My dog has fleas, itchy skin, rash, and eye issues. What to do?

This may be due to parasites (fleas, mites), infection (bacterial or fungal) or allergies. Lucero would need to be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. This may take diagnostics such as skin scrapes, cultures, allergy testing or food elimination trials. In the meantime, place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent licking or chewing. Treat him for fleas, even if you don't see any, using a topical or oral preventative. Treat monthly for 3 consecutive months, preferably year round. Treat the environment as well by vacuuming everywhere and washing all bedding. An area treatment, such as Knockout ES or Indorex, should also be used. If Lucero has allergies, they can be frustrating to diagnose. Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials and antihistamine use with your veterinarian.

Those spots on Lucy could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Typically, itchy red skin with hair loss is caused by either fleas, mites (mange), ringworm ( actually a fungus) or allergies. For me, the most common one of these is allergies. Dogs can have allergies to ingredients in their food or to things in the environment. They need to be seen by a vet who can rule out the other causes I mentioned, and then take the appropriate course of treatment. Some dogs will improve greatly on a hypoallergenic diet, others need immunosuppressive drugs. Often these guys have secondary bacterial infections that require antibiotics. I'd recommend an appointment With Lylas vet ASAP to get this sorted out, and get her some medications to help her feel better.

Skin problems in dogs are usually secondary to allergies. Due to the her having dry skin on her backside, and the history of fleas, I think that Samantha has a flea allergy. Flea allergies tend to make dogs lose hair and become very itchy on the back 1/3 of their body. The key to getting rid of fleas is to make sure that you treat the environment where Samantha is as well as her. The fleas that you can see are only the tip of the iceberg. Most of the flea life cycle is in the carpet , bedding inside and grass outside. There is a stage of the life cycle that can not be killed with pesticides. So- it is important to treat the dog and environment and then repeat it in 3-4 weeks. If your dog has a flea allergy, it is important to keep them on a monthly flea prevention because even one flea bite will make them itch. If your fleas are truly gone and you have Samantha on a regular flea prevention, she could have another allergy like an inhalant allergy. I would recommend a visit to the veterinarian to figure out what is going on with her abdomen. Bumps could be a sign of a bacterial infection. Your vet may be able prescribe a treatment to get her feeling better. The thing to remember about allergies and skin problems in dogs is that there is not one magic treatment that works on all dogs. It will require team work between you and your vet to determine what works best for Samantha. Don't get frustrated if the first thing doesn't work, go back in for a recheck and try the next treatment.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lucy. Shaving may help her, but she needs to be on a flea and tick preventive. She should also see her veterinarian as her skin appears infected. She may need antibiotics or a medicated shampoo to help her heal. I hope this information helps!

The symptoms you have described are pretty classic for Flea Allergy Dermatitis (FAD). Some dogs are actually allergic to flea bites, similar to how some humans react to mosquito bites and some aren't bothered by them. The best way to treat this is to get rid of the fleas using a good-quality monthly flea preventative. The most effective preventatives are prescription from a vet. Lila may also need antibiotics or anti-inflammatories to treat the skin while the fleas go away (which takes 12 weeks since the fleas have laid eggs in the environment that will hatch later). https://www.petcoach.co/article/flea-allergy-dermatitis-or-flea-bite-hypersensitivity/

Ouch, poor Rose! Some dogs are allergic to fleas and can become intensely itchy, which can then lead to the development of a bacterial skin infection, which only amplifies the itch cycle. You did the right thing by starting Rose on flea prevention (K9 Advantix II is my favorite OTC topical), but a flea collar is unnecessary. Be sure to continue using topical flea prevention monthly to prevent flea eggs from hatching to larvae and reproducing. With the redness on Rose's skin, it is highly suspicious that she has developed a skin infection, which requires antibiotics for resolution. There aren't any over the counter medications available to to help with her itching or skin infection, so Rose will need to go to the vet. The vet will be able to prescribe the best medication (likely antibiotics and anti-itch medications) for Rose to remedy this issue. I hope that she feels better soon!