My dog has hair loss, dandruff, and sheds a lot. What's next?

I believe you are referring to the medication Apoquel. I cannot tell much from the photo - is this Bear's back? My suggestions would be: 1. Do an allergy test so you can find out what he is allergic to (if anything). ( http://petslady.com/article/new-allergy-test-my-pet-offers-home-testing-dogs-and-cats ) ( https://www.amazon.com/s?k=allergy+tests&i=pets&tag=petslady-20&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 ) If there are allergies you should talk to your vet about immunotherapy instead of spending time and money on all this other stuff. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/allergy-testing-immunotherapy-in-dogs/ ) 2. Talk to your vet about the possibility of underlying endocrinopathy and test for them (ie: Cushing's disease, thryoid disease, etc) 3. Try using this line of anti-itch products. (Calm by Duoxo). There is shampoo, mousse and spray. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6679-douxo-calm-mousse-for-dogs-and-cats-68-oz.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6688-douxo-calm-shampoo-for-dogs-and-cats.aspx ) ( https://www.allivet.com/p-6674-douxo-calm-micro-emulsion-spray-for-dogs-and-cats-68-oz.aspx ) With allergies, you need to find the underlying cause and treat that instead of just trying to just cure symptoms.

Ouch! Dixie's skin certainly looks uncomfortable. Some dogs are allergic to fleas, whereby just a bite or two can make them extremely itchy, which can lead to skin infections and irritation. The most commonly affected skin sites are around the head/neck and tail base/back of the hind legs. The thickened appearance of Daisy's skin is likely due to chronic skin irritation and inflammation. Other possible causes of these skin changes include allergies to food or the environment, ringworm, mange or endocrine diseases (such as hypothyroidism). The excessive shedding that you have noticed from both dogs could be a normal seasonal occurrence or due the stress of moving to a new home. At this point, Dixie should be examined by a vet to establish the cause of these issues so that they can be treated with any necessary medications (such as antibiotics, antifungals, medicated shampoo, etc.). The vet will need to perform skin scrapings to look for mites microscopically and will need to perform a Wood's lamp and possible fungal culture to rule out ringworm. Ringworm and sarcoptic mange (scabies) can be transmitted to other animals and humans, so these possibilities should be ruled out with diagnostic tests. In the meantime, discontinue the use of hydrogen peroxide and apple cider vinegar. Both of these can cause additional irritation and the hydrogen peroxide in particular can delay healing of the skin. Assure that both dogs receive a high quality flea preventative (such as Nexgard, Bravecto or Advantix) regularly. I hope that all goes well!

The cause of the allergy must be understood to be able to reduce and eventually stop Apoquel. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Exclusion commercial diets are the best to rule out specific allergens. A blood test is available to determine the allergy panel (which substances he is allergic to). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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

Those spots on Mala 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 Mala wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If a hydrolyzed diet was not used, I would switch to a food such as Hills Z/D or Royal Canin Ultamino and feed for 4-6 weeks. If there is no improvement, you may need to consider drug therapy such as cytopoint, apoquel, atopica, etc. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Skin problems can have a variety of causes, sometimes more than one. Allergies, parasites, bacterial or fungal infections, even contact with some surfaces or substances will cause itching, rash and/or hair loss. It is important to have the problem checked by your vet to determine if there is a medical cause for your pet’s skin issues and treat accordingly. In pets of all ages, fleas, food allergies and exposure to chemical irritants such as cleaners and soaps can be a cause. Any one of these may not be enough to trigger the breakouts, depending on how sensitive your pet is, but a combination can be enough to start the itch-scratch cycle. Finding out the cause and eliminating it is the best course of action. With flea allergies, if your pet is sensitive enough, a single bite can cause them to break out scratch enough to tear their skin. Check for fleas with a flea comb. Look for fleas and/or tiny black granules, like coarse black pepper. This is flea feces, consisting of digested, dried blood. You may find tiny white particles, like salt, which are the flea eggs. Applying a good topical monthly flea treatment and aggressively treating your house and yard will help break the flea life cycle. If you use plastic bowls, this is a possible cause for hair loss, though this tends to be on the chin, where their skin touches the bowl while they eat. If you suspect this to be the culprit, try changing the bowls to glass, metal or ceramic. Food allergies are often caused by sensitivity to a protein in the food. Hill's Science Diet offers some non-prescription options for sensitive skin as well as prescription hypoallergenic foods for more severe cases. Royal Canin carries limited protein diets that may also offer some relief. Your vet can recommend a specific diet that will help. If there is no relief or not enough, consider getting your pet checked by a veterinary dermatologist and having allergy testing done.