterinarian. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Calm shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved then every other week for maintenance 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the affected area 2-3 times per day until resolved 3. Krillex shed free chews 4. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 5. Royal Canin Ultamino or Hills Z/D

Hi there, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The dark substance appears from your photos to be sebum (skin oil) mixed with dirt, though it is difficult to say for sure without a hands-on exam. Around these lesions, I can see skin inflammation. It would be best for him to see a veterinarian, but if you're unable to take Justice to a vet, you will need to clip the hair using electric trimmers. Be careful to avoid causing skin abrasions. This will allow a better look at the lesions underneath as well as facilitate topical treatment. A good antiseptic is a spray called Vetericyn, available on Amazon.com and at some pet stores. Here is the Amazon link: Vetericyn Plus All Animal Wound

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like Bruce’s feces has tapeworm proglottids (or sections) in it. These are transmitted by fleas (when dogs eat them) which are likely to be causing Bruce’s itching. I recommend starting him on a monthly flea control product such as FrontLine and a flea shampoo. He should be seen by a vet to confirm the presence of tapeworms and receive appropriate deworming. Your vet can also examine Bruce for any other underlying conditions that may be causing these symptoms. You should bring a stool sample from your puppy to speed up the diagnosis. I hope this helps and that Bruce gets better soon!

Fleas and allergies to fleas can set-up an environment for infection. It's possible that this is complicating the recovery process. The skin will often start to heal once the fleas are gone, but it's worth treating for infection by giving a bath with a medicated dog shampoo (can get this at the pet store). It's best to just give a bath with the medicated shampoo once every 2-3 days, until the skin starts to look normal. It's expected that it will take a month or more until Buddy starts to look normal again, so stick with it and he should get through this fine. Treating for fleas is not just restricted to the host, because fleas can reproduce and nest in the environment and continually cause an issue. Below is a link to a short article that explains treating the dog and environment for fleas: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/ If the skin problems are not getting better, or are getting worse in the next two weeks, then it's best to have Buddy evaluated by a vet, because he may need additional treatment. I hope that helps and buddy gets better soon.