My dog's flaky skin is worsening. What's wrong and what can I do?

This could be due to a fungal infection, resistant bacterial infection, zinc responsive dermatitis, an autoimmune disease, seborrhetic dermatitis or even allergies. Sometimes a shampoo that is meant for doggy dandruff (seborrhea) is helpful as well as omega 3 fatty acids. Depending on the cause an antifungal may be needed as well as sometimes steroids. Some of these possible causes require a biopsy to diagnose, others a fungal culture and others are based on eliminating every other cause. I recommend discussing these potential causes with your veterinarian in order to get Ari's skin better managed.

Any treatment will depend on the underlying cause. It could be a skin infection or allergic reaction or even an autoimmune condition. An exam with your veterinarian or a veterinary dermatologist would be needed for a definitive diagnosis. You can discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials as well as antihistamine use with your vet. In the meantime, if your dog is scratching, use an e-collar (cone) to prevent further trauma. Consider adding an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement to the diet. EFAs can promote a healthy [skin and coat](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-vitamins/dog-skin-and-coat). Choose a good quality fish oil as a source of EFAs. Systemic or topical antibiotics or antifungals can treat bacterial or yeast infection. Allergies can be frustrating to diagnose since they have many causes. Once diagnosed, most allergies can be managed with a combination of medication and diet.

Poor guy. You did the right thing by shaving it. But now it looks like he is in need of antibiotics because this is a skin infection, hence the yellow crusting seen there. You will need to take him in to your local vet for a quick skin test to rule out mites and a thyroid test may be applicable as well, depending on his estimated age and physical exam findings. The vet will likely get him started on oral antibiotics to hopefully clear up this skin infection. Also Duoxo shampoo seborrhea may help clear up some of these infected areas. Duoxo shampoo for dogs is often found through online stores. I hope he gets better soon. Best wishes and take care.

It looks as though Luke may have a skin infection, either bacterial or fungal (and sometimes both). My recommendation would be to consult with your vet about getting a medicated shampoo that will help clear up his skin. From the pictures you provided the infection doesn't look too bad yet but may get worse and Luke may need oral medication as well. Good luck!

This does look like a severe skin disease. Dogs can develop environmental allergies similar to eczema, but I would expect that he would have responded some to the medications prescribed at least temporarily if this was the case. Buddy could have a parasite, resistant infection, or an autoimmune disease causing these symptoms as well. You may want to recheck with the vet to see if there are any other tests they might recommend - a skin scrape, fungal culture, skin cytology and culture, or biopsy might be the next steps. If Buddy is not on a good flea and tick preventative I'd recommend starting one as well just in case of parasites.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Rufus with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get him to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start him on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting him on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

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