My Shih Tzu has body sores. Is it autoimmune or allergies? What helps?

If it all possible I would recommend taking Molly to a veterinary dermatologist. If she does have allergies or atopy it's going to take an accurate diagnosis in order to treat her correctly. Symptomatic treatment is only going to work for short periods of time, as you've seen. Unfortunately shitzus are a breed that is often affected with skin disease. While the initial investment with a dermatologist may be expensive, in the long run I usually tell my clients that it will be less expensive than treating infection after infection or trying over-the-counter remedies. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pruritus-itching-and-scratching-in-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/allergy-general-in-dogs Best of luck, I hope Molly gets some relief soon. Thank you for using PetCoach

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From your pictures it looks like Mollie has either a bacterial or yeast skin infection. The cytopoint works great for scratching but will not work in the face of an infection. I do agree that Mollie and any animal with allergies should be on a monthly flea preventative. I like Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica, Seresto collar or Advantix II. As a repellent I would choose the Seresto collar or Advantix II as they flea should die before biting Mollie. I would also add in an Omega 3 fish oil and an antihistamine like Zyrtec or Claritin to your treatment plan. I like that you are using the cytopoint and Royal Canin HP. Good luck!

I would also suspect an autoimmune disease like systemic lupus erythematosis with what you are describing. These are terrible diseases that are often difficult to treat. It appears that Roxy's current treatment is not very effective, so I would recommend scheduling a recheck exam with your vet. There are stronger medications that can be given. I would also want to ensure the disease is accurately diagnosed. This usually requires that a skin biopsy be done and sent to the laboratory for analysis. If this has not been done, then I would ask your vet about it. It's not unheard of for a case to be treated for autoimmune disease when the actual diagnosis was something different (i.e. skin cancer, mite infestation), so it's important to have a biopsy and histopathology (lab analysis) done. For more information about the suspected condition and autoimmune diseases, I recommend you read the short articles at the links below. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/systemic-lupus-erythematosis-sle-in-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/autoimmune-skin-disease-in-dogs I hope that helps and poor Roxy gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this is associated with itchiness, this may be due to skin allergies. There are medications such as Apoquel and prednisone which may help to decrease the itch. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Hello. Without knowing what was previously used, it is difficult to make any recommendations. If you want to try a different food, it must be a hypoallergenic diet recommended by your veterinarian, not just another brand from the pet store. Medications include Apoquel, Atopica, & judicious use of steroids. Cytopoint is a relatively new injectable anti-allergy treatment that can last 4-8 weeks. High dose of Omega 3 fatty acids is very helpful, as is bathing 2-3 times a week in a Hy-Lyt type shampoo & conditioner. Use of topical ceramides is also great to heal the moisture barrier in the skin. Jot this all down to discuss with your veterinarian, or ask for a referral to a board-certified veterinary dermatologist in your area. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If this is due to skin allergies, all possible allergy types need to be considered. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m sorry to hear Lollipop is having skin issues. If her issue has been so persistent, if she hasn’t had more focused diagnostic testing, I would recommend considering doing a culture to try to isolate any yeast or bacteria that is causing her issue, and possibly a skin biopsy to ensure that it is secondary to an allergy. If it is an allergy, there is a new injection that is used to treat allergies called Cytopoint. I would recommend reaching out to your regular veterinarian to discuss either further testing or treatment that she may need. Good luck!