My dog has black, crusty bumps on her paws, ears, and face. What is it?

This does not sound like a normal thing to happen in dogs, and I recommend that Binky see a vet for her skin issue. Your vet may do a skin scrape to look for mites, skin cytology to look for bacteria or yeast under a microscope, or bacterial or fungal cultures may be needed. Possible causes for bumps include fleas, mange, lice, infections (bacterial or yeast), ringworm, allergies, among others. I would recommend that Binky be on year-round flea prevention. While you await for your appointment, you can try a medicated shampoo like Dechra MalAcetic Ultra Shampoo, but be careful not to get it into her eyes. Also, think of any changes that have happened in the last few weeks, like changes in food, treats, medications, supplements, or household cleaners that could have had an effect on her skin.

It could be a pyoderma (skin infection). See your veterinarian for an exam. He or she may diagnose bacterial or fungal skin infection and can prescribe the appropriate medication afterwards. Treatment may be topical, systemic or a combination. Consider adding an essential fatty acid supplement, such as DermCaps or EicosaCaps, to her diet to promote healthy skin and coat. Place an e-collar (cone) on your dog if she is licking or chewing excessively.

With his age I would be concerned about puppy pyoderma (bacterial skin infection common in young dogs) but a type of mange and secondary bacterial infection is also possible. If this is mange then his skin won't clear without treating both diseases. There is also a possibility of ringworm. Your veterinarian could do an exam and go over in detail the tests for those diseases and treatment options. Alternatively some try an OTC pet medicated shampoo but if the skin doesn't clear up then a visit to the veterinarian is needed.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Penny. Skin disease is frustrating as many conditions can look the same. I would have a fungal culture performed to check for ringworm and skin scrapes to check for mites. If it isn't either of these, I would put her on antibiotics to treat for a dermatitis. I would also look down her ears canals to ensure she has not been scratching secondary to an ear infection. I hope this information helps and is a good starting point for you.

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!

On the leg she has a hot spot, this is usually caused by skin allergies and aggravated by licking. i can't really see anything abnormal on the ear but it could be related to the same problem. your vet can provide treatment for this condition.

If they look like little pimples with white pus in them, this is usually a sign of a bacterial skin infection called pyoderma - this can occur on its own, or as a result of an underlying problem such as allergies or skin mites (mange). If they don't seem to be bothering her, you can try soaking the affected paws in warm water with epsom salts for 5 minutes twice a day - often, this will help to resolve a mild infection in this area. If this doesn't help, or if the bumps seem to be spreading or if they become itchy or painful, then I would recommend having G examined by a vet - he/she can prescribe antibiotics to treat the skin infection, and can also do some simple tests to try and determine if there is any underlying problem causing it.