My dog has hot spots. Could his food be the cause? What can I do?

Continued hotspots are generally a sign of an underlying allergy. This allergy could be related to flea bites, a food allergy or an environmental allergy. Hypothyroidism is uncommon in a young dog but is possible as well and will result in hotspots. Until you determine the underlying cause, it will be impossible to stop the hotspots. You can rule out flea allergy by using an oral flea preventative and such as Simparica or Nexgard. Food allergy is often rolled out with a prescription hydrolyzed diet. Environmental allergy can be tested with a blood sample or a response to therapy. Thyroid conditions are detected with a blood test. I recommend to call your veterinarian to discuss which option is the best one to start with. At home providing quality food and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets can help maintain skin health which can provide some protection. Royal Canin and Nutro are both good diet. Keeping him dry and drying him off quickly when he gets wet can also help. Lastly, make sure to protect any hotspots from licking or scratching. He may need to wear an elizabethan collar. I hope this helps.

This could be a food allergy, but I think it’s more likely an environmental allergy or hypersensitivity (to fleas most likely). Especially if Raider was on the same food for several months with no problem. (If you just switched food, flavor, or treats within 3 weeks of this happening, I am more suspicious of food allergy.) Both of those foods are, as far as I can tell, reputable and of good quality. If you’d like to pursue the food option, choose a “novel protein” meaning, if his previous foods have been mostly chicken and beef, choose a fish, duck, or lamb recipe. If you haven’t already, get the fleas under control and obviously you know to see a vet if it’s not getting better. A medicated shampoo, short course of steroids, and antibiotics if needed might be possible treatments (though there are many others). Best of luck to you and Raider.

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 Rover 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).

Those spots on Basil 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 a 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 are unlikely to 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 his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Basil wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I hate to hear this is happening to Halo. In general, those spots on Halo 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 his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Halo wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Aw poor Cujo! I'm sorry that he's having these skin issues. There is a good chance that these signs are related to food or environmental allergies (atopy) which is an issue with the immune system. It would be a good idea to discuss a prescription food trial diet with your veterinarian. Many pets will respond to a prescription food like Royal Canin Ultamino or Hydrolyzed protein diet. To know if a prescription diet is working Cujo would need to be on the diet for at least 8 weeks and fed nothing else (not even treats). Natural Balance makes a limited ingredient diet that I have seen some success with if a prescription diet is not an option for you. I would also suggest discussing a long term allergy medication with your veterinarian. Cytopoint, Apoquel, or atopica may be good options for Cujo. Medicated bathing may also be helpful. Allergies can be frustrating to deal with, but once you figure out what works for Cujo he will easier to maintain. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I'm hoping for a speedy resolution for Cujo!

Those spots on Kimber 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 for a full 16 weeks. During this time you must ensure a PROPER food trial or it will not give you any results. 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. Additionally, it sounds like Kimber has a secondary infection and this will need to be treated as well. 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 Kimber wear an elizabethan collar at all times. You will need to rule out each condition one thing at a time. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.