My dog has blisters and hair loss on her head and ears. Is it serious?

Hello and thank you for your post! From the pictures that you have attached, it could be due to a hypersensitivity to food. However, most cases that I see that are secondary to a food allergy do not look like this. The spot that you have taken a picture of looks like it could be caused by several possibilities. The first being a bacterial or fungal skin infection. Skin mites are another possibility that could be causing what you are seeing. Another possibility would be an irritant such as a chemical causing the hair loss and blistering that you are seeing. Bandit may need to go on a course of oral antibiotics or an antifungal along with topical therapy with medicated shampoo. A couple other tests that could be run could be what is called a DTM culture to check for ringworm and a culture and sensitivity of the skin to check for bacterial organisms. If you are unable to get to your vet again right away, I would suggest starting with a medicated shampoo such as Duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe him twice weekly until resolved. However, I would suggest taking him back into your vet to have additional testing done and other treatment options. If this continues to worsen and your regular veterinarian is unable to get this problem resolved, I would suggest scheduling an appointment with a Veterinary dermatologist. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via text or phone consultation if needed

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! From the picture you have attached, I would suspect a bacterial skin infection, chronic wound, burn or contact dermatitis from something irritating. I would have this examined by a veterinarian in order to determine what this could be by testing this further. Pete will likely require oral antibiotics and topical treatment for appropriate therapy. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text based consultation if needed.

This looks like an area that was scraped and now has a secondary bacterial infection. Please clean the area with a warm wet cloth and once rinsed and dried apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. By washing it you should remove the dried up crusty skin. It may look more irritated but having it clean and open to the air it should heal more quickly. The rest of the skin looks fine. It may take several weeks or more to have the fur fill in. If you see more areas like this then an exam and skin scraping to determine the cause is in order. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Stella.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging by your description, it sounds as though Shiloh may have a skin infection or seborrheic dermatitis possibly. Without pictures and not being able to examine the area myself, it is difficult to say for sure. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Shiloh so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Shiloh may need an oral antibiotic and topical therapy for treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! From your pictures, it looks as if Pablo had a pustule that you drained, is this correct? If so, this could be the start of a superficial bacterial skin infection. In which case, I would get him into your veterinarian to be seen so that he can receive the appropriate treatments. If you are unable to be seen right away, you can start some therapies until you see your veterinarian. I recommend Duoxo Chlorhexidine PS shampoo to help treat skin infections and also start omega 3 fish oil such as Canine Welactin. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions / concerns.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a severe focal infection. I recommend you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as this will likely require local therapy with cleaning of the site, pain control medications and antibiotics. Also, your veterinarian could check for a possible underlying cause like allergies, mites or a foreign body reaction. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture you have provided, it appears that this could be bacterial or a skin parasite causing the lesion. The skin may need to be cultured and if a skin scraping has not been performed, I would certainly recommend having this done to make sure this is not due to a skin mite such as demodex. If this is not due to a mite and is still there, I would recommend a culture / biopsy of the area for a more definitive diagnosis. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.