Why is my dog's hind leg bald and swollen? What should I do?

As you said this is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask 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 to discover the cause of the allergy. 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). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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.

From the photos here it looks like these are patches of hair loss. We can have hair loss at points of pressure if a dog likes to lay on hard surfaces, but we also worry about things like ringworm (a fungal infection), skin mites, and bacterial infection causing patches of hair loss. I would recommend bringing your dog in to the vet to examine the area. They may recommend a fungal culture if ringworm is suspected or a cytology of the skin to check for bacteria or a skin scrape to check for mites.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to allergies, especially flea allergy dermatitis based on the location though other types of allergy cannot be ruled out. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. 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!

Poor Fang! He could have a bacterial infection, ringworm, mites, injury, and/or an allergic dermatitis. His toe looks very swollen and I think he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat. He might need an antibiotic, corticosteroid, anti-fungal, or other medications to help. Your vet can do a skin scrape, culture, or cytology, if needed, to help diagnose. In the mean time, you could soak his paw in a warm Epsom salt solution and see if that helps. Call your vet and schedule an appointment to have him seen.

A mild allergy, mites, bacterial infection or even ringworm can cause hair loss with that appearance. It looks like a pretty small area with mild inflammation to me so I'm not overly concerned. You could use a gentle oatmeal based dog shampoo to clean the area. You can also use an e-collar if it seems like Nova wants to lick at the area. I don't think avoiding grass will be helpful. If the area does not start to regrow hair or the redness gets worse I would see your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can obtain skin samples to see if an infection is present. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This may be a so-called hot spot, i.e. a spot where Nerys is constantly licking , first because it may have itched or hurt, then because it became a habit. The constant licking prevents it from healing. You will need to take Nerys to your vet for an exam. Your vet may inject some steroid under the lesion and put Nerys on a long course of antibiotics and she will need to wear an e-collar to keep her from licking. It is important that she be kept busy with walks, playing etc, as boredom makes it worse.

It looks like a lick granuloma which can be secondary to itching, pain, boredom, stress, OCD. They are commonly treated with antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, and bandages or E-collar to prevent licking. If that doesn't work then anti-anxiety medications, like Prozac, can be prescribed to see if that helps. Below is a link with a website with additional information. http://www.skinvetclinic.com/acrallickdermatitis.html