Dog losing hair, bald spots, and white skin patches. What's wrong?

Poor guy. There are really only 2 types of mites that we see in veterinary medicine- Scabies and Demodexx mites. Scabies (a type ofmite) is infectious to people so if you yourself are not itching then you can kind of rule that one out. The other mite, Demodexx isn't infectious to people or other pets, and nowadays it can be treated with oral flea preventatives such as Bravecto, Nexgard or Simparica + a medicated topical shampoo through your vet. I would recommend just starting Baileys' on one of these to cover any kind of mite issue. Then I would suggest getting Bailey on an oral antibiotic to clear up the skin infection that is present. The ears look to be infected as well. This will require a topical ear medication and cleaner from your vet to resolve. Skin allergy testing is not commoonly used anymore due to the poor overall response to allergy immunotherapy shots. THe most common allergy medication used nowadays is Apoquel. I would ask your vet about this as well, especially if mites are not the underlying problem, which can be easily confirmed or denied with a simple skin scraping test done through your vet. I hope that you can get Bailey's skin issue resolved soon. Best wishes and take care!

I can see how red Barbie's belly is, as well as some marks where she has been scratching herself. She also has some red bumps, which can be a sign of a bacterial or fungal infection, as well as certain types of skin mites. Certain hormonal imbalances such as Cushing's disease (an overproduction of steroids by the body), and food allergies can cause signs like this as well. I recommend having Barbie seen by a vet soon to determine the cause and any underlying conditions. A vet will be able to determine the appropriate treatment and prescribe any antibiotics or medicated shampoos that will treat this issue. I hope this helps and would be happy to answer any questions you may have!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. If your at home treatments have not been effective, then it is time to see his veterinarian. He will likely need skin testing to look for mites or ringworm. If these tests are negative, allergies may be a possibility. He will need prescription medications to control the itchy and allow the hair to grow back. I hope this information helps!

If the medication your veterinarian has been using isn't working I would actually recommend a biopsy and blood work. Sometimes different endocrine problems can cause hairloss in dogs and this is what the blood work would be checking for. The biopsy I typically would take a piece of the abnormal part where there is no hair, then an area where it is 1/2 hair and 1/2 hairless. This will give you a definitive answer as to what is going on with Bandit. I would discuss this with your veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Those spots on Bailey could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Skin mites and ringworm (which humans can get) will also look like this. 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. The veterinarian can preform a few simple diagnostics to start figuring out the problem. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Skin can be very frustrating. The most common cause of skin irritation is allergies (food, flea or environmental). However skin mites, endocrine and auto immune disease can also cause skin issues. I would recommend applying flea prevention every 30 days year round to make sure the fleas are not an issue. Also if the skin is not resolving Kim might need medications for longer, stronger medications or more testing like a skin scrape for mites or biopsy for auto immune disease. I recommend taking Kim back tot he vet to discuss the skin not resolving and further testing. Hope that helps and thanks for using pet coach

Itchy skin and hair loss is often due to the following things: 1) Allergies - this can happen suddenly and is usually due to an environmental (i.e pollen) cause. 2) External parasites - fleas, lice and mites can all cause intense itching. It's good to check him for fleas and get treatment if needed. The permethrin shampoo is only temporary, so it's possible that he is getting re- infested. He may have mites, which are microscopic and require a vet to find. 3) Over-bathing, or using the wrong product for bathing - Bathing too often can cause the skin to get dry and irritated. Dogs should normally be bathed no more than once a month with a shampoo that is labeled for dogs. If you bathe more than that, or use a shampoo or soap that is meant for people, then you could be damaging the normal protective barrier of the skin. One thing you can do for itchy skin, is give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo. You can get these shampoos at the pet store. I hope this helps you to identify the problem. If not, then it would be worth taking him to the vet. We can usually discover the cause quickly and provide the most effective treatment. Below are some links to articles that should be helpful for you: https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-tell-if-your-pet-has-allergies/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/4-great-strategies-for-relieving-your-dog-s-allergies/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/skin-allergies-vs-food-allergies/