What causes my dog's dry, itchy, scabby eye and what should I do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to a mild traumatic injury. If she has been scratching more than usual and scratching at that area, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Otherwise, it would be fair to wait a bit to see if it resolves on its own. In that case, if no improvement is noted within 4-5 days, have her evaluated by a veterinarian then. Best of luck!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend Diamond get a skin scraping and fungal culture from her veterinarian to rule out demodex mites as a cause and a fungal infection such as ringworm. Both can be treated with medications when diagnosed. Of course, it could be due to another cause such as allergies, but I would start with a skin scrape and culture first. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the pictures I can see that the skin has darkened in the area around the mouth. It is common to have some hair loss at the elbow since this is a pressure point and bigger dogs lay down on this part of the leg quite a bit. Many times I will see callus formation near the elbow as well. As for the mouth and the crusted discharge you saw, it could be a bacterial skin infection or fungal as well. I typically recommend using malacetic conditioning spray and apply this 2-3 times per day until resolved. If there is no improvement then I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this for further testing and treatment recommendations.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. It sounds like this possible infection may be significant though it is hard to tell without an examination. 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 and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. From the pictures that you provided my primary suspicions would be a skin infection. There are some things that you can do at home if you are unable to get to a vet right away. I would suggest starting with a shampoo that is medicated such as Duoxo chlorhexidine PS combination and bathe him twice weekly until the infection is resolved. I would also suggest starting welactin omega-3 fish oil and essential 6 Spot On by dermoscent. If there is no improvement then I would see your vet for further testing and treatments. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text base 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.

Ouch, poor Lexie! These scabbed lesions around her eyelids could be due to allergies, skin infections, or infected Meibomian glands (glands that produce part of the tear film in the eyelids). Lexie will need to be examined by her vet. Until you can take her to the vet, assure that she is wearing an e-collar (cone) to prevent her from scratching or rubbing her face at all. If you do not have an e-collar, this link has tips for making one at home: http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html. I hope that she is feeling better soon!