My dog's belly rash keeps coming back. Is it an allergy or contagious?

It might be a very mild allergic reaction, at this point i do not think it requires treatment. if it gets worse or if she is very itchy then you will have to take her to the vet in order to get some allergy meds.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello, sorry to hear about Chico. It looks like he is having multiple areas of skin inflammation (dermatitis). This could be causes by a various things to include bacteria, yeast, or most commonly allergies. In that location, environmental allergies are the most common cause. These may include grasses, trees, pollen, carpet, dust mites, dander, etc. Signs associated with this could include licking, scratching, rubbing belly on the floor, and developing other areas of dermatitis. If he is otherwise comfortable with a good appetite and no itchiness, then you can bathe him with a skin sensitive shampoo to wash off any excessive allergens. You may wipe him with skin sensitive baby wipes as well to decrease any allergen exposure. If he does develop any itchiness, then he may need allergy medications which can be provided by your veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

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!

Hi, it looks like Buddy has inflammation of the skin, possibly secondary to an allergy . He might also have a secondary bacterial infection. It would be best to have him checked over so that he can have some medications to help his skin settle. Hope this helps and that Buddy gets better soon !

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 his 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!

Hi there! It would help to know what kind of treatment Snoopy has had in the past that was successful, as well as a better description (or a photo) of the rash. Many animals have skin allergies or other chronic conditions that may need to be treated repeatedly over time, or in some cases may require daily long-term medication to prevent recurrences.