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Why does my dog have bumps and scabs on his skin after playing?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 4 months old | 64 lbs

I have a pit, his name is zeus and he’s about 3 years of age. I was playing with him out side of our house and when we went back inside I went to pet him and found out he has all these bumps on him. I took a closer inspection of him and I figured out he has scabs every with no signs of balding or hair loss on or near them. I was hoping to find a reason for this and a solution.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Maria DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 29th, 2018

With the description you provided it sounds like Zeus may have a skin infection. A skin infection can be caused by a few different things. Zeus may have allergies. I would recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to have them evaluate Zeus. He most likely will need antibiotics and potentially a shampoo. If your veterinarian suspects allergies they can discuss different medication options for him.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Anna M., DVM
Veterinarian
Published on July 9th, 2017
In order to get Zeus's fur to grow back, you'll need to determine why he is getting the sores in the first place, and make sure to be treating the primary problem. His scratching and skin sores could be a number of things, including superficial pyoderma, demodicosis, sarcoptes, yeast dermatitis, allergies, and ringworm. Your description of pus draining from a sore indicates some sort of infection (whether bacterial, yeast, or parasitic) so I strongly recommend bringing Zeus to the vet. Your vet will be able to determine the cause, and Zeus will likely need prescription medication (antibiotics, antifungals, or anti-parasite, along with possible medicated shampoo) to clear the issue. This is unlikely to improve with anything over the counter, so it is worth having him seen as soon as possible. Additionally, depending on his age, he may have some underlying condition that might be making his skin susceptible to infection, such as allergies or hypothyroidism. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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Why is my dog's head itchy with bumps, scabs, and hair falling out?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Zeus is having skin issues. It does appear from the pictures that he has open sores on the top of his head. There are a variety of causes for this, such as trauma, infection (bacterial or fungal), an immune disease or a type of skin cancer. I would recommend Zeus be evaluated by his regular veterinarian to determine the underlying cause for his skin lesions, and start any treatment (antibiotics, anti-itch medication, anti-inflammatory) that he may need to resolve it. Good luck!

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Why is my dog biting his hair out and has red bumps under chin?

Zeus could have allergies and a skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo, like Epi-soothe and see if that helps. Also, inspect him for fleas and use a monthly flea prevention, like Frontline. If his condition continues then he needs to be seen by a vet for treatment. You could try to find a low clinic in your area. He may need an antibiotic anti-histamine, corticosteroid, and/or other medications to treat. Hope he feels better soon!

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My dog has bumps under his nose skin. Is it an allergy or fleas?

This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Zeus regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or Apoquel in order to stop the allergy.

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My dog has small red bumps, scabs, or pimples on skin. What is it?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can definitely see the small red bumps your are referring to, and agree that they appear scabbed over. This can be caused by a localized skin infection, an infestation with mites or fleas, or even an allergic reaction. It is likely that these conditions may be causing Hump to be itchy, and she may be having these scabs from scratching. A vet can perform some tests including blood work, and taking some samples from Hump's skin to figure out what is going on and prescribe an appropriate treatment plan. I hope this helps!

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Why does my puppy have itchy skin bumps and scabs after going outside?

Hi. Poor little Titan. Based on these photos, it appeare he has a skin infection. Pretty moderate. These can be caused by bacteria, yeast, allergies, or parasites. With him being younger, a basic skin infection or parasites/mites are probably the most probable here. Unfortunately there isnt a treatment you can do at home. Especially without a diagnosis. He will beed to be seen to get the correct treatment.

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From the pictures, it could be that Zeus has a rash from a contact allergy, or this could be hives. Try giving him an oatmeal bath tonight to see if that helps with it. If it does not help with this skin problem or it gets worse, I would have him seen by a vet as soon as possible. The vet can diagnose what is causing it, and can prescribe the appropriate treatment for it. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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Why does my dog have bumps on his back after playing outside?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The lesions that you are seeing on JR's back could indeed be a reaction to a shampoo. However, it also looks to me that it could be a result of a bacterial infection, mite infection or even a flea allergy. The best thing to do would be to take JR to a veterinarian so that they can do a skin scrape and cytology to see what it going on. That way JR can be prescribed antibiotics or other medication if necessary.

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